Colorado Public Radio welcomed two recent graduates into yearlong positions as the organization kicks off the fourth year of the Max Wycisk Fellowships. The initiative helps develop the skills and expertise of the next generation of public radio professionals by offering recent college graduates paid opportunities to learn while working.
The new Max Wycisk Fellows, Joella Baumann and Hayley Sanchez, joined CPR in July and will be working one-on-one with reporters and producers to expand their journalistic skills in different areas of the newsroom.
Read more about Baumann and Sanchez below:
Joella Baumann
Self-described as “50-percent woman, 50 percent caffeine and a podcast junkie,” the Denver native has a passion for in-depth storytelling and a goal of honing her journalistic skills. Joella recently completed her degree in convergent journalism and digital media from Metropolitan State University, where she served in leadership roles in the student-run news site, Met Media. She also completed an internship at The Denver Post, contributed to the Denver Urban Spectrum and earned commendations for excellence in writing and reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists.
“My college degree gave me a mostly print-based journalistic experience, so this fellowship is a wonderful opportunity to break into the public radio field without having to go back to school,” said Baumann. “It’s just so surreal to be able to work and learn side-by-side with the brilliant people who I’ve been listening to on the radio for so many years!”
Hayley Sanchez
Having recently graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a degree in journalism, Sanchez comes to CPR with a strong background in digital media and a newfound interest in audio storytelling, which developed while she was producing a podcast for the Dow Jones News Fund digital media internship program. In her recent position as digital media producer at The Arizona Republic, Sanchez earned the “Best of USA Today Network in Digital Storytelling” award for her work producing the organization’s political podcast and managing its online news stories. She hopes to develop her skills and expertise in podcast production as a Max Wycisk fellow.
“CPR is leading the way for journalism in Colorado in many ways,” said Sanchez. “I am excited to learn more about audio storytelling, and to develop new broadcast skills that will be beneficial to my career as a journalist.”
The Max Wycisk Fellowships are made possible by the generous support of CPR members, including 65 donors who helped bring in $1.19 million in a recent campaign to sustain the growth of the initiative. Learn more at cpr.org.
