About the Fellowship
Each year, the LA Press Club pairs five talented journalists from communities historically excluded from the media with newsroom veterans to actively work on securing a valuable work opportunity. More than a mentoring relationship, this will be a direct partnership to figure out how to launch career dreams and take concrete steps together to get there.
Click here to read what some of our fellows had to say about the program!
Who Can Apply
This fellowship is open to any early-career journalist in Los Angeles looking to move to their next big opportunity. You might be a recent grad, in an entry-level position, or completing an internship at a media company. If you have been in journalism for less than five years, you should apply!
Application Timeline
* December 5, 2022 — Deadline
* January 23, 2023 — Fellows Announced
* February 5, 2023 — Fellowship Begins
* July 2023 — Fellowship Culminates
Ready to Apply?
This year, the Los Angeles Press Club fellows will also receive a $2,500 stipend! Apply today and don't miss out on this awesome opportunity. Got a question? Email info@lapressclub.org.
Meet Our Mentors
Catalina Villegas
Spectrum News 1
Catalina Villegas is an anchor and reporter for Spectrum News 1 in L.A. She anchors "Your Weekend," a one-hour news show Saturdays at 5 p.m. She has worked at local, national and international levels for stations ranging from CNN to CBS, NBC and Univision.
This veteran journalist is known for her passion and extensive experience in every area of the newsroom, from anchoring to producing and reporting.
Shana Nys Dambrot
L.A. Weekly
Shana Nys Dambrot is an art critic, curator and author based in downtown Los Angeles. She is the Arts Editor for L.A. Weekly, and a contributor to Flaunt, Art & Cake, and Artillery.
She studied art history at Vassar College, writes book and catalog essays, curates and juries exhibitions, is a dedicated Instagram photographer and the author of the experimental novella "Zen Psychosis."
Emily Elena Dugdale
KPCC/LAist
I joined KPCC/LAist in 2018 as our general assignment reporter, and a year later, I became our criminal justice and veterans reporter.
Currently, I am working on a one-year collaboration with the non-profit newsroom ProPublica on a series of investigative stories focusing on institutional racism in the Antelope Valley. Previously, I co-reported and produced the Offshore podcast from Honolulu Civil Beat.
Tonya Mosley
NPR
Tonya Mosley is an award-winning broadcast journalist with a career that spans two decades. She is currently the co-host of NPR's Here & Now, the award-winning podcast Truth Be Told and a regular contributor host for Fresh Air, NPR's signature long-form program.
In 2015, Tonya won an Emmy Award for her PBS series “Beyond Ferguson” and an Edward R. Murrow Award for her public radio series “Black In Seattle.”
Jim Rainey
Los Angeles Times
Jim Rainey has been a professional journalist for four decades, covering government, politics, media, the environment and the life and times of his 100-year-old swim teammates, among a host of other subjects.
He has spent most of his career at the L.A. Times but he's also worked for the San Ramon Valley Herald in Danville, CA., the South Bay Daily Breeze in Torrance, NBCNews.com, and Variety, the Hollywood industry rag.
Foot in the Door Fellowship Class of 2022
Danielle
Broadway
Danielle is a screenwriter, journalist and activist from Stockton, CA, who worked as an Entertainment and Arts intern for the Los Angeles Times in 2021.
She has a bachelor's and master's degree in English from Cal State Long Beach, with bylines in the L.A. Times, LA Weekly, Cosmopolitan, Black Girl Nerds, Allure, USA TODAY and more. She’s worked in education for over six years and was an intern for East Yard: Communities for Environmental Justice for four years in Long Beach.
While work as a freelance writer ranges from beauty to politics, she focuses on overlooked communities in the entertainment industry and advocates for social change. Danielle loves nerding out over Marvel, video games, anime, gardening, food, boba and books whenever she can. Past work.
Juliana
Clark
Juliana is a Latina reporter, audio producer, and native Angeleno.
As a storyteller, her primary goal is to inspire: inspire greater understanding, inspire an expansion in point of view, and most importantly, inspire real change. She is most drawn to stories that examine the challenges to achieving a state of equity within marginalized communities and highlight solutions.
Currently, Juliana is a news fellow at KNX 97.1 FM as part of Audacy's inaugural fellowship program. Previously, she produced multiple episodes for the second season of Girlboss Radio and supported digital engagement strategies at G/O Media.
Her work has appeared in various media outlets, including WHYY’s The Pulse, Prism, and LA Taco.
Lindsee
Diaz
Lindsee is a freelance journalist and Production Coordinator at PBS SoCal/KCET. She graduated from Occidental College in 2020 where she focused on documentary filmmaking and visual storytelling.
Previously, she worked on KCET's digital series, "SoCal Wanderer," highlighting female-owned businesses in L.A. She has worked with various media companies learning how to effectively communicate in a visual medium, all the way from researching in development to editing in post.
Lindsee is passionate about person-first narratives told through visual storytelling. Through journalism and documentary filmmaking, she hopes to bolster disenfranchised communities and provide an equitable platform for folks to lead their own narratives.
Jameela
Hammond
Jameela is an audio storyteller and grad student in USC’s Specialized Journalism program. Her focus is on telling the stories in BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.
She is the Co-Host and Contributor for From "Where We Are" on Annenberg Radio News. She is also the Host and Creator of the (audio/video) podcast, "JAMPACKED." Her background ranges from working as an Editorial Assistant at KNBC/NBC4 to doing the sports and weather updates on KSPC 88.7FM.
Jameela hopes to become an impactful vessel for her communities, namely Black and LGBTQ+ audiences. She believes it's incumbent upon her to represent and share their unheard stories. As a vessel, she wants to create meaningful content and tell life-altering stories.
Steven
Vargas
Steven is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he received a B.A. double major in theatre and journalism with a minor in dance and an M.A. in specialized journalism (the arts). Outside of USC, he was part of the second cohort of The Kennedy Center’s BIPOC Critics Lab led by Jose Solís.
He previously interned at USA Today, BuzzFeed News and ET Live. Currently, he is a College Journalism Network Fellow with CalMatters. While studying at USC, he co-founded the Equity Board with Annenberg Media as part of a Poynter College Media Project. The board’s mission is to provide oversight and insight to ensure journalists follow equitable reporting practices.
You can also find his writing in the L.A. Sentinel, Dance Magazine and The Wrap.
Foot in the Door Fellowship Class of 2021
Sarahi
Apaez
Sarahi is a bilingual freelance multimedia journalist passionate about covering culture, gentrification, identity, and gender issues.
Previously, Sarahi interned at the Long Beach Post as a reporter, photographer, and videographer covering arts and culture. Before that, Sarahi reported for and mentored young journalists at VoiceWaves, a youth media program in Long Beach.
Sarahi is a graduate of Humboldt State University where she reported on disenfranchised communities for the English and Spanish monthly student newspaper, El Leñador, and the student-run radio station.
Nancy
Guan
Nancy, 25, is a recent graduate of the M.S. journalism program at USC where she focused on writing and audio storytelling.
Her journalistic experience is varied and includes reporting on gentrification, art, food, culture and community news. Following her love of audio and public media, Nancy interned at KCRW last spring and worked for a hyperlocal publication, the Alhambra Source, upon graduating, where she reported on local elections, city measures and other issues.
She hopes she can continue to highlight minority communities and issues of inequity through local journalism.
Diego
Pineda
Diego Pineda Davila, 24, is a Guatemalan multimedia journalist from North Carolina currently living in Los Angeles. He graduated from Elon University in 2019 with a B.A. in journalism. At Elon, he produced and reported for the first-ever all-Spanish broadcast shows of Elon News Network and ETalk, as well as the first-ever bilingual edition of The Pendulum, the student-run newspaper.
He began his career at the New York Post and recently finished an entertainment apprenticeship at The Marketing Arm.
He hopes to become a voice for the Latinx/Hispanic community.
Priyanka
Suryaneni
Priyanka Suryaneni, 35, hails from an agricultural family in India. Observing her grandfather's work against classism in rural communities as a child instilled in her a desire to pursue documentary filmmaking.
After a decade-long career, to better her skills, she enrolled in the specialized journalism master's program at the University of Southern California, focusing on social justice reporting and documentary production. At USC, she also built data and investigative journalism skills to tell insightful and impactful stories.
Katherine
Tangalakis-Lippert
Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert is a freelance journalist living just outside the San Fernando Valley with her retired service dog, Liberty. After receiving her bachelor’s in communication from Cal Lutheran, she followed it up with a master’s degree in specialized journalism from the University of Southern California.
Katherine focuses on mental and physical health reporting, investigative techniques and criminal justice topics. She plans to continue her freelance career until she finds a staff writing opportunity that is best for her.
Foot in the Door Fellowship Class of 2020
Andrea
Gutierrez
Hawken
Miller
Shivani
Patel
Matthew
Rodriguez
Simrin
Singh
Foot in the Door Fellowship Class of 2019
Imani
Crenshaw
Imani, 25, is a 2017 graduate of Hampton University, where she earned a B.A. in Journalism with a concentration in theater. Imani has interned with KJLH radio, KABC and the Oxygen Network.
The Torrance native is pursuing a career in broadcast journalism.
Brett
Hernandez
Brett, 34, served in the U.S. Navy from 2003 to 2011. To reintegrate back into civilian life, he started taking journalism classes at Mount San Antonio College.
Brett freelances as a photographer and content creator, writing and directing advertisements. He also created a short documentary about Veteran’s Day.
Lillian
Kalish
Lillian, 24, is a freelance arts and culture journalist born and raised in L.A. working as an associate at the Bail Project, a criminal justice non-profit.
After graduating from Vassar College with a degree in political science and Chinese, Lillian moved to Yangon, Myanmar, and spent a year as a reporter for the Myanmar Times.
Tomás
Rodriguez
Tomás, 24, is a bilingual journalist with a passion for video and audio storytelling. He is the first in his family to graduate from college; he completed his studies at California State University, Northridge. There, he served as editor of El Nuevo Sol, a bilingual web site.
He is currently a sports intern at KABC and hopes to become a city beat reporter.
Kalaisha
Totty
Kalaisha, 22, is a recent graduate of California State University, Long Beach, where she received a degree in journalism. Kalaisha studied abroad at the Danish School of Media and Journalism, where she practiced multimedia reporting. She reported on fake news in Sweden, the European Union’s refugee relocation plan from Belgium, and victims of torture in Turkey.