Category: Staff

Kobe Mosley

KOBE MOSLEY

Junior Faculty Advisor

Kobe Mosley is a rising senior at Butler University, studying sports media, journalism, and strategic communications. Mosley was a national youth correspondent in 2018, an intern in 2019, and is so excited to return this summer as a JFA! Mosley is a huge fan of the NBA and WNBA and hopes to be a multimedia sports journalist after college.

Allison Alberty

ALLISON ALBERTY

Advance Team Member

Allison Alberty is the Assistant Director of Outreach Events and Programs in the Office of Admissions at George Mason University. A proud (almost) double Patriot, she is both a George Mason and Washington Journalism and Media Conference (WJMC) alumna. Allison earned her BA in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations in Spring 2023 and is currently pursuing her MA in Strategic Communication. Outside of work and graduate school, you’ll find her at rock concerts, on a yoga mat, nurturing her growing plant collection, or finding the best new brunch spots in town.

Kamran Waterman

Student Support

Kamran Waterman recently graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Biochemistry. While at Tech, he was as a three-year member of the Marching Virginians and the Drumline Section Leader during his senior year. He was also a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, where he served as the assistant philanthropy chair and a pledge class president. Kamran lives in South Riding, VA and graduated from Freedom High School in Loudoun County. In his free time, Kamran enjoys writing and performing music along with keeping up with his favorite sports teams. He is looking forward to being a team member of the Advance Team.

Sydney Kirwan

SYDNEY KIRWAN

Coordinator, K-12 Partnerships

Sydney is the K12 Coordinator in the Office of Admissions at George Mason University. In her role, she offers group tours of the university and college information sessions to elementary and middle school students to promote college-going opportunities. She also works closely with other K-12 Partnerships and the Washington Scholars Program. Being a part of the WSP staff is always a highlight of her year and she has been involved with the programs since joining the Advance Team in 2018. Sydney earned a B.S.Ed. in Youth and Social Innovation with a double major in Spanish from the University of Virginia and is currently pursuing a Masters in Counseling at George Mason University.

Maddie Stroud

Advance Team

Maddie is a recent graduate of George Mason University. She has her Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Science with a concentration in Early Childhood Development and Services, as well as a minor in Communication. She currently works as a Mental Health Associate at Rivermont School, an alternative school in Northern Virginia, for middle school students with emotional disabilities. Maddie has been a part of the Washington Scholars Program family for four years now, serving as an intern during the school year, a Junior Faculty Advisory at WYSE, and Travel Coordinator for the Advance Team. She has previously served as a volunteer leader with Young Life and works in her church’s nursery every week. Maddie loves working with students of all ages and is extremely excited to meet the correspondents and delegates who will attend the conferences this summer!

Christopher Mauthe

CHRIS MAUTHE

Faculty Advisor

As an educator for 10 years, Chris has enjoyed working with both students and adults as a classroom teacher and instructional coach. Currently, he teaches Sociology, and US/VA Government at Yorktown High School in Arlington, VA. Prior to his placement there, he worked for two years in the North Clackamas School District outside Portland, OR as an instruction and equity coach for K-12 Health and Social Studies teachers around teaching for social justice across the content. In the spring of 2017, Chris was invited by the Ugandan Ministry of Education to travel to Uganda where he presented workshops on leadership in the field of education as part of the team that organized and presented “Teachers Transform the Nation” in Kampala. He started his career as a middle school Social Studies teacher at Swanson Middle School in Arlington, VA. Chris received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from James Madison University. When he’s not traveling, Chris spends his spare time seeing live music at all the amazing venues and cheering on the Washington Nationals. Chris is thrilled to be joining the WJMC family and can’t wait to work with everyone!

Isabelle Robles

Junior Faculty Advisor

Isabelle Robles is a current freshman at the University of Missouri-Columbia studying Strategic Communication in Journalism and Anthropology, hoping to pursue a career in digital communications. At the University she stays busy as a tour guide, a member of the Mizzou Student Suicide Prevention Coalition and is involved in the philanthropy and scholarship aspects of her sorority. She attended the Washington Journalism and Media Conference as a National Youth Correspondent from Iowa City, Iowa and returned to intern for the conference the following year. She credits her decision to confidently enter journalism school to the knowledge and connections she gained at WJMC.

In high school, Isabelle got the opportunity to travel across the nation for journalistic purposes and was named Iowa’s High School Journalist of the Year and one of six national runners-up. She has experience in news and feature writing, broadcasting, multimedia storytelling, social media and website production and has received state, national and international awards for her work, including the 2017 National Multimedia Story of the Year. Isabelle can be found scoping out the best local ice cream places and talking way too much about her dog.

Taylor Clarke

Junior Faculty Advisor

A Long Island native, Taylor is a junior at Hofstra University, majoring in journalism with a minor in American studies. On campus, Taylor is an active member of the Peer Alliance Program, the Honors College and she serves as the Assistant News Editor for the school’s newspaper, The Hofstra Chronicle. Taylor is thrilled to be back in D.C. as part of the Washington Journalism and Media Conference. She attended the conference in 2013 and her experiences inspired her to pursue a degree in journalism.

Mark Hilburn

MARK HILBURN

Faculty Advisor

Mark Hilburn has taught journalism for 15 years at Millard West High School in Omaha, Nebraska, where he advises the MWHS Wildcat News Broadcast, Catalyst Newspaper, Prowler Yearbook, Uproar Radio and Wildcat Sports Network live-streaming. Mark is also an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha where he teaches Media Writing and Public Speaking Fundamentals while working on his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. Mark is the past President of the Nebraska High School Press Association, presents and judges at national JEA/NSPA and CSPA conventions and teaches journalism workshops across the country. He is a Master Journalism Educator, Mentor and serves on the Certification Committee through the Journalism Education Association. He holds Master’s degrees in Journalism and Mass Communication and Secondary Education: Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nebraska. His publications have been Pacemaker, Gold Crown and All-American award winners, received 1st place in the NSPA Best of Show competition, won State Journalism Championships in 2017 and 2014 and State Runner-Up in 2018, 2016 and 2013. Mark advised the 2024, 2022, 2019 and 2018 Nebraska Journalists of the Year, received the Program of the Year/Excellence in Broadcasting Award from the University of Nebraska Omaha the past six years, and was the first school in country selected to patriciate in the High School Radio Project. In 2023, the Millard West was the first school inducted into the Nebraska High School Press Association’s Cornhusker Hall of Fame. Mark was named the 2015 Nebraska Distinguished Journalism Teacher of the Year, in 2019 was the first adviser to receive the Dr. Sherrie Wilson Outstanding Service Award for Journalism, and in 2020, received the Future Administrator Award and Scholarship from the Journalism Education Association. This is his seventh year with WJMC.

Taj Kokayi

Conference Intern

Taj Kokayi is a filmmaker and photographer. Next year he plans to be a film major and continue to pursue his love of visual storytelling. Currently, Taj serves as a videographer, editor, and floor director for his high school broadcast program, and he is also a sports videographer for his school’s champion lady volleyball and basketball teams. He is also a camera operator at Freedom Church, and he does nature photography and graphic design. Taj runs a news and media page on Instagram (@kingofmetahumans) that centers around science fiction and comic books and has reached over 75,000 followers. He attended the second session of WJMC last year, and it was without a doubt the best week of my life. He is beyond excited to return as an intern!