ProPublica’s Rising Newshounds Program supplies toughen and mentorships to university scholars who’re pursuing careers in investigative journalism and wish further coaching and fiscal toughen to assist advance their targets.
Members obtain a $9,000 stipend, a commute to the once a year NICAR investigative journalism convention, occasional coaching and shows via audio system. They’ll even be paired one-on-one with ProPublica reporters who can assist suggest them on tales, construct their connections within the trade and disclose them to the various paths for careers in investigative journalism. Previous Rising Newshounds have long gone directly to paintings at The New York Occasions, The Related Press, Fresnoland, Capital B, The Tributary and different shops.
Our function is to inspire the following technology of reporters who search to polish a gentle on abuses of energy and convey tales of ethical drive that impress trade. In opting for the category, we search for scholars who exhibit an early willpower to journalism as a occupation, thru internships, paintings at native information shops or paintings at campus publications. And the place the ones alternatives — which can be frequently unpaid — aren’t available, we search for alternative ways the scholar has proven a zeal and a force to be informed the craft.
The 2025-26 instructional 12 months’s elegance of outstanding scholar reporters are from colleges in California, Pennsylvania, Florida and Georgia. All through the applying procedure, we had been inspired via their dedication to native information, their need to pursue immersive coaching alternatives in newsrooms around the nation and their willpower to careers in investigative journalism.
Meet our 2025 elegance:
Annabelle Ink
At first from Oahu, Hawaii, Annabelle Ink research English at Pomona Faculty in Claremont, Calif. Now in her senior 12 months, she works because the ingenious director at The Scholar Lifestyles, the campus newspaper, and because the editor-in-chief of Agave Evaluation, the campus literary and artwork mag. She has executed in depth reporting on political activism on the Claremont Faculties, protecting scholar protests, arrests and administrative movements. Annabelle has additionally interned at Honolulu Mag, Honolulu Civil Beat and the Claremont Courier. She is excited about exploring the intersection of ingenious and journalistic writing and in telling tales that problem energy buildings and encourage human connection. After faculty, she hopes to pursue investigative journalism complete time, the usage of gender as a lens by which to document on felony justice, local weather trade and resistance actions.
Gabriel Velasquez Neira
Gabriel Velasquez Neira is a senior learning journalism on the College of Florida. He’s enthusiastic about audio and knowledge journalism. Along with his research, Gabriel works as an intern at WUSF-FM in Tampa and as a deputy editor at WUFT-FM in Gainesville. He has reported on subjects just like the 2024 Democratic Nationwide Conference, Storm Milton and state politics for WUFT. Gabriel was once up to now a common task reporting intern at The Daytona Seashore Information-Magazine and as a information intern at NBC 6 in Miami.
Kahlie Wray
Kahlie Wray is a junior at Pennsylvania State College learning virtual and print journalism and English. She is the managing editor of The Day by day Collegian, Penn State’s student-run information outlet, the place she assists in main a workforce of journalists and editors in protecting campus information. She may be an intern with Centre Day by day Occasions, the place she specializes in protecting tales around the Centre County townships. Kahlie is operating on a yearlong collaborative mission investigating rural public well being with a cohort of scholar reporters. Previous this 12 months, she participated in a six-month internship in Brno, Czech Republic, the place she reported on faith and the expat revel in for a neighborhood newsroom. She’s enthusiastic about native journalism and its position in uplifting and informing communities.
Lee Ann Anderson
Lee Ann Anderson is a senior journalism primary with a specialization in knowledge and investigative journalism on the College of Florida. She’s pushed to inform narrative, in-depth investigative tales on subjects starting from era to trade whilst incorporating the voices of marginalized teams. Anderson participated in the summertime 2025 Carnegie-Knight News21 fellowship at Arizona State College, the place her protection of federal immigration coverage was once revealed within the Related Press and collected via 60 publications around the nation. Anderson is an intern at The Hill in Washington, D.C., protecting breaking information and pursuing endeavor tales. At UF, she was once an officer of the scholar chapters of the Nationwide Affiliation of Black Newshounds, the Nationwide Press Photographer Affiliation and the Florida Mag Scholar Affiliation. Anderson is an envoy of UF’s Faculty of Journalism and Communications and is part of the Dean’s Scholar Advisory Council. She has additionally participated in UF’s Contemporary Take Florida program, a political and investigative information carrier housed on the college that publishes scholars’ paintings around the state, and as a freelancer for Mainstreet Day by day Information in Gainesville.
Safa Wahidi
Safa Wahidi is a senior at Emory College learning political science and inventive writing. She was once an opinion editor and a columnist at The Emory Wheel, the place her writing gained nationwide reputation from the Society of Skilled Newshounds. Off campus, Safa has labored at Forsyth County Information, CNN Global and her fatherland newspaper, The Atlanta Magazine-Charter. Her reporting pursuits come with native executive, political duty and meals get entry to. Safa is particularly enthusiastic about investigative journalism on the town degree and hopes her reporting can inspire readers to stick concerned with their communities.
Cedeem Gumbs contributed analysis.
