Experiential Learning 2 | College of Media

Students recognized for outstanding work in Hearst Journalism Awards Program

May 20, 2025

A group of University of Illinois students have been recognized for their outstanding work in the 2024-25 Hearst Journalism Awards Program.

Update June 12, 2025:

(Photo of Layli Nazarova
by Jakub Mosur.)

Congratulations to two journalism students for their outstanding accomplishments at the Hearst National Championships!

Layli Nazarova won first place and a $10,000 scholarship award in Hearst’s National Audio Championship. Madison Holcomb was named a finalist and won a $1,500 scholarship award for Hearst’s National Writing Championship.

Both Nazarova and Holcomb advanced to the Hearst Championships, the culmination of the 2024-25 Hearst Journalism Awards Program, held May 31-June 5 in San Francisco, California, to complete assignments under deadlines that were judged by media professionals.

(Photo of Madison Holcomb by Jakub Mosur.)

Nazarova’s assignment was to produce a two-minute story on the following topic: “Demonstrate how one of President Trump’s executive orders is having an impact on life in the San Francisco Bay Area. Choose from one of the following subject areas: immigration, higher education, tariffs, the economy, DEI.” Listen to her story.

Holcomb’s assignment was to write two articles: a news story from an interview with Executive Chair and Director of TPG Inc. Jim Coulter, and an article about how one of President Trump’s executive orders is affecting the Bay Area. Read her stories.

The Hearst Championships, often referred to as the “Pulitzers of College Journalism,” included 29 student journalists from across the country. The finalists were selected from 1,260 entries submitted in 14 competitions held throughout the academic year.

Original story published May 20, 2025:

A six-student team won first place in the Multimedia Digital News/Enterprise Team category, and two students won individual awards including first place in Explanatory Reporting and fourth place in Audio News.

Journalism students Maggie Knutte, Nathan Gonzalez, Piper Pascarella, Nour Longi, and Faith Lee, and agricultural communications student Elena Cleary earned first place and a $3,000 scholarship for a documentary on period poverty titled “Tailoring Hope,” which was one of 60 entries submitted from 35 schools in the multimedia competition.

Additional credit for the documentary goes to 2024 Illinois journalism alum Stephanie Wayda and Fourah Bay College students Amadu Lamrana Bah, Stella Fredricka Bangura, Ola Deen, Nuhu Jalloh, Alpha Janneh, Aminata Kamara, Kelfala Kargbo, Rose-Lyn Koroma, and Hanna Aba Yankson.

The project is the inaugural work of the Illinois Partnership for African Women’s Health Narratives, an interdisciplinary initiative that empowers early-career African and American journalism and media students to research, produce, and disseminate the true stories of grassroots innovations to women’s health challenges in Africa—leveraging the humanizing power of first-person, character-driven storytelling to raise awareness and drive meaningful change.

“Tailoring Hope” focuses on Uman Tok, a nongovernmental organization based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa, which aims to alleviate period poverty and menstrual exclusion and educate girls and boys about sexual and reproductive health awareness. Read more about the making of the documentary.

Watch here:

Madison Holcomb, a senior in journalism, won first place in Explanatory Reporting and a $3,000 scholarship for her piece on livestock fatalities during transportation. The story was published in Investigate Midwest.

Read Holcomb’s story.

Layli Nazarova, a junior in journalism, won fourth place in Audio News and a $1,000 scholarship for her stories on campus accessibility and the designation of the Middle Eastern North African Census.

Listen to Nazarova’s stories.

The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960 to provide support, encouragement, and assistance to journalism education at the college and university level.

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Students create short documentaries for ‘Prairie Fire’ on WILL-TV

June 4, 2025 | Liz Westfield and Kelly Youngblood

Students took their classwork to broadcast television with the opportunity to create documentaries this spring for Prairie Fire, WILL-TV’s magazine program offering cinematic documentaries, profiles, and performances from downstate Illinois.

“It was so cool to see something we made [included] on a professional show,” said Adrien Reetz, a rising junior in journalism and co-producer of one of the four segments that was chosen to air.

Journalism student Adrien Reetz makes his pitch for a short documentary to the Prairie Fire production team. — Journalism student Adrien Reetz makes his pitch for a short documentary to the *Prairie Fire* production team.

“Being able to say we created something that was good enough for Prairie Fire is a pretty big deal. It’s a confidence boost for sure,” Reetz added.

Reetz, along with 11 other students in the “Advanced Documentary Production” course taught by journalism lecturer Alison Davis this spring, pitched story ideas to the Prairie Fire team.

Producers selected the top four stories and then the students self-selected into groups to work on each one. After a final review, the Prairie Fire team decided to air all four segments on May 15.

The stories focused on the Idea Store, a unique business in Champaign; the Station Theatre, a local theater group as they get ready for a show; a K-pop dance group, a community created over a love of dance; and a profile of Toni Gist, a clinical assistant professor of food science and human nutrition in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, who is known as the “food professor.”

Davis, who says she’s always dreamed of having her students create stories for Prairie Fire, was extremely impressed with the work they did.

“This group of students are amazing and very self-motivated. They really have a passion for documentary filmmaking and are really excited about having their work on IPM,” she said. “They have really blown me away with how dedicated they have been this semester to creating some excellent pieces.”

It was was so cool to see something we made [included] on a professional show. Being able to say we created something that was good enough for “Prairie Fire” is a pretty big deal. It’s a confidence boost for sure.

Adrien Reetz

Rising Junior in Journalism and Documentary Co-Producer

Davis started out on the original Prairie Fire, which aired from 1992 to 2008, first as a production assistant then later as the show’s producer and host, earning eight regional Emmy Awards along the way.

In 2023, the show was relaunched, which gave Davis the chance to showcase her student’s work, making it available to a larger audience while also giving budding filmmakers real-world experience.

“We thought it would be a great way to be able to teach young filmmakers about our process and how documentaries are made, from the idea stage to execution to the final product,” said DJ Roach, video production manager at Illinois Public Media. “We also thought it would be a great way for Illinois Public Media and the College of Media to collaborate on a project that gives students an outlet to showcase their talents.”

Reetz, who co-produced a segment on a K-pop dance group, said it’s hard to know how much work goes into a project like this until you do it yourself.

“That’s why hands-on experience like this class is so valuable. We learned to organize our plethora of footage and comb through interviews for the best parts,” Reetz said. “Then we had to arrange everything to make a cohesive story, which involved a lot of revising.”

Reetz said he was grateful for Davis’s help and expertise throughout the process.

“Our [instructor] offered great guidance all the way through. We couldn’t have done it without her,” he said.

Mazie Gierat, a rising senior in journalism and co-producer of the Idea Store piece, was also thankful for the opportunity to learn from and work with Davis.

“She was extremely helpful through each and every step of creating this documentary, and I absolutely loved taking this class,” Gierat said.

Watch all four student segments below:

The Idea Store: Produced by Emily Stutzman, Mazie Gierat, and Nazala Salauddin

The Station Theatre: Produced by Layli Nazarova, Sam Rink, Dwayne Banks Jr., and Emily Richie

Free Food Giveaway Professor: Produced by Anna Koh and Annisyn Krebs-Carr

Truth and Beauty (K-Pop Dance Group): Produced by Paige Gaines, Lindsey Bruneman, and Adrien Reetz

Watch full episode:

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Students from UI7 Newsroom win NATAS Mid-America Emmys, SINBA awards

April 29, 2025

Students from the UI7 Newsroom were recently recognized for their outstanding work by both the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Mid-America Chapter, winning two Crystal Pillar awards, and the Student Illinois News Broadcasters Association awards.

“Both awards are contested greatly by surrounding schools and programs. Their accomplishments with wins, even nominations, are truly resume builders,” said Kenneth Erdey, journalism instructor and technical coordinator for Richmond Studio, where UI7 broadcasts take place.

NATAS Mid-America Emmy Awards

Best Non-Fiction Longform – A.I. Uncovered: Produced by Piper Pascarella and journalism students from JOUR 445: Advanced Television Reporting last fall—including Hannah Lonergan, Kaitlyn Devitt, Maggie Knutte, Layli Nazarova, Daniel Branand, Ashley Gilbert, Rylee Jones, Jessie Cleverly, and Anna Koh—this UI7 special report looked at how artificial intelligence is reshaping our world.

Watch the segment:

Best Sports Program – Power Play: Produced by journalism students John Shay and Andrew Burkey, this pre-game sports show delivered insightful and engaging coverage of Illinois Hockey. Mazie Gierat (journalism), Peter Hanson (English major, journalism minor), and Caleb Noble (BS ’24, journalism) also played key roles in the show’s production.

Watch the segment:

Honorable Mention, Photography – Illini Boxing Club: Nathan Gonzalez (journalism) earned well-deserved recognition in the photography category for his work covering the Illini Boxing Club for Good Morning Illini.

SINBA Awards

The Illinois News Broadcasters Association announced the winners in the 2025 Student Awards, including several students from the UI7 Newsroom. These student broadcasters were honored Saturday, April 26, during the INBA Spring Convention in Bloomington.

The journalism student winners and their programs include:

First Place in Outstanding Hard Television Program – UI7 Presents Decision 2024: Piper Pascarella, Maggie Knutte, and Hannah Lonergan

First Place in Outstanding Sports Television Program – Illini Sports Night: Emily Richie and John Shay

Second Place in Outstanding Soft Television Program – Good Morning Illini: Hannah Lonergan, Mallory Miller, and Caroline Tadla

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Media students present at 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium

Undergraduate Research Week program cover 2025

April 15, 2025

Update May 29, 2025: Congratulations to the students who presented “Uman Tok: Tailoring Hope, Renewing Futures in Sierra Leone” for receiving an award for Outstanding Oral Presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium from the Office of Undergraduate Research! Some of these students previously won an award in 2024 for Outstanding Exhibit on this same research topic, which they continued work on in 2025.

Updated April 28, 2025

Students from all four majors in the College of Media participated in the annual University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Week, held April 20-26.

The Undergraduate Research Symposium, the signature event held on Thursday, April 24, at the Illini Union, features presentations, posters, and performances from students across campus.

Below is a list of Media student presentations as well as acknowledgements of Media graduate students and faculty who have mentored students presenting at Undergraduate Research Week.

Oral Panel

Health Modalities

“Evaluating the Persuasiveness of LLM-based Chatbots in Health Communication”

Atharva Sindwani, Sophomore, Computer Science + Advertising

Research Mentor: Leona Yi-Fan Su, Advertising

Media & Culture

“Uman Tok: Tailoring Hope, Renewing Futures in Sierra Leone”

Nathan Gonzalez, Sophomore, Journalism, COM
Elena Cleary, Senior, Agricultural Communications, ACES
Nour Longi, Senior, Journalism, COM
Piper Pascarella, Junior, Journalism, COM
Faith Lee, Senior, Journalism, COM
Maggie Knutte, Senior, Journalism, COM

Research Mentors: Charles “‘Stretch” Ledford, Journalism, and Alison Davis, Journalism

Journalism students present on Uman Tok at Undergraduate Research Symposium

(From left to right: Elena Cleary, Maggie Knutte, Piper Pascarella, Faith Lee, Nour Longi. Not pictured: Nathan Gonzalez.)

Social Change & Identity

“The Relations Between Cinematic Spaces and Cycles of Oppression in Kenji Mizoguchi’s Street of Shame”

Rory McFadden, Senior, Media & Cinema Studies

Research Mentor: Jenny Oyallon-Koloski, Media & Cinema Studies

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning II

“Navigating the Future: Investigating the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Students’ Writing”

Arianna Gandhi, Sophomore, Advertising

Research Mentor: Carolyn Wisniewski, Center for Writing Studies

Arianna Gandhi at Undergrad Research Symposium

Poster Presentations

Humanities, Culture, & Society

Graphic Witness in Media: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and Beyond

Francesca Dumitrescu, Senior, Media & Cinema Studies

Research Mentor: CL Cole, Media & Cinema Studies

Social Science and Human Behavior

“Terror Discourse: Social Media’s Response to Counter-Terrorism Events”

Mihir Sharma, Freshman, Global Studies, LAS
Nina Issel, Sophomore, Journalism, COM

Research Mentor: Do Young Gong, Political Science

CS Student Ambassadors/Research Scholars (CS STARS)

Tuesday, April 22, 4-6 p.m., Illini Union Rooms A, B, C, and South Lounge

“Salesperson-Product Matching Recommender System”

Alexia Rendon, Junior, Computer Science + Advertising, COM

“Understanding High school Students’ Experiences in a Culturally Responsive Computing Program”

Skyla Jin, Freshman, Computer Science + Advertising, COM

“Virtual Reality Game for Interactive Motion Planning”

Grace He, Junior, Computer Science + Advertising, COM
Omosefe Edomwande, Freshman, Computer Science, ENG

Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program

The Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program offers undergraduate students with little or no research experience the opportunity to work with graduate students and postdoctoral scholars on their research projects, explore the culture and process of research, and build on their existing abilities within a community of scholars.

Nina Issel, Sophomore, Journalism (COM)

Media Research Mentors

Doctoral student Veranika Paltaratskaya (above right), Institute of Communications Research, was the research mentor for Alina Huang, sophomore in communication and psychology (LAS), who presented “Understanding Consumer Interactions with Product Transparency Apps (PTAs) Using the Persuasion Knowledge Model” as part of the Social Science & Human Behavior poster presentations.

Doctoral student Alice Ji (above right), Institute of Communications Research, was the research mentor for Ayushi Maskey, junior in statistics + computer science (LAS), who presented “The Effect of Message Fatigue on Attention to Mental Health Messages” as part of the Heath & Wellness poster presentations.

Kevin Wise, professor of advertising, was the research mentor for Pushti Vora, junior in brain and cognitive sciences (LAS) who presented “The Impact of Mindless Scrolling on Dopamine Regulation and its Parallels to Gambling Addiction” as part of the Social Science & Human Behavior poster presentations.

Public Relations Student Society of America at Illinois back in action thanks to student-led mission

March 13, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood

The Public Relations Student Society of America at Illinois is back after a four-year hiatus, thanks to a group of determined students who revitalized the local chapter.

Jordan Butler, a senior in journalism and president of PRSSA at Illinois, said a call to action in a College of Media newsletter last spring led to a group chat amongst students which ultimately became the impetus for the official return of PRSSA at Illinois in Fall 2024. The local chapter had been inactive since 2019.

“Over [this past] summer, a couple of [us] took on [the executive board positions] and then this semester and last semester we started to really build out more. We’ve been working to gain more members and to let people know who we are, and [organizing] different activities and events across campus,” Butler said.

The Illinois chapter of PRSSA was originally formed in 2012 to offer students the chance to work with real clients, put together campaigns, and network with industry professionals.

The goal today remains similar, says Butler, who noted the group’s emphasis on helping students learn how to communicate effectively.

I think people have this very rigorous idea of what PRSSA is in the sense of [it being] very structured or business-like, but it’s so much more than that. And there’s so much that falls under the realm of PR that I think you don’t know it until you do it, until you try it, until you talk about it.

Jordan Butler

President of PRSSA

However, Butler also hopes its members “have found different things that [are] fun or interesting through public relations that perhaps they weren’t maybe as interested in when they walked through our doors or started with us.”

Butler can attest to how PRSSA at Illinois has helped her improve her communications skills. As an introverted person, Butler admits she doesn’t always feel comfortable reaching out to others first or speaking to a crowd, but her experience as president has allowed her to hone that skill.

“I’ve really learned how to kind of put myself out there in those positions and network with people and do a lot of public speaking, even if it makes me really nervous,” said Butler, who also works as a communications and social media intern at Research Park, a technology hub for corporate research, development operations, and startup companies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Currently, PRSSA at Illinois includes a small membership of less than 15 students, but Butler hopes to see that number go up in time.

“We’re just trying to get our names out there as much as possible but also focus on what our members are really interested in doing and what they’re really interested in learning about,” she said.

PRSSA at Illinois, which is open to all majors, holds meetings every Wednesday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in 31 Gregory Hall.

In response to student interest, a public speaking workshop will be held soon.

Butler encourages any students interested in PRSSA to join a workshop or a meeting to talk to current members and ask questions.

“I think people have this very rigorous idea of what PRSSA is in the sense of [it being] very structured or business-like, but it’s so much more than that. And there’s so much that falls under the realm of PR that I think you don’t know it until you do it, until you try it, until you talk about it,” she said.

For more information about PRSSA at Illinois, check out their Instagram page @illinoisprssa.

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American Advertising Federation at Illinois boasts largest student chapter in the nation

February 12, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood

The American Advertising Federation at Illinois is the largest student chapter in the nation, currently boasting more than 400 members. Caroline Burns, a senior in advertising and president of the AAF at Illinois, knows why.

“I think it’s a combination of we’ve been around for so long at the University of Illinois so there’s the legacy there, but it’s also just the people are so great. I think once you join, you find your tight-knit community and you find your people,” Burns said.

AAF at Illinois, which is one of more than 1,000 registered student organizations on campus, helps to equip members with the tools, skillsets, and experience to make an impact in the advertising field. It’s open to any major but the majority are advertising focused.

There are 13 separate agencies that operate within AAF that specialize in different areas of advertising, including video ad production, consumer insights, and experiential marketing.

While each agency has a different purpose, they all provide members with the opportunity to work with real clients, tour ad agencies, and gain insider knowledge about the industry.

Many of the agencies include student teams partnering with clients, who are typically from the Champaign-Urbana area, and helping them execute an advertising campaign.

Last semester, an AAF agency worked with the Libman cleaning supply company and created a video ad for them. This semester, a team carried out a full-service ad campaign for Atomic Wings, which recently opened on Green Street in Champaign.

AAF has just set me up for so much success—jobs, everything, I owe it all to AAF.

Caroline Burns

Senior in Advertising, President of AAF at Illinois

Burns likes to think of AAF as a mini-internship that gives students “a little peek of what your life might be like in the advertising industry.”

Some of the agencies are considered “open,” which means they are designed for any experience level, while others require an application process.

In addition to agency experiences, AAF members participate in competitions, take trips, and plan social events throughout the year.

The annual National Student Advertising Competition will be held in South Bend, Indiana, on April 12, with an Illinois team presenting an ad campaign for AT&T. The Illinois team earned second place at the district level competition in 2023.

Carrie Wilson-Brown, lecturer of media and cinema studies and of advertising, and faculty advisor for the NSAC team, said the competition is an opportunity for students to apply their classroom knowledge and skills in the advertising industry.

In addition, Wilson-Brown said preparing for the competition allows students to gain confidence and find talents and leadership abilities they didn’t know they had.

AAF meeting — AAF students at a meeting.

“There is an excitement and comradery that builds throughout the year as the team sees their ideas, plans, and goals take shape into a real-world marketing campaign,” Wilson-Brown said.

Burns thanks AAF for helping her find her first internship during her sophomore year at a networking event held in Chicago. She interned last summer at Pepsi, which led to a job offer after graduation in Boston as a customer account manager.

“AAF has just set me up for so much success— jobs, everything, I owe it all to AAF,” she said.

AAF’s spring registration opened on February 10 for new members. Burns recommends students review the agency descriptions on the website and then try different ones for a few weeks.

“[Students should] see what fits their schedule and their interest and then by the third week, they should have a pretty set idea about what they would want to stick with for the semester, whether that’s one agency, two, or even three,” Burns said.

She also advises prospective members to talk to students in the agencies and those running it.

“There are so many opportunities to grow and network, not only personally but professionally,” Burns said. “Community is what we’re all about.”

Read more about the AAF at Illinois or follow them on Instagram @aafillinois.

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Students win Illinois Broadcasters Association Student Silver Dome Award for Television Photojournalism

February 12, 2025

Students from University of Illinois and Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone won first place in the 2024 Illinois Broadcasters Association Student Silver Dome Award for Television Photojournalism.

Illinois journalism students Maggie Knutte, Faith Lee, Nour Longi, Piper Pascarella, and Stephanie Wayda, and agricultural communications student Elena Cleary, along with Fourah Bay College broadcast journalism students, were selected for their entry “The Women of Uman Tok Reframe Menstruation in Sierra Leone.”

Learn more at a screening and discussion on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, on “Uman Tok: A Discussion on Global Collaboration and Period Poverty.”

Learn more about the IBA awards and the student documentary.

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New experiential learning opportunities for Media students include international, domestic trips

January 13, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood

Three experiential learning opportunities are being offered to students this spring including two new trips—one to the nation’s capital and another to two Scandinavian countries—as well as a return visit to the West African country of Sierra Leone.

Washington, D.C., March 19-22

Colleen King, clinical assistant professor of journalism and director of the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media, will be taking eight students to Washington, D.C., to visit news outlets and key government locations.

In addition to participating in newsroom tours, students will receive journalism advice for coursework and career planning; learn to identify local journalism beats; and understand the basics of how professional newsrooms and control rooms operate.

The trip is designed to help students gain invaluable knowledge about U.S. history and the First Amendment to better cover politics, campaigns, and elections, as well as the day-to-day workings of the U.S. government.

Some of the sites the students will visit include the NBC News/MSNBC Washington bureau, the CBS News Washington bureau, Politico, the Albritton Journalism Institute and its website NOTUS (News of the United States), a tour of Capitol Hill, and a visit to the National Archives.

(Update: See photos from their trip to DC.)

Sierra Leone, West Africa, March 14-22

Charles “Stretch” Ledford, associate professor of journalism, and Alison Davis, lecturer in journalism, will lead a return trip back to Freetown, Sierra Leone, with six students in the “Globally Focused Advanced Documentary Filmmaking” class.

Under the supervision of Ledford, Davis, and Dr. Francis Sowa, dean of communications, media, and information studies at the University of Sierra Leone’s Fourah Bay College, Illinois and Fourah Bay journalism students will continue production of the documentary film Uman Tok: Tailoring Hope, Reclaiming Futures. An early cut of the film won first place in the 2024 Illinois Broadcasters Association Student Silver Dome Award for Television Photojournalism.

The multi-year international reporting project tells the story of Uman Tok, a small, woman-led nonprofit in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital city. Uman Tok (“woman talk” in the local language) employs 15 marginalized women at a living wage to produce reusable, washable menstrual pads for schoolgirls around the country who otherwise would not have a means of managing their monthly periods.

In addition to collaborating on the documentary film, students will be working on a virtual reality experience, a podcast, and an ink-on-paper comic book for readers of any level.

The media the journalism students produce will be used in an advertising campaign for Uman Tok created by students in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising’s capstone course this spring.

This year, both Illinois journalism students and their peers from Fourah Bay College will not only work together in the field, but also live together on the same compound, in an environment designed to foster organic collaboration, shared learning, and more authentic and deeply reported stories.

Scandinavia Tour, May 26-June 4

Marisa Peacock, senior lecturer in advertising, is planning a 10-day study abroad trip for 21 students to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden.

Designed to give students a deep dive into the branding, advertising, and cultural strategies of major global companies, the trip will also provide a broader exploration of Scandinavian design, architecture, and culture.

Students will visit corporate headquarters of iconic companies like LEGO, IKEA, H&M, and UNIQLO to understand their global marketing strategies and meet with alumni working with these brands in fields of design, marketing, and communication.

Additionally, the itinerary includes visits to renowned cultural and design sites such as the Swedish Museum of Architecture and Design, Nyhavn harbor, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Peacock said she pitched the idea of visiting the area due to an interest in Scandinavian design, which blends functionality with simplicity and modernity, and because brands like IKEA, LEGO, and UNIQLO incorporate corporate responsibility with a dedication to diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, which is also an important hallmark of brand building.

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Journalism student partners with Education Justice Project as Humanities in Action scholar

December 12, 2024 | Faith Lee, Communications Intern

We CU Community Engaged Scholars and the Humanities Research Institute at Illinois selected Courtney Dillon, a senior earning a dual degree in journalism and in sociology, as one of five Humanities in Action scholars to work with community partners throughout the Fall 2024 semester.

The Humanities in Action program, now in its third year, aims to eliminate financial barriers that prevent undergraduate humanities students an opportunity to engage in community projects.

Dillon, who is on the pre-law track, learned about the program from a friend who was previously a Humanities in Action scholar. After doing some research on the program, she found that it aligned with her career goals of community engagement work through criminal or civil rights law.

The School of Social Work’s Community Learning Lab matched Dillon with the Education Justice Project, or EJP, a college-in-prison program that organizes educational programming at Danville Correctional Center through the University of Illinois.

“I wanted to work with them because I wanted to be a part of helping people beyond serving their sentence, and that’s what I want to do in my career as well,” Dillon said. “No matter how little my task might be, I love the fact that I’m in a position where I can help somebody else. I think that’s amazing, especially to put my areas of study into work.”

Dillon has been able to assist EJP remotely with research to help produce their annual reentry guide, which provides information on housing, employment, healthcare, finances, and other resources for incarcerated individuals, their families, and service agencies across Illinois. Dillon rewrites information to be accessible for people of all backgrounds to comprehend the guide.

As a Humanities in Action scholar, Dillon also enjoys interacting with the other students in her cohort and learning about the importance of ethical service.

“We really focus on the importance of grounding ourselves in the work that we’re doing and understanding that we are in a state of privilege that we’re able to help somebody else and [we learn] not to take those opportunities for granted,” she said.

Dillon hopes that her work with the Education Justice Project will impact individuals that read the reentry guide.

“If the guide helps just one person, that’s a win for me,” Dillon said. “There are so many people that might be reentering society and just have no idea where to start, and I think this guide is an amazing resource. I love that there’s an organization that dedicates so much time to creating it every year.”

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2024-25 Ebert Fellows announced

November 8, 2024 | Faith Lee, Communications Intern

Each fall, the Roger Ebert Fellows program selects three College of Media undergraduate students to complete a yearlong fellowship that immerses students into the film industry and provides them with opportunities to sharpen their critical writing skills and engage with the film community.

The Roger Ebert Fellows for the 2024-25 academic year are Aaron Anastos, Kennedy Caldwell, and Diamond Steward-Hutton.

The program, named after the late Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic and University of Illinois journalism alumnus Roger Ebert, allows fellows to work with Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips to hone their skills in writing, critical analysis, and media studies, as well as meeting with various film and media workers in “immersion excursion” days in Chicago.

Phillips, who has been an advisor and mentor for the program since it began in 2015, hopes to teach the Ebert Fellows the principles of becoming effective critics.

“My job, as I see it, is to kind of take the entire school year to figure out different ways to show them what might help them become more persuasive, more interesting writers,” Phillips said.

The Ebert Fellows will also attend the True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri, and produce written work for RogerEbert.com. They will also help host and curate screenings for the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies.

“With all the people we meet over the course of the Ebert Fellowship, I hope each of the fellows finds at least one person, somewhere in the world outside U of I, who speaks directly to their own interests and passions,” Phillips said. “I’m here to help them make connections because we all need them.”

Meet the 2024-25 Ebert Fellows

Aaron Anastos is a junior in journalism. Anastos is excited to sharpen his writing skills, work with the other fellows, and give more to the film community on campus.

“To be able to have this opportunity to meet people with the same passions and get involved, and be able to improve our skills in writing, public discourse, criticism, all that interesting stuff, it meant a lot,” Anastos said.

He believes that the fellowship will help him marry his passions for journalism, film, and writing.

On campus, Anastos is involved in the UI7 Newsroom as a host and reporter for Good Morning Illini, an opinion columnist for The Daily Illini, and a residential advisor at Newman Hall.

Anastos is a fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy because of the film’s powerful themes.

“I think it’s a story that truly has something for everybody,” Anastos said. “It has themes that everyone can relate to that are powerful, no matter what phase you are in life.”

Kennedy Caldwell is a junior in journalism. Caldwell became interested in media and production at a young age after being featured in several advertisements as a model. As an Ebert Fellow, she wants to improve her writing skills and learn how to create good stories.

“I’m really excited to get to know my other fellows. I’m really excited to get to know Michael [Phillips]. And I’m really excited to get to know more about what it means to be a film critic and how to tell people about movies in a vivid, detailed way that makes them want to watch it or makes them not want to watch it,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell is looking forward to traveling to different film festivals to watch movies and meet new people.

One of Caldwell’s favorite films is It’s About Time because of the way it mixes drama, comedy, and romance.

Diamond Steward-Hutton is a senior in journalism and developed a passion for news while growing up watching ABC7 Chicago and learning the importance of staying informed on certain topics.

“I always wanted to be able to know how to improve my storytelling as an anchor, as an artist, and just a person who writes on the daily…. [This opportunity] means the world to me,” Steward-Hutton said.

She is interested in becoming a news anchor and is involved with UI7 Newsroom and the National Association of Black Journalists.

“[It’s important] to learn how to write, to learn how to connect with people, and also to build that credibility and that trust with people, so that could be carried on throughout my career,” Steward-Hutton said.

Steward-Hutton’s favorite film is Love Jones because of the realistic storyline and the performances from actors Nia Long and Larenz Tate.

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