In summary
CalMatters CEO Neil Chase says fellowships are part of the organization’s continued development of talented staff members.
Three CalMatters staff members — Kristen Hwang, Sameea Kamal and Sapna Satagopan — have been selected recently for exclusive national fellowship programs.
Hwang won a place in the USC Center for Health Journalism California Fellowship, which advances journalists’ skills in reporting with powerful narratives, data and engagement. The program selects enterprising reporters and supports them as they pursue ambitious reporting projects on overlooked health and health equity issues within the state.
Hwang, a health reporter at CalMatters, has a dual master’s degree in journalism and public health from UC Berkeley. She is an award-winning filmmaker and journalist with a passion for humanizing data-driven stories.
Kamal was selected for the National Press Statehouse Reporting program. The fellowship trains state and regional reporters preparing to cover the 2022 midterm elections and beyond with a focus on nuanced information, redistricting, copycat legislation and campaign finances.
Kamal joined CalMatters in 2021 as a reporter and production assistant covering the Capitol and statewide politics. She came to us from the Los Angeles Times, where she was a news desk editor. She was also one of three 2020 Investigative Reporters and Editors Journalist of Color fellows, and she previously worked at the Center for Public Integrity. She earned her master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Satagopan was selected for the competitive Online News Association Women’s Leadership Accelerator, a program for women working in digital media who are driving innovation in their organizations.
As product director at CalMatters, Satagopan works across teams to attract new users and engage them with news products. Before joining CalMatters she worked in technology consulting, strategy, research and consumer insights across digital and branding agencies. Originally from India, she has an MBA from UC Davis and degrees in physics and linguistics.
“We’re proud to be able to hire the most talented people in California,” said CalMatters CEO Neil Chase, “and then help them continue to grow with fellowship programs like these.”