by Savanah Baker
Five students from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications were selected for The Omaha World-Herald’s Real World Fellowship program.
The students and their positions are: Aidan Connolly (data reporter), Becca Mann (reporter), Calla Cassler (photographer), Emmie McMinn (online reporter) and Marcella Mercer (reporter).
The students were selected based on interviews during the semester prior to their fellowship and are considered part-time staff members.
Preference is given to candidates with experience at another daily newspaper or the Daily Nebraskan, and the OW-H looks for aspiring journalists with solid news judgment, attention to detail, strong skills and enthusiasm for the profession.
The fellows work 20 hours per week, fitted around their class schedules. They perform all the duties that normally come with their jobs – for instance, taking photos and writing cutlines, for photographers; and going to crime scenes to tweet, report and write stories, for reporters.
The Real World Fellowship program helps identify and develop talent for The Omaha World-Herald.
STUDENT BIOS
Aidan Connolly is a junior journalism student from DeWitt, Iowa, and works as a data journalist fellow at the OW-H. In his time at the OW-H, he has collected and organized data from public organizations. Connolly also has created web applications for users to explore data sets. Examples include the 2017 Nebraska Legislature app and the 2016 Holiday Lights app.
Becca Mann is a senior journalism student with emphasis in sports communication from Papillion, Nebraska. She has spent the past two years covering sports for the Daily Nebraskan and has previously held internships at the Omaha World-Herald and Grand Island Independent. Mann will work on the metro-regional desk covering breaking news.
Calla Kessler is a junior photojournalism student from Omaha. She will be a photographer for the OW-H this spring, and hopes to contribute at least one photo story to the paper in addition to covering daily assignments in Lincoln. Kessler says she grew up reading the OW-H and is very excited to be a part of the team.
Emmie McMinn is a sophomore journalism and ADPR students with a minor in Spanish from Omaha. She will be working with the online team and reporting and posting to the OW-H social media accounts. At University of Nebraska–Lincoln, McMinn is involved with the Daily Nebraskan, CoJMC ambassadors and intramural sports.
Marcella Mercer is a junior journalism student from Nebraska City. She served as a reporting intern for the Norfolk Daily News in Norfolk, Nebraska, last summer and was an assistant news editor at The Daily Nebraskan in the fall. She will be working as a metro/regional desk reporter as a fellow at the OW-H this semester.
