Texas Tribune spring fellows start the year full of promise

Tribune fellowships allow aspiring journalists to hone their skills and learn a host of new ones that will prepare them for modern newsrooms. (Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune)

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In the opening weeks of the new year, our minds naturally turn toward renewal. And it’s with that sense of reinvigoration that we welcome spring semester fellows to The Texas Tribune.

These students are eager to put what they’ve learned in the classroom into practice.

“I want to work at the Texas Tribune because I know that access is magical,” events fellow and University of Texas at Austin student Erin Cobb said in her application. “I believe the work this organization does to increase Texan access to trustworthy information is fundamental to civic engagement, community, and a larger understanding of the world around us. I want to make use of both areas of my studies, journalism and nonprofits/social entrepreneurship, to contribute to a team that is committed to access to information and to enriching the greater Austin community.”

Indeed, fellows play key roles in the most important work of the Tribune, helping with The Texas Tribune Festival and covering the biennial legislative sessions, elections, education and the environment, among other important topics. See recent work by Texas Tribune fellows here.

But as much as they get from the experience of working in or in support of our newsroom, we get so much more.

“Our fellows are doing real, impactful journalism from day one, said Matthew Watkins, managing editor of news and politics. “They’re vital to our mission. They help us serve our audience. And they get great practical experience that helps launch their careers.”

Motivated to serve their communities, fellows bring energy and enthusiasm, as well as fresh perspectives.

“As a fellow, I hope to combine all I have grown to know and love about Texas with a publication dedicated to it,” design fellow Amber Huchton, a Houston native, said in her application.

“Being a Black, Muslim woman and the daughter of two immigrant parents, I witnessed firsthand how the stories of my communities were ignored and how the issues of many marginalized groups weren’t highlighted in the media,” reporting fellow Ikram Mohamed, who is majoring in sociology and journalism at UT-Austin, said in her application. “That’s what inspired me to pursue journalism.”

Generous donors have bolstered the Tribune’s fellowship program, establishing named fellowships such as the Dallas Press Club Foundation Fellowships, as well as Martin Taylor's underwriting of the Tribune HBCU Fellowships. We are grateful for their support.

Our paid fellowships, which are part-time during the spring and fall semesters and are full-time during the summer, are available in the following positions: data visuals, design, engagement, engineering, events, marketing and communications, photography, product and reporting.

The Tribune is happy to foster these young professionals and early-career journalists. Learn more about Tribune fellowships here, and please keep an eye out for the work of the amazing fellows listed below.

Spring 2024 Fellows

Nina Banks, a reporting fellow based in Arlington, is studying communications at Tarrant County College. She is managing editor of the student-run newspaper, The Collegian, and hosts the staff's podcast, The First Draft. When she isn't hunched over her laptop, you can find her sipping on boba tea.

Erin Cobb is an events fellow. A junior at the University of Texas at Austin, she is studying journalism and nonprofits. Erin previously worked as a grants coordinator intern for Students Expanding American Literacy, an Austin-based literacy nonprofit. Her hometown is Burleson in North Texas, and she likes to spend her free time reading, taking hot yoga classes and finding new spots to grab coffee.

Photography fellow Maria Crane has a dual degree in photojournalism and political science and is working toward a master’s in journalism at the University of North Texas. She was born and raised in Arlington but will be in Austin for her fellowship. Maria worked at her college paper, the North Texas Daily, as a senior photographer and the visuals editor at Hatch Visuals, a student-run photo agency, as managing editor. She previously was an intern at the Denton Record-Chronicle. Maria spends her free time with her one-eyed cat Ringo and training for triathlons.

Sejal Govindarao is a Washington-based reporting fellow and a senior at George Washington University. She reports for the investigations desk of her college paper, the Hatchet, and is the co-founder and president of the campus’ first Asian American Journalists Association student chapter. Previously, Sejal interned for NBC, ABC, CNN and Politico’s California team, where she covered the state’s congressional delegation. Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, she's a big fan of the Warriors and the Giants.

From left: Nina Banks, Erin Cobb, Maria Crane and Sejal Govindarao.

Design fellow Amber Huchton attends the University of Texas at Austin and is pursuing a theatre technology and design degree. She previously interned for Bauer Entertainment Marketing as a marketing intern and for the UT Athletics Department, where she focused on motion graphics.

Misbah Imtiaz is an engineering fellow and a senior computer science major at the University of Texas at Austin. Misbah previously interned at Atlassian, developing user interface features for a data portal application, and at Nordstrom, IBM and Paycom. Misbah will be based out of Austin for the fellowship but was born and raised in Denton. He enjoys watching horror movies and playing chess, basketball and soccer.

Fiza Kuzhiyil is an audience fellow and a senior majoring in journalism and government at the University of Texas at Austin. Fiza has interned at the Washington Post, Texas Monthly and the Austin American-Statesman and served as managing editor of her campus paper, The Daily Texan. Fiza was born in India, grew up in Pennsylvania but loves calling Texas home.

Sydney Lewis is a product fellow based in Columbia, Missouri. Previously, she interned at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She's in her final semester studying journalism at the University of Missouri, where she was the general manager of Mizzou Student Media and founder of the campus student chapter of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists. Sydney is from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and loves women’s sports and national parks.

From left: Amber Huchton, Misbah Imtiaz, Fiza Kuzhiyil and Sydney Lewis.

Maiara Lohmann is a marketing and communications fellow. She is a journalism and strategic communications student at Northwestern University's campus in Qatar, where she has reported for the campus paper, The Daily Q. Previously, she was a reporting intern at The Brazilian Report, covering Brazilian politics and economics, and a digital marketing intern for the soccer team, Sport Club Internacional. Maiara was born and raised in Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese.

Xandria Mcgilber is an events fellow and a senior at Prairie View A&M University, majoring in political science and minoring in legal studies. She previously was a U.S. House of Representatives intern for Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and for District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton. Xandria has earned recognition from the Pi Sigma Alpha National Student Research Conference, a national political science honor society.

Reporting fellow Ikram Mohamed is a fourth-year journalism and sociology student pursuing a human rights and social justice certificate at the University of Texas at Austin, where she worked at her campus newspaper, The Daily Texan. A Pflugerville native, Ikram previously interned with the Austin Chronicle, Texas Observer and Texas Monthly. She speaks fluent Somali and Swahili.

Andrew Park is a data visuals fellow and a senior at Columbia University, where he is studying computer science and math. Andrew is a former managing editor of the Columbia Daily Spectator, the school's independent student newspaper, and has previously interned at the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN. A native of Seoul, South Korea, Andrew spends his free time listening to music, browsing sports statistics websites and seeking restaurant hidden gems.

From left: Maiara Lohmann, Xandria Mcgilber, Ikram Mohamed and Andrew Park.

Maria Probert Hermosillo is an audience fellow and an international student from Monterrey, Mexico, studying journalism and economics at the University of Texas at Austin. Maria has worked for the campus paper, The Daily Texan, as an audio producer and director of Texan en Español, the Spanish-language translation department. She previously was an intern for Community Impact and covered central Austin. Maria enjoys spending her free time with friends and family, reading and binge-watching historical fiction shows.

Madaleine Rubin is a reporting fellow and a senior at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Madaleine previously interned at Northwestern Magazine and the Medill Investigative Lab. Her work has appeared in The Palm Beach Post, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and ProPublica. Born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida, she will graduate with journalism and political science degrees in June.

Jasmine Williams is a marketing and communications fellow. She is majoring in communications, with a focus on public relations and advertising, and minoring in digital marketing at St. Edward's University. An NCAA Division II volleyball player, Jasmine is the campus Black Student Alliance president and has served as its social media coordinator.

From left: Maria Probert Hermosillo, Madaleine Rubin and Jasmine Williams.