Katie Fernandez

Coming out of her bachelor's in history with an education minor, Katie Fernandez, M.A. '17, last had hands-on experience with a yearbook back when she was in high school herself. "In 2009, I started teaching at Phoenix Military Academy in the Chicago Public School system, and they didn't have a yearbook or a newspaper," she recalls.

In the process of building those programs, Katie realized something. "I had taken some professional development courses that helped, but I knew I needed more. I needed a much stronger background in journalism. And that's what I got at Kent State."

Katie also found more than just coursework at Kent State. She also found community. "Many of my professors were current high school teachers. They really understood what was going on in the classroom. You could trust what they were saying. And the same with the other teachers in the class. We were all in the trenches together. We supported each other and we're still supporting each other. The community of journalism teachers is so strong."

Now Katie works as the Senior Program Coordinator for Teach for Chicago Journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her role includes helping schools restart or start new journalism and yearbook programs. "One of the things I took from Kent was the importance of scholastic journalism," she says. "What a great difference it makes in the lives of the students. They learn foundational skills that transfer to so many other things. And these are the foundational skills we need for a good democracy and a strong country."

And she continues to grow the scholastic journalism community. "Someone I mentored is at Kent right now because she wanted to grow her program, and I encouraged her to apply. She knew her program wouldn't grow unless she grew her skill set. And one of the great things about the Kent program is it gives teachers the confidence to do it. 

"Because you can."

To learn more about our Master of Arts in Journalism Education, visit https://www.kent.edu/mdj/journalism-education-ma