The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce the class of 2021 for New to the Beat, a mentoring and training program for journalists with less than two years experience covering education.
The 28 rookies were selected through a competitive application process. Each will be matched with an experienced education reporter who will serve as a mentor and coach for the duration of the six-month program. The rookies also take part in specialized training opportunities.
“We are thrilled to support such a promising and impressive group of reporters who are new to the best beat in journalism,” said Caroline W. Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We’re looking forward to helping them thrive and grow in this complex and important speciality.”
This year’s rookies are:
- Mayowa Aina, Alaska Public Media
- Cayla Bamberger, The Connecticut Post
- Pia Ceres, WIRED
- Anika Chaturvedi, The Times Free Press
- CD Davidson-Heiers, The Tallahassee Democrat
- Liliana Frankel, Malheur Enterprise
- Emma Gallegos, The Bakersfield Californian
- Alicia Guzman, Searchlight New Mexico
- Sheridan Hendrix, The Columbus Dispatch
- Morgan Hughes, Casper Star-Tribune
- Kenya Hunter, Richmond Times-Dispatch
- Jewél Jackson, El Paso Matters
- TyLisa Johnson, PublicSource
- Matt Jones, The Daily Press/The Virginian-Pilot
- Aubri Juhasz, New Orleans Public Radio
- Asher Lehrer-Small, The 74 Million
- Steve Morowski, MLive
- Naomi Martin, The Boston Globe
- Ashley McBride, The Oaklandside
- Hannah McClellen, Chatham News + Record
- Valeria Olivares, The Dallas Morning News
- Jon Reed, KUER
- Lindsay Schnell, USA Today
- Samantha Smylie, Chalkbeat Chicago
- Aaricka Washington, Chalkbeat Indiana
- Adria Watson, The Connecticut Mirror
- Samantha West, The Post-Crescent
- Isaac Windes, The Beaumont Enterprise