Students and Alumni

Each year the institute produces seven to fifteen of the nation's top candidates for employment opportunities in the media.

Students accepted into the program work professionally each semester of their college careers and most carry a full academic load. Students get one-on-one mentoring. They receive job interview counseling and resume preparation training. They take part in seminars with area media professionals and develop a network of media contacts. They attend an annual retreat with alums of the institute who return to coach, educate and inspire the new scholars.

Upon acceptance, institute students are eligible to apply for journalism scholarships administered by Wayne State University and receive counseling in applying for external scholarships and internships. Students must major in journalism and may take elective coursework in almost any area of professional communication, including advertising, broadcasting, electronic and online media, graphic arts, newspapers, magazines, photography, public relations or radio/TV production.

"The institute is a great way to network before entering the real world."
J. Barber, producer of "How I'm Living" on BET

"The training, support and mentoring I received from the institute played a big role in my success"
Darrieth Chisolm Tarpley, owner of an Internet marketing and advertising company

ALUMNI OF THE JOURNALISM INSTITUTE FOR MEDIA DIVERSITY [as of August 2020]

Laurén Abdel-Razzaq - Digital Director, The Detroit News

Grace Aduroja - Senior VP & Chief Strategy Officer, The Walker Marchant Group [Wash. D.C.]

Louis Aguilar - Senior Reporter, Bridge Detroit at The Center for Michigan | Bridge Magazine

Lisa Allen - Executive Producer, Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren

Aaron Amos Producer, WXYZ TV7 (ABC)

Tony Augusty - Senior Media Consultant, JeffreyM [Seattle, Wash.]

Ruby Bailey - Executive Editor, Columbia Missourian at University of Missouri-Columbia

Angelique Soenarie Blair - Communications specialist, Arizona State University

Tim Carroll - Press Secretary, 2020 Democratic National Convention Committee

Mika Carter - Principal Consultant, Just Conversion Marketing, LLC.

Leah Boyd Cast - President, Cast Public Relations [Houston, Texas]

Nichole Christian - Independent Communications Strategist

Kayla Cockrel - Digital Producer, Detroit Free Press

Kenneth Cockrel - Founder & Principal, Ken Cockrel Jr. Consulting, LLC

Kimberly Cockrel, Independent PR and Communications Contractor

Mikki Bey Crawford President, National Sales Network [Philadelphia, Penn.]

Mae [Bashi] Daniels - Marketing Associate, Extra Credit Union

Howard Davy - Graphic Designer, MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Darrell Dawsey WSU Communications Director

Sonya Vann DeLoach - University of Michigan William Davidson Institute

Sharryn (Harvey) Dotson - Documents Specialist, American Airlines

Chris Ehrmann - Multimedia journalist, Spectrum News

Charles J. Ellis - Chair, Global Diversity Council on Diversity & Inclusion, Condé Nast

Rana Elmir - Deputy Director, ACLU of Michigan

Isaac Elster - Digital news editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Al Elvin Manager, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Ese Esan - Communications Associate, GoFundMe [San Diego, Calif.]

Jasmine Espy - Assistant (Physical Production) at APA Agency

Ilissa Gilmore Gate House Media/Gannett [Watertown, NY]

Megan [Krueger] Guttersohn - Communications Manager, Corlears School [New York, NY]

Wonetha Hall - Marketing Production Manager, Women's Care Florida [Tampa/St. Petersburg]

Marquis Herring - Special Writer, Detroit Free Press | WWJ

James Hill Sr. News Director, Detroit Free Press

Lanard Ingram Jr. - Senior Media Relations Manager, Current Global

Jamilah Jackson - Content Creator, City of Detroit | CEO/Founder at Jaxon PR & Events LLC

Aysha Jamali - Senior Comms Specialist, WSU Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights

Beatrice Katcher - Remote Project Engineer & Localization Manager [San Francisco, Calif.]

Cletus Lewis Jr. - Vice President, Public Relations at Detroit Pistons Basketball Company

DeAndre Lipscomb - Exec. Dir., Lake Trust Fdn. | Cmty. Impact Mgr. Lake Trust Credit Union

Shena (Penn) Mack - Senior Internal Auditor at Comerica Bank

Maisha Maurant - Human Resources Manager, Culture & Engagement, Beaumont Health

Latitia McCree - Senior Vice President Communications and Marketing at YMCA of Metro Detroit

Tenisha Mercer - President/CEO, Mercer Media Group

Maidstone Mulenga Communications Chief Officer; Dir. of Comm., UMC Council of Bishops

Kofi Myler - Executive Director, 20 Books, Inc.

Adorabelle Namigadde - Reporter & Anchor, 89.7 NPR/WOSU Public Media [Columbus, Ohio]

Darren Nichols Freelance journalist

Donyale Padgett, Ph.D. - WSU Associate Professor

Nicol Paige - Senior auditor at Ernst & Young

Jocelyn Parker - Director of Communications & PR, Minnesota Council of Health Plans

Juan Patino - Network 6 Program Associate, Detroit Public School Community District

Je'well Pearson - Senior Communications Strategist, DTE Energy

Sarah Rahal Breaking News Reporter, The Detroit News

Nargis Hakim Rahman - Freelance Writer

Aaron Hightower - Freelance Writer, Society for Human Resource Management

Jamila Robinson - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Natasha Robinson Navigator, Kalamazoo Public Schools

Gina Rozier - Director of Marketing and Communication, Downtown Durham Inc.

Kiran Saini Digital Producer, WXYZ

Debanina Seaton - Account Specialist, Rock Connections

Vidya Sekhar - Senior Security Service Engineer, Microsoft [Seattle, Wash.]

Akilah Seecharan Teacher, NYC Department of Education

Clifton Simmons II - Sr. UX Content Strategist, Allstate [Chicago, Ill.]

Monice Mitchell Simms Writer, director, producer at Apple Limited Ear Series

Kyla Smith - Freelance Reporter, Detroit Free Press

Jasti (Simmons) Smythe - Scrum master Elektrobit (Ford Motor Co)

Crystal Staffney - Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Teen HYPE

Mekeisha Madden Toby Writer, TV Guide [Los Angeles, Calif.]

Kim Trent Deputy Dir. of Prosperity, State of Mich. Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity

Bowdeya Tweh - Technology News Editor, The Wall Street Journal [New York, NY]

Alana Walker - Communications Specialist, Precise Home Health Care Services

Daniel Wallace, Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives Manager at General Motors

Carolyn Chin Watson, Director of Marketing, Methodist Children's Home Society

Ammi White - Strategic Consulting Lead, Strategic Business Consulting at Epsilon Marketing

Rasheda Kamaria Williams - Chief Empowering Officer, Empowered Flower Girl Company

Chrystal Wilson Sr. Exec. Dir. Comm. & Marketing, Detroit Public Schools Community District

Steven Wimberley Owner, Working With Wimberley

Hoda Salameh Winkler, Plan Associate, BeneSys, Inc.

Corri Wofford - Regional Director at United States Senate [Office of Gary Peters, D-Mich.]

Jordan Works - Engagement Marketing Lead, Automotive News