PBS NewsHour selects 2017 Student Reporting Labs Fellows

Washington, D.C. (May 8, 2017) — Twenty talented youth storytellers from 13 states will convene in the nation’s capital this summer with the common objective to advance the future of journalism and public media.

The middle and high school fellows are participants in the third annual Student Reporting Labs Academy in Washington, D.C. They will work alongside public media mentors to produce original digital content and sharpen their journalism and production skills. The fellows will also help program leaders develop strategies to engage young people with the news and current affairs, and ensure that diverse youth voices are active in the conversations about critical issues facing the nation.

During the 2016-17 school year, these young journalists contributed to the NewsHour’s broadcast and digital platforms with Letters to the Next President, stories of New Americans, 13 Reasons Why and two upcoming series on overcoming disabilities and America’s National Parks.

This year’s fellows include:

• Angeline Abrera, Jersey Village High School, Texas
• Kimberly Castro-Rebolledo, Legacy Charter School, South Carolina
• Stefanie Gutierrez, Las Cruces High School, New Mexico
• Isaac Hernandez, Cedar Ridge High School, Texas
• Nicholas Hinojosa, Etiwanda High School, California
• Noah Hudson-Peralta, Frederick V.Pankow, Michigan
• Jaycie Iha, Maui Waena Intermediate School, Hawaii
• Darius Jones, Granby High School, Virginia
• Brooke Kanna, Kauai High School, Hawaii
• Kim Leadholm, Black River Falls High School, Wisconsin
• Becca Messner, Royal Oak High School, Michigan
• Abby O’Ferrall, Dalton Middle School, Georgia
• Mary Oliver, Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Utah
• Christian Peebles, Legacy Charter School, South Carolina
• Axl Reitz, Maui High School, Hawaii
• Angelina Rueda, Wauwatosa West High School, Wisconsin
• Raymond Sipple, Cape May County Technical High School, New Jersey
• Esmeralda Soto-Rendon, Vista PEAK Preparatory, Colorado
• Riana Teran, Etiwanda High School, California
• Mary Williams, Hughes STEM High School, Ohio

And featuring an encore appearance by SRL Fellow Keenan Penn II, Fraser High School, Michigan, who will be providing behind the scenes reporting and support.

To learn more about the students, please visit the official 2017 SRL Academy Tumblr.

Fellows are connected to local PBS stations CET in Cincinnati, KLRU in Austin, KRWG in Las Cruces, Georgia Public Television, Detroit Public Television, Houston Public Media, Milwaukee PBS, PBS Hawaii, PBS SoCal, South Carolina ETV, Utah Education Network, Rocky Mountain PBS, WHRO in Norfolk, VA, Wisconsin Public Television and WHYY in Philadelphia.

Student Reporting Labs is supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Graduate: Let’s make it happen initiative, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award.

On social media, visit PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs on Facebook or follow @reportinglabs on Twitter.

Media contact: Leah Clapman @lclap