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ProPublica’s Emerging Reporters Program provides support and guidance to college students who are pursuing a career in the field of investigative reporting and need additional training and financial assistance to achieve their goals.
Participants receive a $9,000 stipend, a trip to the annual NICAR Investigative Reporting Conference, and occasional training and speaker presentations. They’ll also be paired one-on-one with a ProPublica journalist who can help advise them on stories, build connections within the industry, and introduce them to different paths toward a career in investigative reporting. Past budding reporters have worked at news organizations such as The New York Times, Associated Press, Fresno Land, Capital B, and Tributary.
Our goal is to encourage the next generation of journalists to produce stories with the moral power to shine a light on abuses of power and inspire change. When choosing classes, we look for students who have an early commitment to journalism as a career, whether through an internship, working for a local news organization, or working for a campus publication. And when those opportunities (often unpaid) are not available, we look for other ways for students to demonstrate their desire and desire to learn the craft.
The 2025-26 class of outstanding student journalists was selected from schools in California, Pennsylvania, Florida and Georgia. Throughout the application process, we were impressed by their commitment to local news, their desire to pursue immersive training opportunities in newsrooms across the country, and their dedication to a career in investigative reporting.
Introducing the Class of 2025.
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Annabelle Inc., a native of Oahu, Hawaii, is studying English at Pomona College in Claremont, California. Now in her fourth year, she works as the creative director of The Student Life, the campus newspaper, and editor-in-chief of Agave Review, the campus literary and arts magazine. She has extensively covered political activity at Claremont College, including student protests, arrests, and administrative actions. Annabel has also interned at Honolulu Magazine, Honolulu Civil Beat, and the Claremont Courier. She is interested in exploring the intersection of creative and journalistic writing, telling stories that challenge power structures and inspire human connection. After college, she hopes to work full-time in investigative reporting, using gender as a lens to report on topics such as criminal justice, climate change, and resistance movements.
Gabriel Velasquez Neira
Gabriel Velázquez Neira is a senior studying journalism at the University of Florida. He is passionate about audio and data journalism. In addition to her studies, Gabriel has worked as an intern at WUSF-FM in Tampa and as an associate editor at WUFT-FM in Gainesville. He has reported for WUFT on topics such as the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Hurricane Milton and state politics. Gabriel previously served as a general assignment reporting intern at the Daytona Beach News Journal and a news intern at NBC 6 in Miami.
Carly Rae
Carly Ray is a junior at Penn State University studying Digital and Print Journalism and English. She is editor-in-chief of the Daily Collegian, Penn State’s student-run news organization, where she helps lead a team of reporters and editors in covering campus news. She is also an intern for the Center Daily Times, focusing on covering stories throughout the Center County townships. Carly is working with student journalists on a year-long collaborative project investigating local public health. Earlier this year, she interned for six months in Brno, Czech Republic, reporting on religion and the expatriate experience for a local newsroom. She is passionate about local journalism and its role in uplifting and informing communities.
Lee Ann Anderson
Lee Ann Anderson is a senior journalism major specializing in data and investigative journalism at the University of Florida. She is motivated to tell narrative, in-depth research stories on a wide range of topics, from technology to business, while incorporating the voices of marginalized groups. Ms. Anderson participated in the 2025 Summer Carnegie Knight News 21 Fellowship at Arizona State University, and her reporting on federal immigration policy was published in the Associated Press and featured in 60 publications across the country. Anderson is an intern at The Hill in Washington, D.C., where she covers breaking news and follows corporate news. In college, he served on the boards of the student chapters of the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Press Photographers Association, and the Florida Magazine Student Association. Anderson is an ambassador for the University of California School of Journalism and Communication and serves on the Dean’s Student Advisory Council. She also participates in the Fresh Take Florida program at the University of Florida. The program is a university-based political and investigative news service that publishes student work across the state, as well as freelancers for Gainesville’s Main Street Daily News.
Safa Wahidi
Safa Wahidi is a senior at Emory University studying political science and creative writing. She was an opinion editor and columnist for the Emory Wheel, where her writing received national recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists. Off campus, Ms. Safa has worked for the Forsyth County News, CNN International, and the local newspaper, the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Her research interests include local government, political responsibility, and food access. Safa is particularly passionate about investigative reporting at the city level, and hopes her reporting can inspire readers to stay involved in their communities.
Cedeem Gumbs contributed to the research.
