We’re thrilled to have an amazing group of digital journalism enthusiasts leading 12 ONA Local student groups during the 2019-20 academic year. They will organize meetups, host industry experts as speakers and run training sessions to help their peers innovate.
These groups are part of ONA Local, our global network of volunteer-run meetup groups that provide local digital journalists a community to exchange best practices and ideas to improve their work. The campus-based groups are a great opportunity for students to learn together and share resources as they explore digital journalism, to connect with digital journalism professionals and to find collaborators for projects. Participation also offers students a chance to grow leadership and community-building experience.
New groups
Three new student groups are joining the network this academic year — we’re excited to see what they accomplish in the coming months.
California Polytechnic State University
Group advisor: Patrick Howe | Student leader: Aidan McGloin | Student leader: Francisco Martinez
Group advisor: Will Sutton | Student leader: Skye Ray | Student leader: Jillian Oddo
Group advisor: Tatiana Serafin | Student leader: Meg Masseron
Continuing groups
These groups are returning this year to keep developing their communities and connecting students to resources. Take a look at what they have planned.
Group advisor: Mark Hinojosa | Group president: Kaleigh Feldkamp
ONA @ Mizzou plans to hold workshops focused on teaching their members a new skill each month — including pitching, resume development and coding.
Group advisor: Hans Meyer | Student leader: Taylor Johnston
First up on ONA @ Ohio University’s list: a debrief of ONA19 in New Orleans, which student leader Taylor Johnston attended as part of the Student Newsroom and Innovation Lab. Other plans for the year include bringing in speakers and hosting a welcoming happy hour.
Group advisor: Casey Frechette | President: Jovannie Belot
ONA @ USF St. Petersburg plans to collaborate on a multimedia project focusing on a thrift store in St. Petersburg that not only sells clothes, but offers health care options for its customers.
Group advisor: Michael McKisson | Student leader: Tommie Lorene
ONA @ University of Arizona will prioritize member recruitment this year, and will also experiment with digital tools like drone videography and Amazon Alexa.
Group advisor: Robert Jonason | Student leader: Keely Brown
On the docket this year for ONA @ University of Cincinnati: workshops and networking events focused on careers in online journalism.
Group advisor: Amanda Bright | Group president: Ashlyn Webb
ONA @ University of Georgia will host Pulitzer Prize-winner Nick Chiles for a storytelling lecture and workshop. Students will They’re also planning a workshop for students to receive feedback on their work samples, a social media analytics tutorial and hope to help their members get professional headshots.
Group advisor: Daniel Lathrop | Student leader: Aadit Tambe
This year, ONA @ University of Iowa will bring in digital media speakers, offer a class on iPhoneography and host an event with digital directors from the presidential campaigns.
Group advisor: Wendy Whitt | Student Leader: Destiny Liddle
ONA @ University of South Florida will partner with their mass communications department to co-sponsor a career day early in the spring semester, host workshops on resumes and writing and tour local news outlets.
Group advisor: Alison Bass | Student leader: Haley Simon
ONA @ West Virginia University aims to develop workshops, bring in guest speakers and create a positive work environment for their members.
ONA Local groups are connecting through journalism and technology meetups all over the world. Find a group near you to explore upcoming events or learn how to start a new group. Looking to create a student group? We accept new ones each fall semester for the academic year — learn more.