CM Life staffers receive national Pulliam Fellowships
For the first time in the history of Central Michigan University's journalism department, two students were chosen to participate in the same Pulliam Journalism Fellowship summer program.
Beginning in May, Central Michigan Life Editor-In-Chief Jordyn Hermani and 2017 alumna Zahra Ahmad will become full-time newsroom members of The Indianapolis Star and Arizona Republic. These two newspapers offer real-world experience to 25 students from across the nation. Ten students are chosen for The Indianapolis Star and 15 are chosen for the Arizona Republic.
“Congratulations to Jordyn and Zahra — the Pulliam Fellowship recognizes their good work and great promise, and it’s an outstanding achievement for the students, the Department of Journalism and CM Life,” said Timothy Boudreau, chair of the journalism department.
Jordyn Hermani
Assignments for this fellowship include news, sports, feature and business reporting, according to Russ Pulliam, director of the Pulliam Journalism Fellowship. In addition, there are also fellowships for copy editing, photography, graphic design and digital/social media.
“Our objective is to provide a bridge from the classroom to the newsroom with practical experience and professional editing,” said Pulliam, columnist at The Indianapolis Star.
Throughout this 10-week program, interns not only gain professional journalism experience, they also participate in writing workshops, create work for publication and earn $650/week, while learning from some of the top minds in the field.
Hermani, 22, of Troy, Michigan, will work in Indianapolis. In May, she will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree, double majoring in political science and journalism. In the Spring 2017, she became the first CMU student to study abroad in Moscow, Russia. As editor-in-chief of CM Life, CMU’s award-winning student media company, Hermani lead the coverage of the March 2 Campbell Hall double homicide.
“Being chosen for the Pulliam Fellowship is an amazing opportunity that I’m honored to be a part of,” Hermani said. “Having the ability to take what I’ve learned at CMU and bring it to work with some of the best journalists in the industry is beyond humbling.”
Zahra Ahmad
Ahmad, 22, was born in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq Kurdistan. When she was three years old, she and her family moved to Lansing. In December 2017, Ahmad graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and a minor in biology. During her time at CM Life, Ahmad served as news editor and presentation editor. Currently, Ahmad is an intern at The Flint Journal and will work for Arizona Republic this summer.
“I’m honored to have been chosen as a Pulliam Fellow with the Arizona Republic,” Ahmad said. “My years spent in the CM-Life office has provided me with opportunities to excel at journalism. As I start this next chapter in my life, I won't be reluctant to call onto the skills I've honed early on in my collegiate journalism career.”
A few alumni of the Pulliam Journalism Fellowship include: Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Kristine Guerra of The Washington Post, Ben Smith of BuzzFeed, Jill Disis of CNN Money and Jacqui Banaszynski, who won a Pulitzer Prize while at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and later became Seattle Times editor.
The Pulliam Journalism Fellowship is for juniors, seniors or graduate students who attend school for journalism or a related degree program. The annual deadline to apply for this fellowship is Nov. 1 and applications can be found at: www.indystar.com/pjf .
