PHOTOGRAPHY

Vahini Shori

Before joining WBHM, Vahini Shori was a graduate student at Columbia Journalism School, where she reported on arts, culture, ethics, and criminal justice. Her love for audio blossomed while working at Kaleidoscope, a podcast studio based in New York, where she helped produce narrative documentaries on Amazonian chocolate, Afghan musicians, and turbulent space missions. She graduated from Rutgers University with degrees in Political Science and Critical Intelligence. As a proud New Jerseyan, “The Sopranos” is her comfort show. Vahini enjoys reading, creating Spotify playlists, and learning new recipes.

Daniel Schoenherr

Daniel Schoenherr is a multimedia reporter and recent graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Journalism. Before joining Cadillac News, he reported for the Detroit Free Press through the American Communities Project, covering the cultural, socioeconomic and political shifts impacting working-class Michigan. At Bridge Michigan, he tracked municipal opioid settlement spending and helped uncover $90 million in unspent funds. Inspired by Bridge’s nonprofit funding model, he created and led a new role at the student-run State News—newsletter director—spearheading donation campaigns that raised thousands. Most recently, he contributed statewide reporting to more than a dozen Michigan news outlets through Capital News Service. Schoenherr first found his passion for local journalism as news director of WSDP Plymouth, where he kept the metro Detroit community informed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside the newsroom, he explores trails and waterways by foot, bike and kayak.

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.

Amélie Horace

Prior to joining WUSF as an Audience Engagement producer, Amélie Horace reported on local news in Macon, Georgia. As a journalism student at Mercer University, she worked for the Macon Newsroom, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Macon Magazine, Macon Arts Alliance, and interned with local TV station 13WMAZ. She has covered local businesses, breaking news, community events, student programs, local and federal government proceedings, court cases, and profiles. In her senior year of college, she started a podcast on Waffle House stories, set to launch in 2025. She earned her bachelor's in journalism from Mercer University and was the campus news editor of The Cluster, the student newspaper.

Dilpreet Raju

Before joining Illinois Times, Dilpreet Raju reported on disparity in Illinois through a variety of topics including public health, criminal justice policy, and a burgeoning marijuana industry for Capitol News Illinois as a reporting fellow. His stories and photos were picked up by dozens of outlets, including some neighboring state media. Raju's passion for journalism began in high school while focusing on arts writing. He went on to graduate from American University in Washington, D.C. with a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry. While studying for his bachelor's, he worked all four years on The Eagle, a student newspaper. Raju then pursued more journalism education, earning a master's degree in journalism with a special focus on health, environment, and science from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He held editing positions in both undergraduate and graduate publications.

My Ly

Before joining Evanston RoundTable, My Ly covered the health disparities in Little Rock for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Ly is a graduate of Auburn University where she worked as a managing editor, community reporter and editor for The Auburn Plainsman, the student-run newspaper. While at Auburn she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Kevin Lee Wurm

Prior to joining MLK50 as a visual storyteller, Kevin Wurm worked as a Tennessee-based freelance photographer who weaves portraiture, journalism, and documentary storytelling to elevate overlooked stories and the people who tell them. Wurm's images are guided by empathy and purpose, capturing moments that reveal deeper truths. Self-taught and driven by a strong desire to grow, his journey has led to work featured in Reuters, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more.

Ellen Schmidt

Ellen Schmidt is a visual journalist born and based in Minnesota. She comes from a newspaper background after several internships and five years as a staff photojournalist in Las Vegas, Nevada. A graduate of the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism, she started her career working as a reporter, photographer and multimedia editor at the Minnesota Daily student newspaper. Her work seeks to visualize home, capture emotion and record moments that help people relate to one another.

Owen Racer

Before joining Cascadia Daily News, Racer reported on intergenerational farming in Ecuador and El Salvador for The Guardian, documenting how consumerism, climate change and emigration collide on farms that future generations decide to inherit or leave. In Washington, D.C., he covered the IRS and Congress for Bloomberg. In New York City, he reported on maternal health disparities, riding the city’s subways with mobile mental illness teams to explain how the increasingly popular model of mental health care impacts the workforce. From producing audio stories on mental health for NPR stations WHYY and WVXU in Cincinnati, Ohio, his hometown, to photographing youth impacted by gun violence in New Orleans, his reporting crosses topics and mediums. During the 2024 presidential election, he was the lone U.S. correspondent for The Kyiv Independent, Ukraine’s English-language media outlet, covering campaigns, foreign policy and Congress. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.

Zoe Lewis

Zoe Lewis is a 2025 journalism graduate from Murray State University. She has been passionate about journalism since she was a curious, young girl watching the morning news. Prior to joining Southeast Missourian, she worked at WKMS, an NPR affiliate radio station, during her college career where she has reported on government and politics, criminal justice and education. She recently received 13th place for the Hearst Journalism Awards Program in the audio competition for her work at WKMS. Lewis loves to read, watch movies and play with her dog.