Category: Junior Faculty Advisor

Courtney Boone

Junior Faculty Advisor

Courtney is a rising senior at George Mason University studying forensic psychology with a dual-minor in journalism and criminology. She is a sister of Gamma Phi Beta and writes for their international leadership magazine. She is also senior editor for Her Campus George Mason. Courtney plans to attend law school after graduation to study either libel and defamation law or sports law.

Connect with Courtney on the WSP Forums ›

Chelsey Shirley

Junior Faculty Advisor

Chelsey is elated to be returning for a fourth year at WJMC. She is a senior (hallelujah) at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, where she will be graduating with her Bachelors in Journalism from the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication in December 2017. When Chelsey isn’t calling her beloved Dawgs in Sanford Stadium, she can be found on pretty much every corner of campus. Currently, she is a reporter and anchor for Grady NewSource, the live, student-run newscast for Northeast Georgia. After graduation later this year, she hopes to find a job as a Multimedia Journalist/Reporter at a small market television station where she will be able to put her current emphasis of study to use. WJMC captured her heart when she attended as a high school senior in 2013 and loves the magic of seeing kids excel at WJMC every summer.

Kailey Beth Smith

Junior Faculty Advisor

Kailey Beth Smith is a sophomore at Auburn University studying Journalism and Political Science, and pursuing a minor in Philosophy and Religion. Smith is the Community Reporter for the Auburn Plainsman, the most highly decorated student newspaper in the United States. Smith attended the 2015 Washington Journalism and Media Conference as a National Youth Correspondent from Mobile, Alabama. Her time at the conference changed her perspective on news and modern culture, and ignited a passion within her to pursue storytelling as a career. Smith covers weekly local events, and regularly covers city council meetings. She covered the controversial Richard Spencer visit to Auburn University last spring, and she produced pieces on racism in the south and within the school system.
She was featured by Alabama Media Group for an opinion piece on the Mobile Azalea Trail Maids in December of 2015. She is an active member of the Auburn Wesley Foundation, a United Methodist student ministry, where she leads bible study and serves on the Prayer and Devotional Life committee. She enjoys reading, writing, hand-lettering, and photography. She is a firm defender of the Oxford comma, and maintains a special talent for consuming a magnificent amount of espresso throughout her day.

Madison Gaines

Junior Faculty Advisor

Madison Gaines is a Creative Writing major and a Math minor in George Mason University’s Class of 2021. She attended WJMC as a correspondent in 2016, returned to WJMC in 2017 as an Intern, and is looking forward to attending WJMC as a JFA this year! Currently, Madi is a Mason Ambassador, a member of Mason’s Honors College Recruitment Team and the GMU Green Machine, and plays intramural soccer. As an Ambassador and an HCRT member, Madison spends a lot of time interacting with prospective students and giving tours of campus. After college, her goal is to become an author and an editor in a book publishing company, and then use her vast riches to turn an old hotel into a public library. Madi loves puns, mozzarella sticks, and spreadsheets, in that order.

Olivia Vermane

Junior Faculty Advisor

Olivia is beyond excited to return to her third year of WJMC, this time as a JFA! Coming from Long Island, New York, Liv is a Communication major with a concentration in journalism and a minor in religious studies right here at GMU. Aside from her work with the conference, Olivia is also part of the IV Estate student newspaper at GMU, as well as Cru Christian Fellowship on campus. She also works in the Office of Admissions as a Telecounselor and a member of the Welcome Team. Liv was one of five selected interns at last years conference, and her involvement with the program is one of the main reasons she chose to attend Mason. Liv cannot wait to share all that WJMC has to offer with her correspondents!