WRITING

Emma Malinak

Emma Malinak covers the stories of Lynchburg, VA, for Cardinal News. Before becoming a Report for America corps member, Malinak reported on everything from climate change to child care as an intern at VTDigger. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and English from Washington and Lee University, where she was co-editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Ring-tum Phi. Malinak was the founding CEO of the Ring-tum Phi, Inc., a nonprofit corporation designed to secure a sustainable financial model and editorial independence for the student-run paper.

Sinclair Holian

Sinclair Holian covers racial segregation and its lasting effects on Roanoke, Virginia, for The Roanoke Rambler. Before joining Report for America, Holian reported on injustices in her home state of North Carolina. Her work spans a range of issues, including racism in the agriculture industry, barriers to healthcare access, and challenges in public education. Her story, “Land Loss and Legacy on Historic Black-owned Farmland,” won Article of the Year at the 2024 Hearst National Writing Championship in San Francisco. Her reporting has appeared in publications across North Carolina, including The News & Observer, Indy Week, NC Newsline, and more. She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2024 as the John Robert Bittner Outstanding Graduating Senior in Journalism, where her minor in social and economic justice fueled her commitment to revealing, in-depth reporting. When she’s not chasing a story, she loves long hikes, open water swimming, and exploring thrift shops.

Dylan Wickman

Before joining Today's News-Herald, Wickman was a journalism student at Arizona State University pursuing his Bachelor's. During his time in university, Wickman had many different internships in the journalism industry, such as a breaking news reporter for the Arizona Republic, a photographer at Cronkite News, a marketing communications coordinator at ASU's Educational Outreach and Student Services Department and a content producer for Sport Endorse or Dublin, Ireland. He hopes to continue to be a vessel for people to tell their stories through his [position] here.

Debadrita Sur

Before joining Report for America, Debaditra Sur graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, where she reported on housing and homelessness, and co-produced a short documentary on food insecurity in the South Bronx. After graduating, she joined The Buffalo News as a general assignment reporter, covering daily breaking news and long-term enterprise stories on pedestrian safety, homelessness in Erie County, and Jewish and Arab families in Western New York reacting to the Middle East conflict. She later joined Reach PLC in New York City, where she worked on tight deadlines to cover the Trump administration. She grew up in Kolkata, India, and completed her undergraduate degree in English literature from Presidency University, while also working for a London-based cultural magazine, Far Out, on the side. When she's not reporting, Sur makes adventure bucket lists or plays with her cat, Mountain Dew.

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.

Sophia Kalakailo

Before joining City Bureau, Sophia Kalakailo reported on the Ypsilanti, Michigan area for MLive. She covered homelessness, dire conditions in one of the city’s largest apartment complexes, excessive flooding in predominantly Black and low-income neighborhoods and raids of pro-Palestine protesters’ homes in late April. As a college freshman, she served as the news editor for Eastern Michigan University’s student newspaper, The Eastern Echo. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in documentary film from Michigan State University. As an editor at The State News, she oversaw an investigation revealing allegations that one Title IX executive slowed crucial civil rights and sexual misconduct investigations. Interning at the nonprofit newsroom Bridge Michigan and the statewide NPR station Michigan Public, Kalakailo covered misinformation and cultural divides over the state’s reintroduced wolf population. She also followed the late Dr. Robert Anderson sexual abuse scandal at the University of Michigan and the unionization of Starbucks workers across the state.

Justin O’Connor

Prior to joining Report for America, O’Connor produced data-driven investigations as an intern for The Buffalo News and in-depth feature stories as a reporter for the Rochester Beacon in New York. He has covered everything from the Starbucks unionization movement to pro-Palestine protests and local housing issues. His journalism career started when he joined the Campus Times at the University of Rochester as a first-year student and dove into coverage of the city’s Black Lives Matter protests before going on to become a staple in the paper’s news and features sections. He served as news editor, managing editor, and editor-in-chief for the paper, winning two New York Press Association awards along the way — one for producing the best college newspaper feature story in the state in 2022 and another for leading the state’s second-best overall college newspaper in 2024. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English: Language, Media, and Communications from the University of Rochester.

Abby Weiss

Prior to joining Chestnut Hill Local, Abigail Weiss wrote features and trending stories for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. There, she wrote about entertainment, the environment and interesting people in the Nutmeg State. Weiss holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University, where she minored in environmental science and history, as well as served as the digital managing editor for the independent student newspaper, The Daily Orange. Her profile about Joe Biden’s first wife, Neilia, for The D.O. received Associated Collegiate Press Awards and qualified her for the 2022 Hearst National Writing Championship, where she won third place and the award for best reporting technique. As an intern for InsideClimate News, she wrote in-depth stories about environmental justice in Connecticut, national climate trends and California agriculture. She’s was also a contributing writer at Callaway Climate Insights, and interned for The New York Post’s news team.

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.

Erick Solorzano

Erick Solorzano is a visual journalist at WSLS-TV covering personal finance. Prior to joining RFA, Solorzano pursued a career in marketing and communications, serving in key roles for a private corporation and a mission-driven nonprofit. Solorzano’s dream of becoming a journalist began at the University of Georgia, where he graduated in 2020 with a bachelor's of arts from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications. As a first-generation college student, Solorzano discovered his passion for storytelling by becoming a student news contributor for The Red & Black newspaper and a student news reporter for Grady Newsource, the university’s student-run television news program. Although his post-graduate career began in other professional industries, Erick Solorzano never lost sight of what becoming a journalist meant to him and the community he serves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he created The Solo Segment, an independent social media news channel covering important news events in Georgia and the world. Today, he’s proud and grateful to transition from independent journalism into a staff journalist role.