Meet the 2021 HSI Solutions Journalism Educator Academy Cohort
Professors from San Diego State, the University of Arizona and 11 other colleges and universities have been selected for this immersive training
The Solutions Journalism Network is delighted to announce the cohort for the HSI Solutions Journalism Educator Academy. Fourteen professors from colleges and universities serving Latino/x students in seven states will participate.
Participants will learn how to teach solutions journalism in the classroom and how to incorporate it into student newsrooms. The Academy will prepare them to train students in the practice of solutions journalism, which helps journalists tackle complex social issues deeply and equitably.
A two-day virtual Academy, modeled on the HBCU Solutions Journalism Educator Academy, will take place on July 8 and 9, with subsequent sessions throughout the year.
Meet the 2021 Solutions Journalism HBCU Educators Academy Cohort:
Alejandro Alvarado is an associate professor and coordinator of the Spanish-Language Journalism Master’s Program at Florida International University. He teaches courses in social media, news writing, global communication and ethics and social responsibility. He has worked as a journalist at CBS Telenoticias, Univision and ZDNet Latin America. He is the author of “Mexicanos al Grito de Guerra,” “Silencio de Otoño” and “Evolving Realities of U.S. Hispanic Media.”
Gaiutra Bahadur is an assistant professor in the Department of Arts, Culture, and Media at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. She teaches courses in journalism ethics and creative nonfiction. Her research, reporting, and writing focus on global migration, race and ethnicity, literature, and memory.
Sarah Bennett is an assistant professor of communications and media studies at Santa Ana College. She teaches mass media, visual communications, journalism and multi-platform news production and is the adviser for the award-winning student media outlet, el Don. Her work includes building independent publications that can implement human-centered design approaches to serve community information needs.
Terry Scott Bertling is a full-time lecturer at Texas State University in San Marcos. She teaches media writing and editing and managing content after working for several decades as an editor at three Texas news organizations. Her interests include preaching to students and anyone who will listen about the importance of lifelong learning and constantly building a better toolbox.
Stephanie Bluestein is an associate professor of journalism at California State University, Northridge. She teaches courses in news writing and internships and is the adviser for the CSUN Society of Professional Journalists Club. Her research focuses on mid-20th century Los Angeles journalism history and media ethics.
April Brown is an award-winning journalist and assistant professor at California State University, Los Angeles. She teaches broadcast, digital, writing and production classes and is creating a new student TV news program, “Eagle Eye News.” April’s creative work includes investigations, documentaries and updating her online textbook, “Introduction to Journalism: An Interactive Guide.”
Alexa Capeloto is an associate professor of journalism at John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY. She co-coordinates the digital media and journalism minor and serves as faculty adviser for The John Jay Sentinel. Her research revolves around Freedom of Information law and process, with a particular focus on the intersection of privatization and the public’s right to know.
Lourdes M. Cueva Chacón is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Media Studies at San Diego State University. She teaches courses in journalism and Latinx and Latin American media, advises the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Student Chapter and collaborates with NAHJ’s Academic Task Force. Her research focuses on the coverage of minoritized and marginalized communities in the US and digital journalism in the Americas.
Kirstie Hettinga is an associate professor of communication at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California. She teaches courses in journalism, content creation, and Latinx media and is the adviser for The Echo, Cal Lutheran’s award-winning student newspaper. Her research focuses on issues of news media accuracy and transparency as well as how students learn in student newsrooms.
Jessica L. James is a lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. She teaches news reporting, media writing, editing and feature writing and is the faculty adviser for the Texas State Student Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Her published research focuses on online dating gratifications and on health care communication for minority populations.
Pate McMichael is a professional-in-residence at California State University, Chico. He teaches media law, editing and public affairs reporting and is the adviser to The Orion, the university’s award-winning student newspaper. He is the author of Klandestine and Operation Chrysler.
Kimberly Meltzer is an associate professor of communication at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, where she created the journalism minor. She teaches journalism and communication, and is adviser to the student newspaper, The Banner, which received the 2020 College Media Association’s Honor Roll Adviser Award. She has worked for CNN and NBC and for local and regional newspapers and has authored two books about journalism. Her research focuses on journalistic adaptation to change.
Teresa Puente is an assistant professor of journalism at California State University, Long Beach. She teaches bilingual journalism, news reporting and ethics and social media. She is the adviser to the university’s student chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and to Díg en Español, Long Beach’s first Spanish-language news magazine and online news source. Her research focuses on depictions of Latinos in the media and bilingual and Spanish-language journalism education.
Jeannine Relly is a professor of journalism, and government and public policy (with courtesy) at the University of Arizona. She teaches courses in media and humanitarian crises, disinformation and information security in a global context, and freedom of expression and the right to information. She co-leads a student media apprenticeship, producing the solutions-oriented Confronting Scarcity Project, aimed at de-stigmatizing and amplifying the conversation around food and basic needs insecurity.
Visit SJN’s website for more information about the organization and solutions journalism. Our resources include the Curriculum Builder, with resources designed for journalism educators, and the Solutions Story Tracker, a curated repository of thousands of solutions journalism stories from across the nation and the world. You can republish some of these stories for free as part of the SoJo Exchange.
