Society of Professional Journalists

Joy Hamer, President - @JoyHamer

Joy A. Hamer currently serves as the President of the Georgetown University Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Born and raised on Philadelphia's Main Line, Hamer has always had a passion for writing. While studying English and History, she continued to cultivate her skills during her matriculation through Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Having researched at universities on five of the seven continents, Hamer's ultimate career goal is to cover International Politics as a Foreign Correspondent.

Elizabeth Thomas, Vice President - @lizzkatherine_

Elizabeth Thomas is a New Orleans, Louisiana native and current Georgetown University graduate student of journalism. As a New Orleanian, she, of course loves crawfish and Mardi Gras. She decided not to travel far after high school graduation and attended Louisiana State University (LSU) where she received an undergraduate degree in political science. During her time at LSU, she worked for both the student newspaper and broadcast station, covering news that impacted students. After graduating, she moved to New York City to intern with Bauer Publishing. She plans on covering politics in her future journalism career.

Moment Palmer, Secretary/Events Coordinator - @oneMOEment

Moment Palmer is a recent transplant to Washington, D.C. attending graduate school at Georgetown where she's working on her Master's in Journalism. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations with a minor in Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and has written for The Charlotte Observer and Fortune 500 companies including Lowe's. As an up-and-coming journalist, she enjoys human interest stories and storytelling through written, audio, and video mediums. Moment considers herself an "NPR fanatic" and enjoys listening to a variety of different podcasts - her favorites are This American Life, Snap Judgement, and The Moth. She hopes to utilize her journalism skills to tell the stories of underserved populations, such as the homeless, the elderly, and the incarcerated.

Rawan Elbaba, Treasurer - @rawanelbaba

Rawan Elbaba is a digital storyteller in the Washington, D.C. Metro area. She is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Layali Webzine, a digital lifestyle magazine for millennial Muslim women. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Media Production and a double minor in Journalism and Graphic Design from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. As a graduate of Communication and Graphic Design, Rawan uses both written and visual content to tell the stories happening around her. Armed only with her trusty Canon Mark III, Rawan is also a portrait photographer. She is the Digital Media Associate at the Arab American Institute in Washington, D.C. and is currently pursuing a Master of Professional Studies in Journalism at Georgetown University.