2026-2027

Erica Little

Before joining Casa Grande Dispatch as an education reporter, Little built a strong foundation in data and investigative journalism as a graduate student at the University of Missouri. Previously, she earned her Bachelor of Journalism summa cum laude, with minors in Leadership and Public Service, Latin American Studies and Political Science, as well as a Multicultural Studies Certificate. At the Columbia Missourian, she co-authored an investigative piece on the long delay in launching Columbia’s police co-responder program. As a recipient of the Larry J. Waller Fellowship in Investigative Reporting, she also examined the impact of a rural hospital closure on the local community. Little is dedicated to delivering clear, in-depth, trustworthy journalism.

Amaya Edwards

Prior to joining Santa Cruz Local, visual journalist Amaya Edwards worked as the visuals intern for the San Francisco Chronicle and freelanced for different news organizations throughout the Bay Area, including the Oaklandside and San Francisco Chronicle. Edwards earned a bachelor's degree in photojournalism with a minor in race and resistance studies at San Francisco State University in 2022. She was a recipient of the Fran Ortiz grant during her time at SFSU, allowing her to work on her documentary photo essay about Black women doulas and their commitment to Black maternal health justice in and around Oakland.

Lauren Miller

Prior to joining the Montana Free Press, Lauren Miller worked as a multimedia journalist at the Casper Star-Tribune first and then the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. The Syracuse University graduate is passionate about visual storytelling, including photography, cinematography, portraiture, audio and archival work, and tailors her approach to each project’s needs. She is dedicated to genuinely capturing the intimate, mundane and beautiful moments and emotions that make up daily life. Outside of her work, she is passionate about the outdoors, running, winning card games, being with her friends, baking, fighting through her lactose intolerance for deep dish pizza and, occasionally, long walks on the beach, or rather runs in the mountains.

Chandra Colvin

Chandra Colvin covers Native News for Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) News. Born and raised in Minnesota, she previously interned for MPR News as a general reporter covering a range of beats and stories. She has freelanced for AMPERS Radio as a reporter and producer for Minnesota Native News and has contributed to the Minnesota Humanities Center’s project titled, “We Are Water MN.” In 2024, Colvin earned two bachelor’s degrees in mass communications and global studies from St. Cloud State University. She has contributed to student-run shows at the university as well as student-led newspaper, the University Chronicle. During her undergraduate experience, she studied abroad at Akita International University in Japan with a focus on ethics and rural studies. Colvin is Native American, and a proud member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa located in northern Minnesota.

Haajrah Gilani

Haajrah Gilani covers religion for the Houston Chronicle. Before joining Report for America, she led political coverage for the Las Vegas Sun. Her reporting has brought her to growing voting blocs at the Republican National Convention, inaugural celebrations alongside donors for President Donald Trump in Washington and cryptocurrency moguls in Puerto Rico. Gilani holds a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a bachelor's in journalism from Temple University in her native Philadelphia.

Gabriella Chavez

Gabriella Chavez covers growth and development on the Gulf Coast of Alabama for Gulf Coast Media. Chavez graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and an outside concentration in public health and health sciences. During her senior year, Chavez worked on an international reporting project in Costa Rica, where she explored the limits of ecotourism, focusing on the intersections between tourists and animals. Her journalism career began in college, where she reported for WUFT News and the Independent Florida Alligator, the university’s independent, student-run paper. As the El Caimán reporter, she covered the Hispanic and Latino community beat, reporting on issues affecting local Latinx populations, including cultural events, education, immigration and local policy. At WUFT News, she covered stories on science, environment and weather in North Central Florida. Chavez was born in Miami, Florida, was raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and is fluent in Spanish. Outside of the newsroom, she enjoys reading and running.

Lucy Tompkins

Prior to joining Seven Days, Tompkins reported on housing issues as a freelance reporter in New York City, and for the Texas Tribune. She worked for The New York Times as a national reporting fellow and later on their Headway team. Before that, she spent two years in Berlin on a Fulbright fellowship, where she studied international asylum policy and interviewed Syrian migrants about their experiences in Germany. She started her career as an education reporter at The Missoulian, where she led an investigation into private residential treatment programs for teenagers that led to changes in state law and the closure of many of the programs. She speaks Spanish and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Montana.

Daniel O’Connor

Daniel O’Connor covers rural government at Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor. Dan studied at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism for two years before his move to Maine. Working alongside his master’s program, he covered corporate behavior, trade and tariffs as a business reporter for pet industry publication GlobalPETS, wrote consumer stories for The U.S. Sun, and freelanced political news for New Jersey Monitor. Dan is a 2023 graduate of Seton Hall University, where he served as the editor of The Setonian, building out award-winning datasets to track COVID on campus for the student newspaper. While there, he reported from New Jersey’s state capitol as an intern at Politico. Becoming a corps member has brought him back to his roots; he got his start at his high school paper covering small-town budget meetings.

Megan Jackson

Prior to joining Marietta Daily Journal as a city government reporter in suburban Atlanta, Megan Jackson worked as an intern for the Macon Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting. Jackson also acted as editor-in-chief for her school paper, The Mercer Cluster. During her time as a journalism student at Mercer University, Jackson worked to tell stories researching blight and illegal dumping in her community, focused on school and educational issues, and researched pedestrian safety issues throughout Macon-Bibb County.

Hali Mecklin

Before joining the Uvalde Leader-News as a Report for America corps member, Mecklin covered arts, culture and local news for Los Angeles Magazine. She also served as managing editor at Annenberg Media, the University of Southern California’s digital news outlet, and reported on LAPD’s response to pro-Palestinian encampment protests and the subsequent cancellation of main-stage commencement. During her time at Annenberg Media, she won best student arts or entertainment news story at the 2024 LA Press Club National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards for her reporting on the Syrian antiquity trade in Los Angeles. Before starting at USC, she began her career in journalism at 16 as an intern with the Santa Barbara Independent. During COVID-19 she took a break from reporting to work at the zoo as a giraffe experience specialist, where she helped guests feed and learn about endangered Masai giraffes. She loves Vietnamese food, abstract expressionist painting and her pet pug.