The McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute welcomes the NYCJ class of Fall 2021

NEW YORK — The 13th class of the NYC Semester in Journalism arrived in late August from across the United States and one from Brazil. The class of 13 students represent nine colleges and universities. 

The students will participate in a unique semester-long, off-campus study program operated by the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute at The King’s College in New York. They will spend the semester living in student housing at King’s, where they will engage in a journalism-intensive semester, including taking classes such as Entrepreneurial Journalism with Prof. Paul Glader, a former reporter at The Wall Street Journal and founder of VettNews.com.   

Under the guidance of both Glader and Prof. Clemente Lisi, a former editor at the New York Post, students will earn six academic credits pursuing at least one byline or video credit per week for their portfolios. 

The New York City Semester program partners with 41 colleges and universities across the nation and globe. Apply to become a partner school by contacting Paul Glader at pglader@tkc.edu. Apply to join us as a student for a future semester by clicking here. 

Here is a roster of the NYCJ Fall 2021 class: 

Leocciano Callao 

A native of The Philippines, Leocciano hails from Providence Christian College in Pasadena, Calif. He is interning at the Brooklyn Paper this semester.   
 

Anna Carlson

Anna attends Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. She previously worked for The Point Weekly, Point Loma’s student media outlet. She is interning at Newsweek.  

Julia Findley 

A digital communication and design manager, Findey is a student at William Jessup University in Rocklin, Calif. She is interning at Bold TV.  

Alyssa Flores 

Alyssa also attends William Jessup, studying marketing and communications. She is interning at Bold TV.    

Haeven Gibbons 

A journalism major and Spanish minor, Gibbons is a student at Texas Christian University in Dallas. She previously interned at The Media Project, which is based at King’s, and is currently an intern at amNewYork.  

Ashley Grams

Ashley is a broadcast journalism major at Biola University outside Los Angeles. She is interning at NBC New York.



Nyckole Holguin 

Nyckole is a student at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, studying broadcast journalism. She is interning at amNewYork.  

Alyse Messmer 

Alyse is a student at Cal Baptist University located near Los Angeles. She is interning at Newsweek.   

Katelyn Quisenberry

A student who attends Biola University outside Los Angeles, Katelyn is interning at Bold TV.   

Sofia Kioko Saleem Khan 

Sofia hails from Brazil and attends Mackenzie Presbyterian University in Sao Paulo. She is interning at Religion Unplugged, an Award-winning non-profit news website. 
 

Rebecca Schwind

Rebecca is a student at Biola University outside Los Angeles and has experience at The Chimes, the school’s student-run newspaper. She is interning at Newsweek.  

Jada Williamson 

Jada is a student at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn. She is interning at the Brooklyn Paper.  

Kayla Wong

Kayla attends Point Loma Nazarene University. She is interning at the Queens Courier. 

The McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute is a home of journalism-related programs and majors at The King’s College in NYC. In addition to its academic programs, it hosts events and provides resources to its students, alums, friends and donors. The institute is named in the honor of the legendary reporter at The New York Times who was an exemplar of standards, ethics and style in the craft of journalism and was a kind friend and mentor to those of us who knew him.

How NYCJ Alumna Maria Monteros Landed Prestigious Internships and a Wall Street Journal Page One Story

By Taylor Washington

Four years ago, Maria Monteros was sure she was going to become a doctor. 

Although she always enjoyed writing, the now 21-year-old said pursuing a degree in journalism was not a feasible goal in her native Philippines. 

It wasn’t until her mother got a job offer in the United States that Monteros had the opportunity to study something she was actually passionate about. 

“You have way more opportunities here, and a lot of things are possible, like you can make your own profession possible here. And so, that really inspired me to do what I want in the end,” Monteros said. 

After relocating to Nashville, Tenn., Monteros transferred to Trevecca Nazarene University where she majored in multimedia journalism and minored in marketing because she also wanted to learn about business. 

While she was initially wary about this abrupt change in career path, Monteros said she decided to jump right in. She began writing for Trevecca’s student newspaper, the TrevEchoes, and eventually became an editor. Through Trevecca, Monteros also ended up having the opportunity to write for national publications through Trevecca’s partnership with the NYC Semester in Journalism (NYCJ) program at The King’s College in NYC. 

“I just went in blind, but it ended up being probably the best decision. Is it divine intervention? Maybe, because I mean, if it wasn't for Trevecca then I wouldn't have gone to that New York City program and I wouldn't have gotten the internship at Newsweek,” Monteros said.

Maria Monteros (second from left in front row) with other students in the Spring 2019 class of the NYC Semester in Journalism (NYCJ).

The New York City Semester in Journalism program at The King’s College granted Monteros a semester in the Big Apple where she interned at Newsweek and covered entertainment. She also completed a business journalism course with Prof. Paul Glader at The King’s College that resulted in her final story about a sub-culture of instagram snack food junkies getting published on page one of The Wall Street Journal. 

“It was the first time I’ve seen a story idea from a student that was so original and well-reported that I could pitch it to editors at the WSJ. It’s extremely rare for the WSJ to accept free-lance page one features at all. And it’s more rare to publish a free-lance page one story from a college student. It may be the first time that’s happened,” said Prof. Glader, who is co-director of the NYCJ program at King’s. “It’s a testament to Maria’s creative ideas and rigorous reporting ability.” 

Maria Monteros (second from left) listening to TKC business professor Dr. Dami Kabiawu guest lecture about financial analysis in Prof. Paul Glader’s business reporting class.

That summer following NYCJ in 2019, Monteros interned at Dow Jones MarketWatch where she covered personal finance. This experience cemented Monteros’ passion for business news and she knew she wanted to cover this beat after graduation.

“One thing that I really like about business journalism is it's such an innovative field to work in. There's so many unique beats, like I know someone who covers the space beat, you know, and I think that's crazy,” she said. “I've always wanted to write stories about niche topics and go into depth in it. I want to be an expert in what I'm writing about.”

Her senior year, Monteros was promoted to editor-in-chief of the TrevEchoes where she used her knowledge and interest in business to apply financial angles to campus news. 

“Maria has probably the strongest work ethic of any student I've ever worked with. She is a self-starter, she always meets deadline and she's motivated and ambitious. She takes great pride in her work and doesn't stop until it meets her high standards,” JoEllen Weedman, the newspaper’s faculty advisor and Monteros’ former professor, said.

In addition to improving her reporting skills, Monteros said the job taught her how to collaborate with others and the importance of being a humble leader. When the coronavirus emerged in the U.S. and Trevecca suspended face-to-face instruction, Monteros was still busy reporting remotely. She said this challenging situation taught her how to be tenacious. 

This past year, Monteros was selected to The Dow Jones News Fund business internship program with American City Business Journals. She reported on minority-owned businesses for The Nashville Business Journal in the summer of 2020.

“I’ve always known that this program is very prestigious. And I thought if I want to make it in journalism then this is the program to apply to,” she said. 

NYCJ alumna Maria Monteros (in white striped shirt) listening to The Washington Post business editor Dave Cho speak to Prof. Paul Glader’s business reporting class at The King’s College in NYC.

Having called Nashville home for four years, the recent graduate said she was excited to cover local businesses there. While she said her mission to find the truth motivates her reporting, there is another motivation that influences her strong work ethic. This fall, she will be interning at Bloomberg News.

“I'm a first-generation immigrant,” she said. “And so, just seeing my mom putting her best and trying to give me an education makes me want to work harder.”

- Edits and Updates made by MPJI staff.

Students interested in NYC Semester Program at The King’s College can apply here.

NYCJ Alumna Rachel Greenland Lands Her First Post-Graduate Position

By Eloisa Gutierrez

A North Carolina native, recent college graduate and city girl at heart, 21-year-old Rachel Greenland is one of 17 students selected to be a Dow Jones News Fund business reporting intern. 

Born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, Greenland now has degrees in journalism and public relations from Appalachian State University and a minor in accounting. She intends to use her diverse work experience to place herself in an internship or job this summer. 

Greenland is one of a few Dow Jones News Fund interns whose original placement site rescinded its offer due to the coronavirus. Greenland took this in stride, however, applying to over a dozen internships and communications positions from home, with help from the News Fund. 

Her search successfully landed her an internship role at Voice of America, under a Europe, Middle East and Latin America correspondent. 

“I just am constantly thinking like 10 years in advance,” said Greenland. 

Her future-oriented mindset is not new. Since her sophomore year of high school, Greenland had dreamed of making a difference as a business executive.  

That dream, however, changed with time. In her senior year, Greenland evaluated her skills and desires. 

“I realized ... I like really know how to write. So why don't I just combine this business idea of (being) a world changer in writing?” said Greenland. 

That realization -- combined with the discovery of The King’s College NYC Semester in Journalism (NYCJ) -- set Greenland into motion. 

She said, “My first or second month of freshman year, I started working every single thing I could to do to set that (NYC semester) up.” And she did. 

Greenland joined professor Greg Perreault’s Introduction to Journalism course her second semester, and he helped her plan her class schedule to get to New York by her senior year. Perreault and his wife Mimi are alums of NYCJ’s predecessor, Washington Journalism Center, and are active friends to NYCJ.

At ASU, Greenland reported for the campus newspaper, The Appalachian, eventually serving as its managing editor her senior year. One of her favorite articles featured a podcast studio that was inspired by ASU alumnus, Stephen Dubner, author of “Freakonomics.” 

Greenland also worked as public relations chair and webmaster for Sigma Kappa Sorority, participated in The Fund for American Studies and worked as a copy editor and reporter for Sustainable Discoveries magazine. 

Eventually, in the spring of 2019, Greenland made it to The King’s College NYC Semester. In Manhattan, Greenland studied, interned at Newsweek on the video desk and embraced a love for the city. 

There, she met Paul Glader, director of the News Fund’s business reporting program and an  associate professor at The King’s College, who is co-director of the NYCJ program. 

In Glader’s business reporting class Greenland said she really got to sink her teeth into business reporting and how a Wall Street Journal reporter approaches a business story. Her NYC semester included an internship at Newsweek, where Greenland pitched ideas for videos that she would script, edit and produce to accompany news articles. 

 “She was a pleasure to have on our team,” said Jessica Durham, video production manager at Newsweek. 

“She always had ideas at our meetings, which was great,” said Durham. “(Greenland) wasn’t afraid to ask questions.” 

Overall, Greenland said, that semester “really sparked this desire” to pursue an internship with the Dow Jones News Fund. 

The following summer of 2019, Greenland worked as The Washington Times’ foreign desk intern, where she wrote several news stories and in-depth features on crises in Sudan. 

Researching, writing and contributing to such powerful stories, said Greenland “(I) really realized the impact that I can have by being a reporter … my goal has always been just to share people’s stories.” 

Preparing for her remote training and work, Greenland considers what the current pandemic means for the News Fund’s class of 2020. 

“At the end of the day, we’re reporters and we’re supposed to be going into every situation, reaching out to people and being persevering and just trying to find things that might be difficult to find,” said Greenland. 

She believes that tenacity will be essential. 

“In this extra difficult time,” she said, “I think that’s a characteristic of ourselves that we really need to showcase.”  

Until the start of her training, Greenland looks forward to the spring ASU commencement ceremony -- especially because Stephen Dubner will be speaking, said Greenland. 

An admirer of Dubner, Greenland said, “I always wanted to go to a college where a celebrity would give my commencement speech and that never happens at my school. I don’t know if people would consider him a celebrity, but he is for me.” 

“So if this is what I get for virtually graduating,” she said with a smile, “that’s really fine with me.”  

After completing her internship with Voice of America, Greenland will head to the Charlotte, North Carolina, area for a full-time position with Boardroom Insiders as a Research Editor and Analyst. At BI, she will curate profiles of business executives across industries.

To learn more about Rachel Greenland or view some of her work, visit her website at greenlandrachel.wordpress.com.

- Edits and Updates made by MPJI staff.

Arne Fjeldstad Scholarship Brings International Journalism Students To The King’s College in NYC

Carol Wambui is the fourth Arne Fjeldstad Scholar, who received a scholarship to be part of the NYC Semester in Journalism (NYCJ) at The King’s College in NYC. She is studying Journalism at the Multimedia University of Kenya. During her time at King’s in the NYCJ program, she is interning at ReligionUnplugged, an award-winning non-profit news outlet that covers religion.

After a Norwegian journalist and minister named Arne Fjeldstad died of a blood clot in his lung in 2014, MPJI director Paul Glader had the privilege to meet Hilde Margrethe Sæbø Fjeldstad in Kristiansand, Norway and other family members of Arne in 2015. 

Glader and Hilde spoke and prayed about how they might honor her late husband, Arne, his focus on reporting about religion in public life and his legacy of caring for journalists around the world. Arne was a Lutheran minister and a night editor at the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. Arne helped develop The Media Project, an international network of working journalists who care about good journalism, particularly religion reporting. Arne was beloved by many people in Africa, India, Latin America and other corners of the globe. 

As Hilde and her daughter, Silje Marie, visited New York City in 2015, Hilde said she believed in what the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute was doing to teach and promote quality journalism through its programs at The King’s College in NYC and as the home of The Media Project, of which Professor Paul Glader now serves as executive director. She said she would love to see a scholarship that honored Arne and allowed students from the global south to participate in the NYC Semester in Journalism (NYCJ) program. 

Hilde Fjeldstad (right) with her mother and Prof. Paul Glader (left), executive director of The Media Project and the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute, during a visit in Kristiansand, Norway, in 2015

Glader and team began raising money to make it possible for a student from Uganda, Gertrude Too-Rom, to attend the program. Then, in 2016, Howard and Roberta Ahmanson (Roberta being the chairwoman of The Media Project) agreed to fund an annual scholarship ($20,000 in value) for at least one international journalism student from the global south to attend the NYCJ program. Since then, the NYCJ program has hosted two annual Fjeldstad Scholars from Uganda, one from Kenya and one from the Republic of Georgia. 

The scholarship funds either two $10,000 scholarships to help students attend NYCJ or one $20,000 scholarship. The scholarship(s) covers the bulk of tuition and housing for students (leaving costs for transport to NY, food and a small amount for tuition). In some rare instances, one student may be selected for the scholarship each year and fully funded. The students will be placed in a newsroom internship in NYC for 20 hours per week (receiving 6 academic credits). Most often, the Fjeldstad Scholar will serve as an intern at ReligionUnplugged.com, the award-winning, non-profit news outlet connected to TheMediaProject.org and an important outlet for TMP members to report on religion in public life around the world. The Fjeldstad scholars also take three classes at The King’s College with other students in the NYC Semester in Journalism program, who come from 40 partner schools around the US and world.

Silje Marie Fjeldstad (left) and Hilde Fjeldstad (right) the daughter and wife of the late Arne Fjeldstad, during a visit to New York City in 2015.

Colleges and universities that would like to become a partner to the NYCJ program so their students can compete for the Arne Fjeldstad scholarship can write to Paul Glader at Pglader@tkc.edu. And students who would like to apply for the scholarship can do so at https://www.tkc.edu/nycs and should be in touch with Eleni Glader at eglader@tkc.edu about their application.

We spoke with our current Arne Fjeldstad Scholar, Carol Wambui, who is from Nairobi, Kenya, and is interning at ReligionUnplugged.com as part of her internship. 

What first sparked your interest in journalism? What led you to consider pursuing it in college?

From a young age, I have always been fascinated by the media, from news anchoring to news reporting. I did not know much about journalism then but I was sure it was what I wanted to do, even if it was not full-time. Just before graduating from high school, we wrote down our courses of interest and the colleges where they were offered. I wrote out my choices, and journalism was at the very top. When I received my high school grades, and was accepted to enroll in a journalism program at college, it was almost a confirmation of my destiny. Back in high school, I had done some basic newswriting and reporting after major school functions, but that was all I knew about journalism. An opportunity to learn more excited me.

How did you hear about NYCJ and the Arne Fjeldstad scholarship? What made you decide to apply?

Stella Ogigo, a former editor at the Kenya Broadcast Corporation in Kenya, who has also worked with Professor Glader in the past, mentioned the program to me and advised that I apply. I knew that an opportunity to study journalism in the U.S.—a place of diversity, advancement and exposure—was exactly what I needed for my career. I believed God had blessed me with a rare opportunity, so I took it. I applied and I am so grateful that I was accepted.

“Becoming one of the people who is shining a light on religion across the globe is a beautiful thing and I cannot wait to learn more and grow in this.”

- Carol Wambui, Arne Fjeldstad Scholar

What do you hope to gain from your time in New York?

During my time in New York, I want to learn everything that was not taught in my college classes—from the field work experiences to my writing skills. I want to learn and enhance my reporting skills, whether by live-recording or writing as both will help me in my investigative journalism. I believe that studying in one of the biggest cities in the world will not only enhance my career, but also my view and perception of the world, of successful journalism and of life in general.

How will you bring the skills you have learned here back to Nairobi?

My time at The King’s College is giving me a true journalistic eye that I will bring back to Nairobi. I am learning to work with diligence and excellence at my internship with Religion Unplugged. I believe I will practice and even show others how to make journalism in Kenya better than before.

You are interning at ReligionUnplugged (a publication of The Media Project, which Arne led). What are you learning about the importance of religion coverage in the news?

Honestly, I had never thought about religion coverage before starting this internship. The only religion news coverage I ever knew of were the videos I made with my church. When I joined Religion Unplugged, it was like my eyes were opened to religion reporting. I am sure there are other people out there like myself, who probably have not learned the importance of religion coverage. Becoming one of the people who is shining a light on religion across the globe is a beautiful thing and I cannot wait to learn more and grow in this. I feel like a lot of people need to know what is going on in their particular religions as well as in other religions and that is exactly what Religion Unplugged is doing for the world. I am happy to be part of it.

What are some of your future journalistic goals?

I am interested in moving into investigative journalism, and would like to take journalism into a whole other level of finding and fighting crimes. This is not a well developed field in Kenya, and I hope to be among the few who can grow it and make it something huge. I hope to have a media network at some point in my career where I can host different types of media coverage like sports, investigations and religion, and mediums like print, radio and broadcast. I would want to help highlight any sort of journalist worldwide starting from my home country. I hope to help not only future journalists, but also people with other career interests, by offering scholarships and sponsorships to advance in their education. These are some of my many future goals.

What has surprised you about New York City? 

New York City is nothing like I imagined, read or watched in the movies. I guess seeing things with your own eyes makes all the difference. I think it is one thing to hear or even read about something, and it’s another to actually experience something. I came in winter, and the weather is like nothing I have ever experienced before in my life. With extremes of up to -3 degrees Celsius, I definitely wasn’t ready for the cold. 

How is Nairobi different from New York and what has been the biggest challenge to living here?

New York boasts a diversity of cultures and religions that makes it unlike Nairobi or any other town in Kenya. Nairobi is my city, my town—I literally know almost every corner of the city. I know how to get around Nairobi, which is not the case in New York. Still, I am learning little by little how to get around. I am naturally adventurous and curious, which has made aligning with how things work around here much easier. I am always ready to learn or experience something new. I am happy in New York, even with its many differences.

Carol Wambui, on the roof of her apartment building overlooking Brooklyn, NY.

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Meet our previous Arne Fjeldstad Scholars:

Gertrude Too-room, Spring '17

Uganda Christian University

Keta Bagashvili, Spring '18

Caucasus University, Georgia

Ruth Rose Akongo, Fall '18

Uganda Christian University

The McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute Welcomes the NYCJ class of Fall 2018!

NEW YORK – The Seventh class of the NYC Semester in Journalism (NYCJ) arrived in August from all over the United States and Uganda. The class of 14 students represent 11 different universities.

They will participate in the unique semester-long, off-campus study program operated by the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute at The King’s College in NYC. The students live in student housing at King’s, where they take three classes, including capstone courses with Prof. Terry Mattingly, a syndicated religion columnist, and Prof. Paul Glader, a former staff writer at The Wall Street Journal. Under the guidance of Prof. Clemente Lisi (former deputy head of news at the New York Daily News), they also work 20 hours per week in a newsroom in NYC, earning six academic credits under and pursuing at least one byline per week for their portfolios.

Here is a roster of the Fall 2018 class of NYCJ

Brianna Kudisch is a journalism major from Taylor Univeristy in Upland, Ind.. She will be interning at The Brooklyn Paper, a weekly broadsheet that covers news related exclusively to the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

Brooke Sargent is a Broadcast Journalism major from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif. She will be interning at Newsweek, on the video desk.

Cassidy Klein is a journalism and philosophy double major from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif. She will be interning at The Queens Ledger, a weekly community newspaper for Queens, NY.

Emma Miller is an English major from Messiah College in Grantham, PA. She will be interning at The Queens Courier, a local paper in Queens, NY.

Goldene Brown is a Multimedia Journalism major from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill. She will be interning at the New York Daily News.

Jenna Miller is a Journalism major from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif. She will be interning at The Story Exchange, a media organization telling stories of women entrepreneurs.

Josh Towner is a journalism major from Bethel University in Minneapolis Minn. He will be interning at The Queens Courier, a community paper in Queens, NY.

Julianna Hernandez is a Journalism and Integrated Media major at Biola University from La Mirada in Calif. She will be interning at the New York Daily News.

Kassidy Vavra is a Journalism, Culture and Society major from The King’s College. She will be interning at the New York Daily News.

Kennedy Weber is a Multimedia Journalism and Political Science major from Milligan College in Tenn.. She will be interning at Providence Magazine, a journal of Christianity and American foreign policy.

Marlee Drake is a Journalism major from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif. She will be interning at Newsweek, on the video desk.

Nathan Foster is a Dual major in Sports Journalism and Public Relations from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, Calif. He will be interning at Newsweek.

Princess Jones is a Multimedia Journalism major from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville Tenn.. She will be interning at the New York Amsterdam News, the oldest black newspaper in the country.

Ruth Rose Akongo is a journalism and media major from Uganda Christian University in Mukono, Uganda. She will be interning at Providence Magazine, a journal of Christianity and American foreign policy.