Media Innovation Group Data Fellows
In Fall 2022, the Media Innovation Group started an initiative to connect students with data driven stories. Professor McDonald hired a group of Data Fellows to work on various projects that involve and utilize data from databases across the state. The Fellows' main focus has been building a searchable database of local campaign finances since 2020. Each fellow works in a different area of research from extracting and organizing data to presenting data in a podcast format. We are excited to see where the local campaign finances project takes our fellows, and we look forward to sharing our findings.
Karina Kumar - Data Fellows Editor
- Journalism Senior with Certificate in Elements of Computing
- Hometown: Austin, TX
I was previously a student technician for the Media Innovation Group, where I tested the best way to ask for public information from school districts and help organize the assignment for other students to also request public information. So far, I’ve learned a lot about how to interact with school districts and other groups when requesting public information. The process can sometimes be really easy when you ask in the right way and they want to help, but other times it can be really hard to get the documents you need, so learning how to do it properly has been super helpful. I’ve also learned a lot about different techniques of pulling data from PDFs such as Google PinPoint.
I’m really excited for other journalists to hopefully be able to use the documents we are compiling. This project has taken a lot of turns when it comes to the ultimate goal but one that has always remained is making the local campaign finance reports more accessible to other journalists so they can get to the data and find stories to write about.
Maria Probert Hermosillo
- Journalism and Economics Senior
- Hometown: Monterrey, MX
In the past, I have done work involving audience engagement and editorial, so I am excited to further develop my data skills as a data fellow. A fun fact about me is that I'm a fitness instructor at UT Recsports and I love to read.
Aislyn Gaddis
- Journalism Senior with Certificate in Elements of Computing and Certificate in Core Texts and Ideas
- Hometown: Grapevine, TX
I co-produce and edit the Data Dives podcast along with being a regular data fellow. So far, I’ve learned how to turn data stories into an easily digestible audio format, and I look forward to continuing to learn how to make data stories more accessible.
Olivia Dilley
- Journalism Senior with a minor in Law, Justice and Society
- Hometown: Flower Mound, TX
A fun fact about me is that I run an antique booth! In my free time, I enjoy writing, reading, photography, and exploring the city with my friends. I’m super excited to learn more about data and how to work with it!
Yasmin Garcia
- Journalism and Radio-Television-Film Senior
- Hometown: Rio Grande City, TX
Within the Media Innovation Group, I assisted in submitting public information requests for local campaign finance reports and manually entering data to help journalists discover potential stories based on our findings. This semester, I am eager to contribute to both team and individual projects, focusing on researching, cleaning, and analyzing data to develop impactful, data-driven stories for local and state audiences.
Ali Juell
- Journalism Senior with a Government minor
- Hometown: Granite Bay, CA
Sarah Brager
- Journalism senior
- Hometown: Buda, TX
Ella Barnes
Journalism Senior
Hometown: Houston, TX
This is my first semester as a Data Fellow, and I’m incredibly excited to be a part of this team. A little bit about me is that I enjoy photography, thrifting, and blasting Taylor Swift while driving my classic Mini. I can’t wait to learn more about data through this experience!
Johan Villatoro
- Journalism Senior with a minor in Sports Media
- Hometown: Katy, TX
I’m excited to start new projects and bring ideas to life from scratch. In my free time, I enjoy playing video games, watching sports, or trying out new cooking recipes. I’m passionate about creating and love the process of turning something small into something special.
Isabella Zeff
- Journalism senior with a minor in media studies
- Hometown: Coppell, TX
Pearson Neal
- Journalism senior with sports media minor
- Hometown: Kyle, TX