Hello out there! I'm Tim. Live in nearby Ypsilanti, Michigan, with my wife Sweta and our three unruly little boys. Grew up just 30 minutes down the road in Brighton. Went to college at Michigan State (the, ahem, rival school up the road in East Lansing; yes, there will be efforts at indoctrination). Lived in Washington DC for 12 years before moving back to the mitten in 2019. Love lazy days on the lake, Detroit sports, my family, and Jesus... not in that order :) We're looking forward to hosting a party (or two) at our waterfront property once everyone is settled in!

Hello everyone, I was born and raised in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and I'm a devoted supporter of my hometown soccer team Ajax. Since graduating from university, and thanks to journalism, I've lived in four countries across three continents. I'm married to my much better half Kitty, who is expecting a baby girl in October. We adopted a cat called Molly from the animal shelter last February. We love Molly dearly, and hope to take her to Ann Arbor.

I'm terrible at playing team sports (not because I'm not a team player, but just because my motor skills aren't great), but love swimming, skiing and tennis. I love to dance, if the mood and music is right. I'm a fan of dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels, movies and series. I enjoy them even more now that we're living in dystopia. The first thing I'll do in Ann Arbor is to buy a bike, followed by tons of baby stuff. My goals for the year are: learning parenting, learning how to cook (I know....) and getting deep into American football. (Go Blue!) I'm excited about the 2026 World Cup soccer in North America, and hope the Netherlands might finally win the golden trophy.

Above all else, I'm so excited to meet all of you and for the year ahead.

I’m Ismail (pronounced Ish-mail — or just Ish is fine too), a journalist and writer based in London. I live just south of the Thames in a neighbourhood I’ve called home for a long time, but I actually grew up on the other side of the river, in Camden, where I also went to secondary school.

I then studied politics and social sciences in Cambridge and London. Growing up in London, I experienced everything — from indie rock music and 90s R&B fashion to the mid-2000s nu-rave scene. I even ran a club night and helped organise a queer film festival in East London. At the same time, I was very involved in human rights activism. That eventually led me to a job in politics — working for an MP in East London — which was a very colourful experience.

In my mid-20s, I returned to Hargeisa, my city of birth in Somalia. I had lived there with my family until war forced us to flee, and we became refugees, ending up in a camp in Ethiopia before eventually moving to London. That was the first time I really confronted what had happened to us, and it marked the beginning of an ongoing journey for me.

That experience shifted my perspective, and over time, I moved toward journalism. I started at the BBC in London, working in radio, and then went freelance. I became deeply interested in migration and refugee issues, and the most defining moment in my journalism career came during the 2015 ‘migrant crisis' in Europe. I was reporting primarily from Italy, and since then, migration has been a core focus of my work.

I’ve travelled extensively for my journalism across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East — but one place that really stole my heart is Palermo, a city at the edge of Europe, replete with migration histories. I also have a strong connection to Nairobi. About five years ago, I moved there to explore East Africa more deeply. It was a fascinating chapter — I felt more connected, rooted. I moved back to London last year. But I had an itch — after more than a decade covering migration and refugee issues, I felt like it was time to reflect and rethink. That’s why this fellowship feels like it’s come at just the right moment.

In the journalism industry, we’re constantly moving from one investigation to another, from one breaking news story to the next. So I’m really looking forward to having this lovely opportunity to pause and think more intentionally about what comes next. I’m excited for this chance to grow — and to spend the year in Ann Arbor with all of you.

Hi everyone! I’m Heidi, and I’m coming to Ann Arbor from Seattle, Washington. My beat at The Seattle Times is “real estate,” which mostly means writing about our wildly expensive housing market and why so many people are struggling to afford rent or a mortgage payment. 

I got my start in alt-weeklies, those mouthy left-wing newspapers where hard-hitting journalism runs alongside sex-advice columns. As a writer for The Stranger in Seattle, I covered the 2016 Republican National Convention and Trump’s first inauguration and also briefly co-hosted a podcast about conspiracy theories — back when all of these things seemed like fringe aberrations and not the political mainstream. That job is also where, while covering local Seattle politics, I started writing about rising rents, evictions and homelessness. Housing affordability is the biggest crisis facing our extremely wealthy tech capital, and I knew I wanted to find a way to keep covering these issues. I’ve been at The Seattle Times since 2018, working my way through a few different beats before landing where I am now. 

I am also a proud union member and shop steward. As hedge fund vultures try to destroy journalism, I think unions are our best shot for fighting back. I’ll spare you my TED talk, but please come find me with your labor takes! 

Outside of work and union meetings, I am basically a walking Pacific Northwest cliche. I love hiking and camping in view of any of Washington state’s five major volcanoes, digging for clams on our rocky beaches and finding any excuse to take a ferry. Nobody wants too much time alone with their own thoughts in nature, though, so I’m also always on the lookout for art and theater shows, museums and restaurants — all of which I’m excited to explore in Ann Arbor and Detroit. I’m an enthusiastic home cook and baker. (My best recent bake was the tray of sourdough cardamom rolls pictured here.) My partner Rich won’t be joining me full-time in Ann Arbor, but will hopefully be able to make a few visits and get to know you all, too.

Excited to meet you! 

Hi, all! I’m Katelyn. I’m so excited to be part of this cohort. 

I currently live in Somerville, Massachusetts — Boston’s cooler, more bike-friendly neighbor and the birthplace of Marshmallow Fluff. I’m originally from Oregon, and when I’m not working, I spend as much time as possible outside, running, hiking, biking, grilling, and hanging near any body of water I can get to without a car. This spring I ran my second marathon and decided to challenge my deep fear of drowning in the ocean by learning how to surf. 

I spend the cooler months of the year near a pottery kiln throwing mugs and plates and then forcing them on my loved ones. I’ll be joined in Ann Arbor by my cat Emmy Lou Harris, known to her friends as Louie. 

I’ve spent the majority of my career working in public radio and podcasting with a focus on the human impact of climate change and politics, told through first-person and place-based narratives. I was laid off from my public radio job this spring, and have since been working as a freelance journalist covering coastal ecology, national policy, and culture. It's a shift that I've enjoyed far more than I could've expected. This is all to say, I’m at a bit of a professional crossroads. I don’t know what’s next for me, but I’m excited to figure it out alongside all of you.

Community is incredibly important to me, so I look forward to spending a year cooking for you, learning from you, and exploring all that Michigan and this fellowship have to offer!

Hi all, I'm Elizabeth; I also answer to Beth. I grew up in Michigan, left for college (Chicago, Boston, Paris, Geneva) and spent my entire career in NYC. Mostly I reported for newspapers on the media business, although my brief forays into covering the food business and teaching food journalism were the most fun (ask me anything about fraud in the vegetarian marshmallow world). Ended my full time career as NPR's public editor, which was a more manageable job before the deluge of listener questions and complaints began in 2016 and never stopped. But I still loved it. When my term ended in 2020 I moved back to Michigan, to Traverse City, where I've been pro bono co-leading a coalition that's working to bring news back to some up north news deserts and keep others from forming. I cook for fun, haunt farmer's markets for fruit to turn into jam, will be bringing my garden tomatoes to Ann Arbor to share (weather willing) and have always been active on issues surrounding access to healthy food for all, including serving on the board of NYC's largest food pantry. My partner John, a retired photojournalist, and I spend time at his cabin on the Au Sable river in Grayling, also up north, and can be found birding most weekends and vacations. 

I’m Jun. I work as a reporter at KBS, South Korea’s public broadcasting network. I’ve been working as a journalist for 13 years. This is my first time living abroad for an extended period, and I’m both excited and nervous. I plan to stay active in Ann Arbor by doing various sports every day. I enjoy tennis and running. I also love watching and playing basketball, baseball, and soccer. (I’m a Manchester City fan.) Since tennis, running, catch, and basketball can all be done with a small group, it would be great if any fellow Fellows in Ann Arbor would like to join me!

Hey everyone! I can't wait to get to Ann Arbor to meet you all in real life. I'm sure it's going to be a great year ahead :)

I'm coming to Michigan from New York City where I've been living for the last 3+ years, and where I also mostly grew up as a kid. But that's the short version of where I grew up, and since you're going to be getting to know me well, you may as well hear the long version...

I was born in Melbourne, Australia, where we lived until I was 7. Then we moved to Thailand for three years. We then moved to New York when I was 10, where I did both Middle and High School. But the globetrotting continued after that, both for my family and I. I was in Boston for college, during which time my parents moved to Malaysia. During college I studied abroad in Egypt (pre-Arab spring) and after graduation I moved to Singapore to work for a startup news magazine that never quite took off for about a year before moving to DC where I first worked for Al Jazeera. During that time my parents moved to Turkey, during which time I moved to India, first to work for the Hindustan Times, then to go freelance (freelance was a much better experience, and where I think I did some of my best and exciting work). 

Living in India as someone who grew up going there my whole life but had never actually lived there was a journey I'd love to share with you all. Anyway....while I was in India, my parents moved to Vietnam, where I also spent a good amount of time during a burn out induced break, before stints back with Al Jazeera in Malaysia, DC and remotely back in New York after many years away. These days my parents are retired back in India, after 40 years of globetrotting, and my sister is in Maine.

So that's my life story in two hefty paragraphs. But there's a lot more between the lines that I hope you'll get to know. I've already announced my love for karaoke, but I also enjoy theater, dancing and live music. I perhaps weirdly enjoy long walks in the rain. 

No surprises given my study topic that sports are a big part of my life - from tennis to Aussie Rules Football to football (the real one i.e. "soccer"), cricket, baseball, basketball....I follow a lot of sports. Tennis is the main one I play, though with recent back problems, swimming has recently become my most common form of exercise.

Finally travel is also a big part of my life, and I can't wait for those Northern Michigan and South Africa trips with you all. My recent trip back to Australia after almost 20 years with my parents was a real delight, and featured in some of the photos I've attached.

Can't wait to read all of your bios and meet you all soon!

I’m Rosem, a freelance documentary photographer based in Baltimore. Originally from the Philippines, I moved to the U.S. after high school. I started my career as a nurse, working in major trauma centers in the operating room throughout the COVID-19 pandemic for over 10 years. But halfway through, I felt burned out and turned to photography, my creative outlet during stressful times.

As life would have it, I experienced other personal challenges (more on that later), and photography became my way to process it all. This journey unexpectedly launched my freelance career, and I’ve since been freelancing and producing grant-funded projects both nationally and internationally ever since. I have written and photographed stories for places like NPR, The Washington Post, and National Geographic. I like to think of my stories as quiet yet intimate explorations of large issues, offering additional context. These include the complexities of civilian life amidst geopolitical conflict, survivor-led narratives of healing and recovery from gender-based violence, and the forgotten histories that shape Filipino culture and migration.

In addition to my nursing and journalism careers during the pandemic, I also started offering safety sessions to help journalists during those uncertain times. This led to a fellowship with the International Women’s Media Foundation, and I now work as a safety trainer and consultant for journalists.

I’ve never had a traditional university experience. I finished my associate's in nursing, jumped straight into work, and completed the rest of my education online. This fast-paced transition led to my workaholic tendencies, but I’m now excited to take a step back, build community, nurture self-care practices, and have some creative pursuits like finishing The Artist’s Way. This book guides you through a 12-week program to help move out of creative blocks. Doechii is a recent example of someone who used this book. If anyone wants to join me in this, let me know!

I’m preparing to move to Michigan with my partner, Mark, and our two Shiba Inus, Peach and Pickles. When I’m not working, you’ll find me on nature walks, enjoying the outdoors, baking bread (which I end up giving away), and cuddling my pups while reading a good book.

I'm Brittany, the culture & arts reporter for Signal Akron in Northeast Ohio. I'm a lifelong Ohioan, which is something my 16-year-old self would find incomprehensible. I've wanted to be a journalist since seeing "Almost Famous" in high school, and I will take any opportunity I can to talk about my two stints at journalism camp. (I was a very cool teenager.) When I'm not writing or thinking about writing, I enjoy reading, cooking, going to concerts, rollerskating, hiking, crafting and practicing yoga. I never pass up a bookshop or an antique store, and I never say no to dessert. I'm very close with my family, and am a proud aunt to Aveline (9), Maverick (4) and Juliette (2).

I grew up in Chicago as the proud, first-born daughter of Mexican immigrants. I love my community and most of what I do is because I want to see my family, my neighbors, our future children and other living creatures have a chance at a kinder, healthier world. I love to grow native plants and watch all the bugs and birds that turn out to visit. I enjoy curating books for the free library my partner and I host in our front yard and I feel so full whenever I see kids using it. I find a lot of joy in making my lattes in the morning, hiking, reading liberation fiction by Black and brown authors, spending time with all my animal siblings (my parents have 5 rescued animals including a cockatoo) and participating in mutual-aid efforts with my neighbors. I'm not a good cook but I like cooking meals together with others and watching reruns of the same five shows including The Office. 

COVID took many of my loved ones and significantly changed my life. The pandemic happened not long after I launched a bilingual, independent newsroom--affirming, to me, the importance of community-led media and cementing my abolitionist values. I recently converted to Islam and am growing in my relationship to God. I am very much motivated by the legacy I will leave behind and doing what I can in my brief life to move us towards justice.  

I’m a native Michigander who fled my suburban Detroit childhood as soon as I had a high school diploma in hand. While I never attended UMich, the Knight-Wallace Fellowship feels like a homecoming. I have Wolverine blood running through my veins: my uncle was a starter on the 1977 football team, my mother serves on the LS&A Dean’s Advisory Council and there are no fewer than six University of Michigan degrees in my extended family. I can’t escape the maize and blue!

As a kid, I was pretty nerdy — a classical violinist who did algebra problems for fun — until journalism saved me. On a whim, I signed up for a “Newspaper” class in high school to pad my AP-heavy junior-year schedule. I was lovestruck! Journalism tapped into my passion for humanity and culture and awakened a deep fascination with how societies operate and evolve. This has also given me an insatiable travel bug. Over the past year, I’ve been living the AirBnb life with my now 4-year-old daughter, splitting our time between Ghana, Mexico and Turks & Caicos.

While I find nothing more fun than getting on a plane, I’m also a big fan of watching any onstage display of artistic talent — theater, stand-up comedy, symphonies, ballet, musicals, etc. (My intense performance anxiety keeps me firmly seated in the audience, but my daughter has never seen a stage she doesn't belong on!) I’m also always down for any kind of game: board, video or card. Scrabble, SimCity, Spades? I’m in!

Looking forward to having a fun and enriching year with all of you! 

My name is Jędrzej. Yes, my name is strange (even some Poles think it doesn't exist) and impossible to pronounce. Sorry, blame my parents for that!

I am one of the few people I know who are lucky enough to do what they love in life. 

I am one of the few people my age who, despite the ongoing crisis in journalism, has the privilege of working full-time in a position that suits them and doing what they are really interested in.   

I am one of the ultra-rare people with ADHD who, instead of quitting or being fired every three months, have spent half their life and their entire professional career at one company, have never had a job interview, and wrote their first resume when applying for this fellowship. 

What do I love besides my work (from which I will now take a little break — and I love that idea!)? Cycling, which I have been doing every day for 20 years, including in winter. I love the mountains and hiking in them. Including in winter. I love ashtanga yoga. I love film, and I'm just starting my adventure with screenwriting. I love music and I don't know why I didn't become a musician or a DJ (nothing is lost yet, right?). 

And I love my recently-wed wife Ania, and I'm very happy that she will be spending this time with me and with you in Ann Arbor.   

And I have a feeling that the list of things and people I love will grow significantly during this fellowship.

Coucou :)) I'm Sarah and I am trying to stay soft in a hard world.

I love mystery and look forward to getting to know you all slowly, in real life.

Hi everyone :) I’m Nina. I was born and raised in Mairiporã—a small town on the outskirts of São Paulo where cows outnumber journalists (still true, by the way). I started working as a journalist way too early  because I wanted to change the world...(blame youthful optimism). At 19, I was already reporting for one of Brazil’s biggest news publishers. But the real turning point came when I started volunteering, teaching journalism to kids in a favela across town. That’s where I learned what it meant to not see yourself in the media, and how powerful it is to flip that script. So I built a project that became one of Brazil’s first civic media initiatives. That was 15 years ago. Since then, I’ve been stubbornly and joyfully fighting for equity in how stories are told and who gets to tell them.

Meanwhile, I’ve also been raising Mia, my amazing 10-year-old daughter, who keeps me grounded, curious, and very aware of Gen Alpha slang. She’s coming along for this adventure too. I also have a partner (Pedro) and a four year old son in law (Vicente) that won't be coming with us, but might make visits along the way! Really excited to get to know all of you!