2024-2025

Olivia Diaz

Olivia Diaz covers The Virginia Legislature, with a focus on political polarization, at The Associated Press. Before joining Report for America, Diaz covered local criminal justice issues in Fairfax County, Virginia, as part of an American University graduate fellowship at The Washington Post. Diaz has also covered crime and breaking news at The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. She holds a Master of Arts from American University in journalism and public affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and global studies from the University of Richmond.

Fernando Figueroa

Fernando Figueroa covers the environment and climate change for The Ithaca Voice in NY. Figueroa previously worked as the environment beat reporter at The Independent Florida Alligator covering local protests, hurricanes, and the University of Florida administrative transition's implications on university climate policy. He also worked at WUFT covering Florida's water quality, Gainesville's regenerative agriculture, and sustainable architecture. Figueroa grew up in Venezuela and is fluent in Spanish. Outside of the newsroom, he loves to cook for his friends and will never miss an opportunity to dance.

Olivia Cohen

Olivia Cohen covers environmental issues​ and will be a watchdog for Iowa’s agricultural empire. Before joining Report for America, Cohen has also reported for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Chicago Sun-Times and Gateway Journalism Review, while serving as editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, the Columbia Chronicle. Olivia holds a degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago. She has received awards from the Illinois College Press Association, the Chicago Journalists Association and the College Media Association.

Gabriel Sandoval

Gabriel Sandoval covers laws, policies and news emanating from the Arizona Legislature. Arizona has long been an epicenter of the immigration debate in America and has also become a crucial swing state. This reporter covers the politics of the state with a particular emphasis on Latino voters, along with the border and immigration. Before joining AP, Sandoval was a research reporter at ProPublica, contributing to local and national investigations. He also covered politics and housing issues in Brooklyn and Queens for The City, a local news nonprofit. He has taught classes on advanced research techniques at his alma mater, CUNY's Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Born and raised in San Diego, he is fluent in Spanish.

Paul C. Kelly Campos

Paul C. Kelly Campos covers democracy and community engagement for The Public's Radio in Rhode Island. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Campos is a writer, poet and translator of Irish and Nicaraguan descent. His bilingual work has appeared in NPR’s Next Generation Radio, The Washington Post, KQED Forum, KALW, Prism, The Golden Gate Xpress, Seen and Heard, The San Franciscan, and Borderless magazine. He graduated from SF State with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in English literature in 2021. In his spare time he can be found consuming pupusas, reading poetry, or playing with his cat 'Dr. Otto Octavious Phd.' all while “The Damned” plays loudly in the background.

Harshawn Ratanpal

Before joining KBIA and the Missouri School of Journalism, Ratanpal covered money in politics at OpenSecrets, tracking campaign finance and lobbying data. At the Missouri School of Journalism, he covered local government, homelessness and the state legislature for mid-Missouri’s NPR member station KBIA and the Columbia Missourian. He was also the news director of KCOU, the campus student-run radio station. He holds a bachelor’s in journalism and a Bachelor of Science in economics. His first real-world gig was interning for his hometown newspaper, The San Diego Union-Tribune. He started his career in the 7th grade, writing for his school paper, the PawPrints. In his free time, Ratanpal makes music, lifts weights and climbs rocks.

Rachel Spacek

Rachel Spacek is an investigative reporter who covers migrant labor and equity issues in the Pacific Northwest for investigateWest. Spacek joins InvestigateWest from Boise, Idaho, where she covered Latino affairs, housing, homelessness and local government for the Idaho Statesman. She has received commendations from the Idaho Press Club for her work. Spacek's previous experiences include business reporting as an intern at the Los Angeles Times and covering community news for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Spacek began her journalism career at the University of Nevada, Reno, working for the college newspaper, where she met her college sweetheart and now fiancé, Ryan.

Aaleah McConnell

Aaleah McConnell covers the criminal justice system in New Hanover County, North Carolina, at WHQR Public Radio. Before joining Report for America, McConnell completed a fellowship with the national nonprofit organization States Newsroom, where she focused on enterprise stories centered on the affordable housing shortage, mental health care, and education. Before that, she interned at the Georgia Recorder reporting on laws proposed under the gold dome of Georgia’s state Capitol during the 2023 Georgia Legislative session. She also covered the 2022 Georgia Legislative Session for Gold Dome Debrief, a weekly podcast produced by Fresh Take Georgia. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Emerging Media from Kennesaw State University, with a minor in African and African American Diaspora Studies. When not serving underserved communities through journalism, she loves to roller-skate and go on long walks with her dog Kai.

Illan Ireland

Illan Ireland covers environmental threats and challenges facing Mississippi communities at the Mississippi Free Press. Previously, he completed a fellowship at The Futuro Media Group in New York City, taking on projects related to public health, climate change and housing insecurity. Working with Futuro’s investigative unit, he helped uncover significant disparities in mortgage outcomes between white and Latino homebuyers in New Jersey. Ireland holds a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and a master’s degree from the Columbia Journalism School, where he reported on the escalating drug overdose crisis in New York City and the near collapse of the local shelter system. He’s a native Spanish speaker, a proud Mexican American and a lover of movies, soccer and unreasonably spicy foods.

Rebecca E.J. Cadenhead

Rebecca E.J. Cadenhead covers youth and juvenile justice for MLK50. Cadenhead graduated from Harvard University in 2023, where she studied Philosophy and African American Studies. Cadenhead has served as a Puffin Fellow at The Nation and a Ledecky Fellow at Harvard Magazine. She has also held several editing positions, including Associate Editor at The Harvard Crimson and Features Editor at the Harvard Advocate. Her work, which spans long-form journalism and narrative nonfiction, has been awarded a 2023 CASE Award and a 2022 Pushcart Prize.