In summary
The program gives college students a unique challenge: reporting on student issues and sharing the perspectives of young adults across the state.
CalMatters is welcoming the newest group of fellows to the College Journalism Network.
The program was started in 2019 with a dual mission: to increase higher education journalism and to lift up the voices of developing journalists. Funding is thanks to the College Futures Foundation and ECMC Foundation, along with CalMatters’ members (become a member today).
College Journalism Network Editor Jennifer Burger said this year’s fellows are eager to apply and build on their experience covering local politics and government, criminal justice, housing and homelessness, and campus policy.
Each fellow is paid for a school year to pitch, report and publish stories in CalMatters and our partner local news publications. The students will also partner with CalMatters’ engagement journalists to create social videos about their stories to expand information access to young people. Watch their first social video on what they plan to cover.
CalMatters will be hosting monthly virtual seminars, open to all student journalists, to hear from experts across the fields of education and journalism. If you’re a student journalist who wants to join, sign up for College Journalism Network updates to stay up-to-date.
Meet our 12 newest fellows
Alina Ta
She is a journalism and photography student at San Jose State University. She is passionate about reporting on local government, the unhoused community, LGBTQ+ issues and more. She is also proud to be a born and raised Bay Area native. Alina worked with San Jose State’s school newspaper, the Spartan Daily, for three years where she eventually became the executive editor and a senior staff writer for the paper. Alina was also an intern at The Mercury News and a student reporter for the university’s student-run broadcast news channel, Update News, in 2024.
Aliza Imran
She is an international student from England currently attending Sacramento State and was formally the podcast editor at The State Hornet. Imran enjoys creating multimedia content to engage and inform her peers. She believes that it’s important to use your voice to amplify those who don’t have one. She hopes that with her work she will be able to bring much-needed impact.
Andrea Baltodano
She is a sophomore journalism student at San Joaquin Delta College, where she serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Collegian. She focuses her reporting on politics and local government, with a special interest on how policies impact students.
Angel Corzo
He is a senior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he is studying journalism and political science and is a senior reporter for Mustang News. He is an emerging bilingual reporter, and has covered topics including higher education, immigration, diversity, equity and government. Previously, he has interned at The San Luis Obispo Tribune and The Santa Barbara Independent, and was editor-in-chief of The Channels at Santa Barbara City College. Angel is passionate about watchdog journalism, as well as giving a voice to those who are underrepresented in the media.
Brittany Oceguera
She’s a bilingual journalist based in the Central Valley, passionate about covering her community and higher education. Oceguera is a fourth-year student at California State University, Bakersfield, double majoring in Spanish and communications with an emphasis in journalism. She currently serves as the editor-in-chief of El Veloz, the Spanish section of CSUB’s student-led news organization The Runner.
Chrissa Olson
She is a senior at UC Berkeley where she reports for the student newspaper, the Daily Californian. She loves reporting on housing policy and politics. Previously, she worked at NBC Los Angeles, Inc. Magazine through the Dow Jones News Fund, and Easy Reader News. She is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association. In her spare time, you will likely find her digging through any and all public records.
Ella Carter-Klauschie
They are a senior at UC Berkeley majoring in media studies and sociology. They previously worked as a deputy news editor at The Daily Californian and interned at Edsource and News Not Noise. Their reporting has typically focused on criminal justice reform, K-12 schools, and the impacts of federal actions on California universities.
Kahani Malhotra
She is a junior at Claremont McKenna College studying philosophy, politics, and economics. She covers campus policy and institutional accountability at her campus publication, The Student Life. Previously, she was a news intern at LAist. Kahani is driven by stories that demand institutional transparency and bring communities together.
Khadeejah Khan
A Muslim South Asian American journalist and a sophomore studying Asian American Studies at UC Davis and writes about student activism, transnational politics, diaspora communities, labor movements, and inequity in higher education. In her coverage, she believes in the power of stories to mobilize communities and hold power to account. Originally from the Bay Area, her work has been published in KQED, The Mercury News, The Nation, PBS, The California Aggie, The Modesto Bee, and other publications. Khan is a bilingual journalist who speaks Urdu and Hindi, and is currently learning Arabic.
Martin Romero
He is a political science and journalism student from East Los Angeles College. He is a data-driven reporter covering higher education, government and community issues. Currently, he works with LA Documenters and Boyle Heights Beat, and he has previously worked with the Associated Press and Campus News. When not reporting, he can often be found behind a camera, shaping his bonsai trees or relaxing with his two cats.
Phoebe Huss
She is a third-year student at UCLA studying applied mathematics. Huss previously served as the news editor of Santa Monica College’s student newspaper, The Corsair. Her reporting focuses on data, state and local policy, and holding people in power accountable.
Sophie Sullivan
She’s a Bay Area native, an L.A. transplant and a senior journalism student at the University of Southern California. She is the executive editor of Annenberg Media, USC’s student-led multimedia newsroom, where she has won awards for her investigative and political journalism across TV, radio and print. Her reporting spans breaking news, education, governments and courts, highlighting the human experience across changing systems. Through journalism, Sullivan brings an understanding of institutions, policy and people to local communities. She is also a weekend broadcast intern at KNBC Los Angeles.