Alex is originally from Izhevsk, Russia. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in sequential studies from the University of Georgia. Alex studied art and writing. Now, Alex is interested in science and science writing.
Alex is now a first-year graduate student in the Health and Medical Journalism program. His graduate assistantship is with Newsource. He works on multiple projects with Amanda Bright, Ph.D, including, writing the weekly newsletter and helping write social media posts.
His career aspirations are to write, and his main focuses are in print and audio journalism.
Morgan is originally from Summerville, South Carolina. She received a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of South Carolina.
She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in health and medical journalism. She was inspired to pursue health journalism because of the impact of COVID-19, and she found that healthcare journalism was an important topic to communicate.
Morgan worked as a student fellow with the Dallas Morning News during Summer 2021 reporting on biotechnology and healthcare, and she is currently working as a teaching assistant with Karin Assmann, Ph.D. Her goals are to work for a non-profit organization reporting on healthcare, and eventually create a small farm for rescued animals.
Heaven Jobe (Photo/ Dcaptured)
Heaven is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in literature, language and writing, and a minor in theatre art and communications from Eastern Michigan University.
Writing is her passion. She decided to pursue her master’s degree in health and medical journalism at the University of Georgia in order to improve her writing skills and take advantage of new opportunities.
Heaven is a graduate assistant in the health journalism program, where she is helping to prep a program that will take students to Cuba to explore how journalists write about that island’s health system.
Chancey Phillips (Photo/ Lexie Hatt)
Chancey is originally from Danielsville, about 30 minutes away from Athens, Georgia. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Ecology from the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia in May 2021. She discovered her passion for science communication while pursuing her undergraduate degree.
Currently, Chancey is a first-year graduate student in advertising and public relations. Her graduate assistantship is in communications with the UGA College of Public Health
As a graduate student, she plans to further develop her writing, photo and video journalism skills. Her dream job is to make nature documentaries focused on the ecosystems of Florida and the tropics.
Alander Rocha is originally from Brazil, but he has called New Orleans home most of his life. He received a B.A. from Tulane University, with double majors in history and Latin American studies, and a minor in political science. After completing his undergraduate degree, Alander served in the Peace Corps in Ecuador where he worked with English teachers in a small Amazonian town.
Alander is currently pursuing an M.A. in Health and Medical Journalism. He is interested in healthcare access and disparities in immigrant and refugee communities, particularly in the South, and hopes his reporting leads to better care in these vulnerable communities across the US. His goal is to write in-depth investigations for a nonprofit newsroom.
Alander is a research assistant at the Digital Media Attention and Cognition Lab (DMAC), where he works under the direction of professor Bart Wojdynski. Alander also contributes to The Red & Black, the independent student news outley. When he is not thinking about social inequities, you can find him cuddling with, at least, one of his four dogs.
Keshondra Shipp (Photo/Keshondra Shipp)
Keshondra is from Sylvester, Georgia. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Georgia Southwestern State University. She minored in education.
She is a first-year graduate student pursuing a master’s, with a focus in health and medical journalism. Currently, Keshondra works as a research assistant for Dr. Anandam Kavoori.
Keshondra wants to learn how to accurately report on health and medical matters in a way that is easier for audiences to understand. Her goal is to become an editor for a major news broadcasting station. She hopes to one day have a platform with her twin sister, a pharmacist-in-training, where they discuss the challenges of our healthcare system and attempt to solve them.
Irene Wright (Photo/ Savannah Rathbun)
Irene is originally from Wisconsin. She moved to Georgia to attend the University of Georgia, where she received a Bachelor of Arts from the Odum School of Ecology in May 2021. Ecology students joke that the most important thing to know about a person is their favorite animal: Irene’s is the manatee, which she describes as “water potatoes.”
She is now a first-year graduate student in the Health and Medical Journalism Program. Her graduate assistantship is with the UGA magazine, Columns. As their feature writer, she plans to use her scientific background to write stories about the work of UGA faculty and staff.
In the future, she would like to write scripts for documentaries. However, her main goal is traveling and trying new foods.