Now, as a graduate, I can attest how those connections 鈥� first planted on the university鈥檚 campus 鈥� grow into strong bonds well beyond Elon鈥檚 brick pathways and oak trees. That is true of my connection to Dr. Anthony Hatcher.

Although I only took a few of Dr. Hatcher鈥檚 courses at Elon, our paths crossed countless times inside McEwen Communications Building. Every conversation included a kind word, encouragement and a quiet chuckle. But it was a senior-year trip to Hong Kong that revealed why so many students held him in such high regard.

Traveling with Dr. Hatcher and a cohort of classmates for an Imagining the Internet project, I truly understood what great teaching looks like. Dr. Hatcher let us students take the wheel and learn by doing, producing the interviews, choosing our story angles and cutting the video. By knowing when to offer guidance and when to step back, he let his students discover how to do journalism.

But it was in the 鈥渂etween鈥� moments 鈥� a shared meal at the top of Victoria Peak, wandering the chaotic shopping markets and navigating the busy streets 鈥� that made the trip special, where I and my classmates could share stories with him, listen to the advice of a seasoned journalist and just talk about our hopes and dreams upon graduating. They say that travel often brings out the best or worst in a person, and I can say unequivocally, Dr. Hatcher shared the best of himself with us. We successfully completed that trip, bonded by adventure and nearly 24 hours of straight travel.

I鈥檓 happy to say that connection is still present today, whether through emails exchanged or virtual coffee chats. And while Dr. Hatcher鈥檚 time at Elon may be ending, his impact on students and alumni like me will live on long after departing campus.

An Emmy Award-winning communications leader, Addie Haney 鈥�14 has built her career around storytelling and audience engagement. Earlier this year, she joined CNN Newsource as a content producer.

can vividly remember the exhilaration of running onto the field this past weekend with the University of Pittsburgh football team, gimbal in hand, as more than 40,000 fans roared around him.

What happened next is a little hazier.

鈥淚 essentially blacked out on adrenaline for the first 10 minutes of game action,鈥� Henneman laughed.

It was Henneman鈥檚 first game day working on the sidelines for Pitt football 鈥� and a surreal introduction to his new role as the program鈥檚 assistant director of creative content.

The Elon alumnus was there to capture an up-close look at Pitt鈥檚 season-opening 59-14 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 5. Once the final whistle sounded, his responsibilities only grew. Henneman took the lead editing 鈥溾�� Pitt鈥檚 long-running video series that tells the story of a victory through behind-the-scenes content.

For Henneman, the assignment represented another milestone in a professional journey that has moved quickly.

His path to Pitt began shortly after his May 2025 graduation from Elon, where he majored in journalism and built a portfolio that stretched well beyond traditional reporting.

As a student, Henneman worked with Rising Phoenix and Elon Athletics video production. He also spent nearly two years interning with The Burlington School, chronicling its high-level prep basketball program. Following graduation, he continued sharpening his skills as a videographer with the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Those experiences ultimately led him to Pittsburgh.

In January, Henneman initially joined Pitt Athletics as an assistant director of video production, creating content across the university鈥檚 athletics programs. After six months, he accepted a position supporting Pitt football. But Henneman wasn鈥檛 quite ready to give up basketball.

He negotiated a hybrid role that allows him to remain the secondary video contact for Pitt men鈥檚 basketball.

鈥淚 couldn’t get myself to leave my basketball roots behind,鈥� Henneman said.

Being a major content contributor for both programs, he said, is a 鈥渄ream come true.鈥� It has also brought considerably more responsibility.

While the football staff was away during July, Henneman filmed basketball summer workouts, helped lead the rollout of new NIL initiatives for Pitt Athletics, and traveled to New York City to cover volleyball standout Olivia Babcock at the Collegiate Women Sports Awards.

Then came football season.

When fall camp opened in August, Henneman鈥檚 days regularly stretched from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. He produced short-form content from daily practices and longer-form mic鈥檇-up features while documenting the weeks leading into the season.

“Practically living in the facility gave me an eye-opening perspective of the upper echelon of college athletics.”

鈥� Cap Henneman 鈥�25

Amid that demanding schedule came one of his biggest opportunities.

At the end of fall camp, Henneman spent a week shooting and editing the 鈥溾�� his first true 鈥減assion project鈥� since arriving at Pitt. The finished video was shown at the program鈥檚 kickoff luncheon and student bonfire pep rally, played on the stadium scoreboard before the season opener, and released on social media.

Creating a longer, storytelling-driven piece reminded Henneman of the projects he pursued at Elon.

鈥淚t was refreshing to create a storytelling-centric piece that I could be proud of,鈥� Henneman said.

That same approach carried into his first football Saturday.

After documenting Pitt鈥檚 season-opening victory, Henneman shifted almost immediately from capturing the story to assembling it. For 鈥溾�� he storyboarded the video and constructed its game-action sequences, working alongside colleagues who handled the introduction, graphics, color grading and sound effects.

There was also a tighter turnaround. The popular series, previously released on Wednesdays, was now due Monday.

鈥淒espite the lack of social life and free time that football season brings, I can confidently say I am doing something that I truly love,鈥� Henneman said. 鈥淚 feel like I have found my footing within the creative team, and look to keep improving as the season moves forward.鈥�

For , pursuing journalism doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean following a traditional path. The Elon junior didn鈥檛 want to fit into a certain box, so when she saw an opening last summer for a video production assistant internship in her hometown in Central Illinois, she applied 鈥� and landed the role.

The opportunity introduced Burgos to a different side of storytelling. Working with the Big Ten Network, a national sports network dedicated to coverage of Big Ten Conference athletics, she gained hands-on experience setting up and shooting content ranging from interviews to b-roll. Most importantly, she contributed to several documentary projects.

Nearly a year later, she can finally share what she worked on last summer 鈥撀燼 short documentary highlighting the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign鈥檚 rich history of agricultural innovation and discovery. The film premiered on the network on July 8; a fact Burgos celebrated on .

With the documentary now available on , Burgos has been able to show her family the finished product, including her father, who was 鈥渟uper excited鈥� for her.

鈥淗e鈥檚 taking a picture of my credit,鈥� Burgos laughed.

This summer the Elon junior interned again with the Big Ten Network and her role expanded. She鈥檚 gotten to participate in some shoots, review video archives and work on another documentary. While she cannot disclose the subjects yet, she helped colleagues interview several high-profile Illinois alumni.

鈥淚 think I really just got to dip my toes in last summer,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd there are always so many more stories still to be told.鈥�

Burgos鈥� willingness to explore different sides of journalism reflects the path she took at Elon, where she didn鈥檛 declare her major until her sophomore year. Before settling on journalism, she took advantage of that flexibility to explore different areas within the School of Communications.

That exploration included working on a student film set as a grip, an equipment technician who supports a production.

鈥淚f you know about something in your community that you might be interested in getting involved in. Don鈥檛 be afraid to reach out.”
鈥� Miranda Burgos 鈥�28

As a Communications Fellow, Burgos and the rest of her first-year cohort traveled to Florida, where they shadowed professionals and toured companies representing different areas of the communications and sport industries. Burgos said it helped her realize that graduating with a journalism degree didn鈥檛 necessarily mean she had to work at a newspaper or broadcast station.

鈥淚 was still undecided at that time, but no matter what I picked, my options were maybe more open than I was imagining,鈥� Burgos said.

Experiences like the Florida trip eventually helped push her to submit her application to the Big Ten Network.

The internship also brought its own challenges. Burgos said she had to learn to be more adaptable as shoots would get rescheduled or canceled altogether. Once she became accustomed to the unpredictability, however, it became one of her favorite parts of the internship.

鈥淭hings can get moved, things can just pop out of nowhere, but it kind of felt like an adventure,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t has been so much fun.鈥�

This fall, Burgos will study abroad in Spain. When she returns, she plans to continue exploring her options as a journalism major.

The annual recognition honors emerging public relations professionals making their mark on the industry in the early stages of their careers. For Gibson, the recognition gave her a chance to appreciate how much she and HCM have grown in a relatively short time.

鈥淧RNEWS is one of the most respected platforms in the industry, so it鈥檚 an honor to be recognized,鈥� Gibson said. 鈥淚鈥檝e spent the past few years watching Hannah Cranston Media grow from a team of three to a team of more than 20, and most days I鈥檓 too deep in pitching and problem-solving to stop and think about how far we鈥檝e come.鈥�

While Gibson has built her career in public relations, many of the skills that guide her work today were developed through her experiences as a journalism major at Elon.

The Honors Fellow was heavily involved with Elon News Network as an anchor and multimedia journalist, while also participating other immersive experiences like FreshTV. Those opportunities helped establish a foundation in storytelling that she continues to draw upon while working on the public relations side of the media industry.

鈥淓lon gave me a passion for storytelling and a tenacious curiosity, both essential to my career,鈥� Gibson said. 鈥淲orking as a reporter and anchor with ENN taught me what it takes to build a good story, and what makes people actually connect with one 鈥撀爐he human element has to come first.鈥�

That journalism background, Gibson said, has proved especially valuable as she develops stories and works directly with reporters.

鈥淚t鈥檚 shaped how I think about what a good story looks like and made me a better resource to the journalists I work with today,鈥� she said.

Following graduation, Gibson spent three years with Jennifer Bett Communications before joining HCM in early 2024 as senior manager of public relations. She was promoted to director of public relations and business development six months later.

In her current position, Gibson oversees the agency鈥檚 consumer packaged goods, women鈥檚 health and wellness client roster, with responsibilities spanning client strategy and media relations. Her work can range from developing pitch strategies with colleagues to staffing events with reporters and cultivating media relationships. 鈥淢y job changes shape depending on the week 鈥� which is one of the best parts,鈥� she said.

Gibson credits much of her professional growth to learning the importance of surrounding herself with people committed to their work and to one another.

鈥淏et on people over playbooks. In an industry built on relationships, we can teach anyone to write a pitch or find the right story 鈥� but working alongside people who are passionately determined and hungry to see their teams succeed is an irreplaceable, unteachable quality.鈥�

鈥� Amanda Gibson 鈥�21

Gibson also points to retired Elon faculty members Rich Landesberg and Glenn Scott as influential mentors. She credits Landesberg with instilling a respect for journalism鈥檚 ability to serve communities, an outlook that has influenced the brands and people she chooses to work with. Her research with Scott examining how stories are told around major events also continues to inform her approach to identifying stories and perspectives that might otherwise be overlooked.

Those lessons, along with the relationships she developed during her undergraduate years, remain important to Gibson five years after graduating.

鈥淏eyond the classroom, the friendships and mentors I found at Elon continue to be a bedrock of both my life and my career,鈥� Gibson said, 鈥淚鈥檓 endlessly grateful for my time Under the Oaks.鈥�

Israel Balderas, assistant professor of journalism, recently appeared on WGHP’s “Swing State” to discuss the 2026 midterm election, and the political landscape nationally and in North Carolina.

“If you look at the national mood right now, I would say Republicans have a plus, if you start looking at states and individual candidates,” Balderas said. “I think while the Democrats, right now,聽 a generic ballot favors the Democrats, you’re going to have to see candidate by candidate. Is the candidate likable? Is the candidate recognizable? And then you start looking at district (by) district, state by state.”

Much of the conversation focused on North Carolina being a competitive state in the 2026 midterm election. They discussed the North Carolina U.S. Senate Race between former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley, including a recent 福利亚洲国产精品 Poll about the race.聽In this new poll, 84% of registered voters said they had heard 鈥渁 great deal鈥� (55%) or 鈥渟ome鈥� (29%) about Cooper, who was North Carolina governor from 2017 to 2025 and previously served 16 years as the state鈥檚 attorney general. In comparison, 53% said they had heard 鈥渁 great deal鈥� (17%) or 鈥渟ome鈥� (36%) about Whatley

“(Cooper) has a problem, he needs to reach more members of the center-to-center-right,” said Balderas. “When it comes to Whatley, Whatley is not recognized. Even in his hometown of Gastonia, he’s not very well known. Which means he has an ability to gain more voters. But Whatley is a DC guy. He was an RNC chairman and the attack leading up to the election is going be another Washington insider.”

The discussion also focused on the war in Iran and its economic consequences, and how it could affect voters’ concerns about inflation, affordability and the economy.

.

School of Communications faculty members earned research and teaching honors and shared their expertise on topics ranging from artificial intelligence and internships to mentorship and First Amendment issues at the .

Held Aug. 5-8 in New Orleans, the conference brought together journalism and mass communication educators and scholars from around the world to present research, exchange ideas and explore emerging issues across the communications field.

Several Elon faculty members were recognized for their work during the conference.

Shanetta Pendleton and Michele Lashley, assistant professors of strategic communications, earned second place in the Teaching Paper Competition for their research, 鈥淓xploring the Perceived Efficacy of Custom AI Chatbots in Public Relations Education.鈥� Their study explored how course-specific AI chatbots can serve as instructional supports in undergraduate communications courses, providing students with additional opportunities for formative feedback and iterative learning. The findings highlight the potential for thoughtfully designed AI tools to complement classroom instruction by helping students refine their work and deepen their learning while encouraging responsible and ethical AI use.

Qian Xu, professor of strategic communications and A.J. Fletcher Professor, and Jenny Jiang, associate professor of visual communication, were recognized during the Internships and Careers Interest Group鈥檚 Top Refereed Research Paper Session. They presented 鈥淎I in Media Analytics Job Postings: A Computational Analysis of AI Mentions, Expectations, and Semantic Networks,鈥� a study analyzing more than 5,400 media analytics job postings to examine how AI is mentioned, framed and structurally embedded in job descriptions.

Presentations and panels

Elon faculty also contributed to research and teaching sessions examining mentorship, internships, emerging technologies, workplace experiences and First Amendment concerns.

• Israel Balderas,聽assistant professor of journalism, served as a panelist for 鈥淐ompelling Faith: The Growing Tensions between the Free Speech, Free Exercise, and Establishment Clauses of the First Amendment.鈥� The panel examined how recent Supreme Court rulings are reshaping debates over religious expression, compelled speech and civil rights in schools and universities. Balderas also moderated 鈥淒isrespected and Derailed: Women of Color Journalists Covering the Trump Administration,鈥� a research panel examining the experiences of women of color journalists covering the administration.

• 

  Vanessa Bravo, professor of strategic communications,聽served as a panelist for the teaching session 鈥淢entoring Minoritized Students and Fostering Resilient Young Professionals,鈥� which examined how faculty can mentor and support students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Bravo also served as a discussant for 鈥淢edia, Vulnerability, and Empowerment: How Mediated Spaces Both Endanger and Support Marginalized Groups鈥� and moderated the International Communication Division teaching panel 鈥淕lobal Inclusivity in Comparative Research: Experiences and Reflections.鈥�

• Hal Vincent, associate teaching professor of strategic communications, moderated a research panel session, 鈥淪potlight: Research Scholars Exchange,鈥� and served as a discussant for multiple refereed research paper sessions. He also moderated the members鈥� meeting for the Internships and Careers Interest Group.
• Qian Xu and former Elon Comm faculty member Chris Chen presented 鈥淐ustomizing Communication Styles in Claude: Control Benefits, Cognitive Cost, and Task-Dependent Effects鈥� during a scholar-to-scholar refereed research paper session on AI and relationships. Their research examined how different levels of customization and task type influence psychological responses in human-AI interaction and perceptions of AI-generated output.

As digital editor at WUSA-TV, a CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., Rosenthal handles a wide range of responsibilities, from writing for the station鈥檚 website and producing social media content to gathering sources and reporting in the field. The journalism major said she fell in love with news reporting when she was in high school, which led her to apply to Elon.

鈥淚 joined my high school newspaper club in ninth grade, and it was the 2016 election season,鈥� Rosenthal recalled. 鈥淭here was a ton of news, and I got the 鈥榥ews bug,鈥� and I’ve been doing it ever since.鈥�

At Elon, Rosenthal found opportunities through student media to develop her reporting skills outside the classroom.

鈥淚 feel like the hands-on experience that I got working with my peers and friends, and actually going out and doing reporting, and putting together a paper every week showed me more of the skills that I use on a day-to-day,鈥� Rosenthal said.

She also credits The Pendulum鈥檚 critique sessions with teaching her how to receive feedback and use it to improve her work.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to qualify a mistake or qualify a reason why you did this or that,鈥� Rosenthal said. 鈥淲hat I learned so much from critique was how to take feedback and move forward and use that in the next piece. Now I鈥檓 somebody who asks for feedback all the time because, I think, in part, because of those critiques.鈥�

Those lessons have followed Rosenthal into her professional career. Earlier this year, she spent three weeks covering a murder trial in Fairfax, Virginia, an assignment she described as a significant learning experience.

鈥淢y station sent me to a murder trial in January, and I spent three weeks covering a very high-profile case every day in court, and that has been a huge learning and teaching moment for me,鈥� Rosenthal said. 鈥淚 feel like I learned so much from covering this trial, especially as somebody who has covered many court hearings and smaller things.鈥�

For current Elon students interested in journalism, Rosenthal recommends getting involved in student media early and pursuing the subjects that interest them.

鈥淢y biggest advice is to be involved in student journalism,鈥� she said. 鈥淛ust start doing stories and meeting people and doing things that are out of your comfort zone. When I was at Elon, I was interested in courts. I would go to the courthouse in Graham to pick up court documents for stories, and go to the police station, and pick up crime numbers, and things like that. If there’s something that you’re interested in, just start doing it.鈥�

Like Rosenthal, Phengsitthy discovered her love of writing through her high school newspaper, where she served as editor-in-chief. She brought that interest to Elon, double majoring in Communication Design (now Visual Communication) and Media Analytics while becoming heavily involved with Elon News Network.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been a writer,鈥� Phengsitthy said. 鈥淚 know that people don鈥檛 really like talking about high school when they talk about their experience, but high school is when I really started.鈥�

Phengsitthy served as design chief of The Pendulum during her sophomore year and managing editor as a junior. She credits those experiences with providing the foundation for her professional journalism career.

Everything I did in Elon News Network is what set me up for my journalism experience today. I joke with my friends that ENN was like my third degree in college because I got so much done and learned so much there. From just writing every single day, that’s what helped me get better.

鈥� Nyah Phengsitthy 鈥�23

While at Elon, Phengsitthy interned with Bloomberg Law on its environment desk. Following graduation, she returned to the organization through a rotational program and now works as a health reporter. In that role, she has covered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, drug pricing and other complex issues affecting the pharmaceutical and health care industries.

Her work at Bloomberg Law requires reporting on complex subjects, but Phengsitthy said young journalists shouldn鈥檛 feel pressure to become experts on every topic they cover. Instead, they should focus on developing the skills necessary to find knowledgeable sources, understand complicated information and explain it clearly to readers.

鈥淏e an expert in being a reporter and writing and learning how to break down information for your readers,鈥� Phengsitthy said.

Phengsitthy also encourages Elon students to complement their campus journalism experience with internships that allow them to apply their skills in professional settings.

鈥淵ou can have all the skills, and you can have all the clips that you have from ENN, but it鈥檚 more powerful if you go and get to apply them somewhere else,” she said, noting the value of internships. “The more experience you have, the better.

鈥淭he job market is really hard right now, but I feel like if you鈥檙e able to show that you can get your foot in the door somewhere, that鈥檚 good.鈥�

福利亚洲国产精品 Assistant Professor of Journalism聽Israel Balderas was featured in a recent examining campaign press access in North Carolina鈥檚 closely watched U.S. Senate race. The story explored recent decisions by the campaigns of Republican Michael Whatley and Democrat Roy Cooper to restrict access to certain media outlets during campaign events and the implications for voters.

Balderas, a First Amendment attorney and former journalist, emphasized the important role journalists play in helping the public stay informed.

鈥淚f you take the reporter out, it鈥檚 not that you鈥檙e getting less information, it鈥檚 that you鈥檙e getting information nobody checked,鈥� Balderas said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 the issue because in a free society, the idea is that voters want to be well-informed so they can make their own judgment come Election Day, but you take that out of the equation, and it鈥檚 the voter that loses.鈥�

Balderas explained that reporters serve as stand-ins for voters who cannot attend campaign events themselves, documenting what candidates say and do. He noted that banning reporters from these events is a “Trump strategy,” and one that won’t work in this election.

He added that what鈥檚 driving the electorate now on both sides of the aisle and for independents is that people are tired of a system that is rigged.

鈥淚 think … authenticity is what voters are craving and maybe in the past, this would have been red meat for the people on the right, but this is a general election in a purple state where 2-3% of the electorate are going to decide this election,鈥� Balderas said. 鈥淢aybe him saying no to … The Assembly, that鈥檚 going to stir up his base, but the fact that you are excluding the press is going to send a signal, that well, is Michael hiding something?鈥�

Professor of Law Enrique Armijo and Assistant Professor of Journalism Israel Balderas joined the coalition supporting the filing. organized the effort and submitted the reply comments to the FCC.

Although the proceeding involves ABC’s 鈥淭he View,鈥� the filing argues the broader issue is whether the federal government should determine what qualifies as a news interview program and second-guess broadcasters’ editorial decisions 鈥� a form of government interference with the independence of news organizations that the signers of the filing say the First Amendment is intended to prevent.

The proceeding stems from a public notice issued by the FCC’s Media Bureau, the office responsible for broadcast policy and licensing, seeking comment on ABC’s request that 鈥淭he View鈥� retain its status as a bona fide news interview program. Under the federal equal time provision, broadcast stations generally must provide comparable airtime to opposing political candidates when one candidate appears on a program. News interview programs that qualify for the FCC’s longstanding exemption don鈥檛 have to adhere to that requirement.

Balderas 鈥� a professor in the School of Communications whose professional experience includes work as an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, First Amendment attorney and former media adviser at the FCC 鈥� said the coalition’s concerns extend beyond a single television program.

“The Constitution puts that decision off-limits to government. Once any administration, of any party, gets the power to decide what qualifies as news, it will use that power against whoever criticizes it,鈥� Balderas said. 鈥淭he First Amendment doesn’t protect the press because journalists are perfect. It protects the press because a free people need information their government doesn’t control.鈥�

Armijo 鈥� a professor in the School of Law whose scholarship examines the intersection of new technologies, free speech and First Amendment doctrine 鈥� said the filing addresses both the immediate FCC proceeding and broader concerns about government regulation of speech.

“While the TechFreedom comments are about the current proceeding at the FCC as to whether 鈥淭he View鈥� and similar programs should continue to be exempted from the agency’s equal time requirements, they also speak to something larger: the current administration’s continuing attempts to use its regulatory authority as a pretext to punish points of view with which it disagrees,” Armijo said.

The reply comments become part of the public record the FCC will consider as it reviews ABC’s petition.

At Elon Law, Armijo teaches constitutional law, the First Amendment, media and internet law, torts and international freedom of expression.

In the School of Communications, Balderas teaches courses in media law and ethics, TV reporting and leads programs that bridge political communication with civic engagement.

Some lessons start with a lecture. Others begin with a camera in hand, a deadline looming, and a story waiting to be told.

That’s how Blake Pierre-Louis described his experience in 福利亚洲国产精品’s Emerging Journalists Program, where the rising senior from Rochester, New York, joined 17 other high school students for a 12-day immersive journalism experience.

“It was like a two-week crash course in everything you might need to know if you’re getting into journalism,” Pierre-Louis said. “It’s a great opportunity to get hands-on experience and actually learn by doing instead of sitting in a classroom. You get to actually go out, apply concepts and use what you鈥檝e learned.”

During the residential program, which ran June 15-26, the students worked as members of a functioning newsroom while reporting on stories on and off campus. Their assignments took them to the North Carolina State Capitol, the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro and the Winston-Salem Dash, while media tours introduced them to journalists at WUNC News and ABC11 WTVD-TV. They also produced professional web stories, a newspaper and a television news broadcast.

.

“We had an incredibly cohesive and collaborative group of students join us on campus this summer,” said Colin Donohue, assistant professor of journalism and EJP program director. “They were diligent and enterprising and intrepid. As important, they were generous and kind. They possess tremendous potential, and I look forward to seeing them apply their skills in their hometowns and in their schools.”

Led by Donohue and Kelly Furnas, EJP curriculum coordinator and associate teaching professor of journalism, students quickly moved from classroom instruction to real-world reporting.

For Thailik McCormick, a rising senior at Central Carolina Academy in Sanford, North Carolina, the experience built on the foundation he established as a founding member of his school’s broadcasting program.

“EJP does a really good job of throwing a lot at you, but then also making sure that you can apply these things really quickly, so you can retain them,” McCormick said. “I was presented with the information, and then immediately told to go apply it.”

The experience also expanded his vision for what his future might hold.

“Two weeks ago, I might have told you I鈥檇 study entrepreneurship or accounting, but now I’m really looking into public relations or marketing 鈥撀燼nd use the hard skills that I’ve worked on here and translate them into a field of my choice,” McCormick said.

Aly McFadden, a rising senior from Clark, New Jersey, said one of the most memorable experiences came while producing a full-fledged television newscast, where students were trusted with everything from anchoring and audio work to directing and producing.

“Everybody in that room made us feel like we were professionals,” McFadden said. “Even if I made a mistake, everybody made me feel like it was OK. It was such an interesting collaboration of people that you’ve known for two weeks who are all using their skills together to create one big production.鈥�

McFadden said working alongside classmates from across the country became one of the most rewarding aspects of her time at Elon.

“It’s really eye-opening to see so many people have so many different life experiences,” she said. “Being in a room with people who are just as passionate about journalism as you are is incredibly motivating. I can’t wait to see them on the news or read their articles.”

Established in 2021, the Emerging Journalists Program introduces high school students interested in journalism and media careers through immersive, experiential learning. Students earn four hours of college credit and are paired with Elon student mentors who continue to provide guidance after the program concludes.

This year, a record 52 students from across the country applied to the program, with all applicants invited to participate in the virtual Exposure experience before 18 students were selected for the on-campus Immersion cohort.

Donohue also credited School of Communications students Charlie Crum 鈥�28, Blair Mitchell 鈥�29 and Emma Perman 鈥�29 for serving as strong counselors and mentors throughout the experience.

“EJP is one of the most professionally fulfilling experiences I’ve participated in,” Donohue said. “I hope a year from now we can celebrate a sixth cohort.”