WRITING

Patrick Sloan-Turner

Patrick Sloan-Turner covers education in Victoria, Texas, and its surrounding communities for the Victoria Advocate, the second oldest paper in the Lone Star State. Prior to joining the Advocate, Sloan-Turner covered university governance at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois for the school’s student-run independent newspaper, The DePaulia. There, he also covered topics like Chicago politics, crime, healthcare and others, while serving as the outlet’s Online Managing Editor. Prior to his pursuit of a bachelor’s in journalism at DePaul, Sloan-Turner worked as a stringer at his hometown newspaper, the Lansing State Journal in Lansing, Michigan. It was there that he was first inspired to become a journalist after witnessing the Journal’s impressive coverage of the Larry Nassar scandal at Michigan State University.

The Lens

The Lens is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public-interest digital newsroom, dedicated to investigative and explanatory journalism. Its mission is to educate, engage and empower the people of New Orleans by providing the information and analysis necessary to advocate for more accountable and just governance. The Lens grew out of a citizen journalist’s drive to track demolitions after Hurricane Katrina.

Adrian Ashford

Adrian Ashford covers faith and religion in North Texas for The Dallas Morning News. Prior to joining The Dallas Morning News, Adrian worked as a co-op for The Boston Globe and interned with Washington Monthly, The Delaware News Journal, and Philadelphia Magazine. Adrian majored in Social Studies at Harvard University and wrote a senior thesis on religious liberty and evolving interpretations of the First Amendment. He also served as an executive editor, Arts Chair, and magazine staff writer for his student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson. In 2023, Adrian was named a finalist for the Society of Professional Journalists’ cultural criticism award for his arts criticism at The Boston Globe. Outside of work, Adrian loves dancing, camping, and getting lost in a good TV show.

Mirtha Donastorg

Mirtha Donastorg reports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is a journalist with experience in TV, digital and radio, and was most recently an associate producer at CNN Digital where she helped curate multiple homepage platforms, as well as craft breaking news alerts viewed by millions daily. As a researcher for CNN, Donastorg fact-checked scripts from correspondents all over the globe and most notably, reported on the conviction of an abusive Catholic priest. Outside of work, she shares her love of soul music from around the world as a host of a weekly two-hour local radio show. Donastorg grew up in Auburn, Alabama. She’s a proud alumna of North Carolina State University, and is fluent in Spanish and French.

Longview News-Journal

The Longview News-Journal is part of third-generation, family-owned community newspaper and multimedia news organization. We are committed to digital-first community journalism—not just reporting the news, but also holding officials accountable for their actions. We work to keep the public informed of the news through our print and digital platforms. We strive to be fair, accurate and respectful while reporting the news, from hard-hitting investigations to the daily news and features. Our goal is to use all available journalism tools in the service of reporting on, and bettering, our community.

Adrianna Adame

Adrianna Adame covers Indigenous Democracy across the state of North Dakota for Buffalo's Fire. While in Bismarck, she will be reporting on voting rights, tribal council, school board and rural co-op meetings, tribal college stories and K-12 education. Prior to joining Buffalo's Fire, Adame graduated with her Masters in Journalism from Syracuse University's S.I. School of Public Communication, where she was a Newhouse Minority Fellow and intern at Syracuse.com In Syracuse, she reported on stories from underrepresented communities in Central New York, as well as arts and entertainment. Adame has also contributed and written for local and editorial sites such as POPSUGAR, the Stand, NPR Next Gen and Flique Editorial. Throughout her undergrad years, she also held the positions of Managing and News Editor for The Cougar Chronicle, California State San Marcos' student newspaper, where she lead, edited, reported and most importantly, first became passionate about journalism. Since her days at The Cougar Chronicle, she's has been determined to work in local journalism, primarily focusing on diverse communities. Adame is Mexican American and a proud member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy, Montana.

Maia Bond

Maia Bond covers poverty and healthcare in Dubuque, Iowa for the Telegraph-Herald. In college, Bond covered breaking news and the Missouri statehouse as an intern for the Kansas City Star. She also previously covered local government, housing and elections for the Columbia Missourian. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and won a White House Correspondents' Association scholarship in 2022 for government reporting.

Claudia Rivera Cotto

Claudia M. Rivera Cotto is a bilingual reporter who covers political, government and immigration issues in North Carolina for Enlace Latino NC. Before joining Report for America, she reported on social issues for the Columbia Missourian. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and English from the University of Puerto Rico, where she served as News Co-Director of Pulso Estudiantil. Rivera Cotto also has a master’s degree in Investigative and Data Journalism from the University of Missouri. Her journalism focuses on corporate and government accountability reporting.

Madison McVan

Madison (Madi) McVan covers economic mobility for the Minnesota Reformer. Prior to joining the Reformer, she covered the agriculture industry for Investigate Midwest, with a focus on labor, regulatory and environmental issues in the meat industry. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 2020 with degrees in Journalism and Latin American Studies. On the weekends, you can find her exploring the Twin Cities' coffee shops and breweries, watching sports or hanging out with her cats.

Daniel Schmidt

Daniel Schmidt covers local government accountability in Ouray County, Colorado, for the Ouray County Plaindealer. Prior to joining the Plaindealer, Schmidt was the community reporter at The Plainsman, Auburn University's award-winning student newspaper, where he covered local government, elections, breaking news, crime and community events. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Troy University and a bachelor's in journalism from Auburn University.