Tag: 2022

Hope Beelman

HOPE BEELMAN

Junior Faculty Advisor

Hope Beelman will be transferring to a four-year university in the fall to study journalism after earning her Associate of Arts at Illinois Valley Community College in early May 2022. She attended WJMC in 2019 with like-minded individuals and shared her experience at the conference with future correspondents as a Youth Advisory Board member. On campus, Hope has created content for the admissions office social media team and her college’s award-winning student newspaper, IV Leader, as a staff writer and editor-in-chief. Additionally, she works on campus as a student worker in the financial aid office and recently began working as a Marketing Intern at Camp Aramoni. Hope is thrilled to return to WJMC as a JFA this summer.

Averi Fischer

AVERI FISCHER

Advance Team Member

Averi is an Admission Counselor in the Office of Admissions at George Mason University. She received her Bachelor’s in Communication at Texas A&M University, and is now pursing her Masters in Religious Studies at GMU. She is so excited for the opportunity to meet new people and experience new things at WJMC this summer. Averi loves sweet tea, fiction books, church, and playing board games.

Aly Blair

ALY BLAIR

Junior Faculty Advisor

Aly Blair attended WJMC in 2017 which set her on the path to finding her voice as a practitioner of communication and telling stories of those she meets. After graduating high school in 2019, she enrolled at Le Moyne College where she is in her third year working towards a B.A. in Communications and a double minor in Legal Studies and Psychology. Aly serves many roles on her campus, including campus tour guide, LCTV Work-Study, and a Staff Writer for The Dolphin, the campus newspaper. She has completed numerous internships across all mediums of the field and is a former college swimmer. Aly is excited to pay it forward bY serving as a JFA for WJMC 2022.

Mariah Baldwin

MARIAH BALDWIN

Faculty Advisor

Mariah is an educator of 9 years with experience in both public and higher education. She is a former CNN journalist in the newsgathering & live distribution department, and is currently the lead Journalism and media teacher at Elite Scholars Academy in Jonesboro, Georgia. She teaches communications at the middle school level, and teaches Journalism I, II, and III for 9th-12th grade students. She holds a B.S. in communications and media, M.B.A., Georgia Educator certification and Cambridge International certification. She also serves as yearbook advisor, picture day coordinator, and school news lead. She has received awards from her school district and is actively engaged in her local community service programs. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, nature, cooking, and spending time with her family!

MARIAH BALDWIN

Faculty Advisor

Trina A. Kraus-Schaarschmidt

TRINA A. KRAUS

Faculty Advisor

Trina A. Kraus, M.Ed. is a veteran English teacher, journalism teacher, award-winning author and adjunct professor in the Philadelphia area. Her co-authored book, Explosions of Joy: A Memoir of the Grief Counselor for Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, is highly acclaimed and most notably received a bronze medal from Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Awards and was selected as a finalist for the 2018 International Book Awards. She is also the advisor for the student newspaper at the high school where she currently teaches and her writers boast placing in the 2020 Keystone Press Awards in the Editorial category and Video Story category. Mrs. Kraus has a B.A. in English and a Master’s in education. She is pursuing a second Master’s in English from Slippery Rock University and has recently started a private Writing Coach program to provide editing services or tutoring for both aspiring and reluctant writers from middle school through adult age. In 2022 her services proudly played a role in raising almost $150K for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Olga Diupina

OLGA DIUPINA

Advance Team Member

Olga is a George Mason University alumna. She graduated with a degree in Government and International Politics. Olga currently works in the Office of Admissions as the Honors College Admissions Counselor. She loves working with prospective students to help them see fit in Mason, and working with current Mason students who are part of the Honors College Recruitment Team. Olga loves going on road trips, spending time with her cat, and trying new restaurants in DC.

Laura Super

LAURA SUPER

Advance Team Member

Laura Super is an Events Coordinator in the Office of Admissions at George Mason University. She started with the Office of Admissions in September of 2021 and previously worked as an Advance Team member for the Washington Scholars Programs in the summer of 2017. She received her B.S. in Human Development from Virginia Tech in 2018. In her free time Laura enjoys traveling, trying new food and spending lots of quality time with friends and family.

Karlee Zolman

KARLEE ZOLMAN

Junior Faculty Advisor

Since attending WJMC in 2018 and being a part of the Youth Advisory Board, Karlee truly found a love for storytelling. As a rising Junior, she is pursuing a major in journalism with a minor in justice at American University. Karlee is extremely excited to share her passion for journalism and love for WJMC with this year’s correspondents in hopes of helping them find their passion. She is involved on campus through multiple organizations but focuses most of her time on her position as a feature writer for Her Campus, a women-run news magazine. Her career goals are to tell the stories of those whose voices wouldn’t otherwise be heard.

Nick Deluca

NICK DELUCA

Junior Faculty Advisor

Nick DeLuca is a rising senior at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism with minors in Digital Media Trends and Analytics and Music Performance. Originally from Pittsburgh, this is his second year serving as a JFA, and he is ecstatic to return to the conference. Nick is currently serving as a Writer/Journalist Intern with The Borgen Project, a nonprofit organization that raises worldwide awareness of poverty and famine. He has also worked as a field reporter with Penn State Network News, and as a Teaching Assistant within the Bellisario College of Communications. Outside of the classroom, Nick is a trumpet player in the Penn State Blue Band and Symphonic Wind Ensemble, an Eagle Scout, and the Head Lifeguard/Assistant Manager of a private swim club in South Pittsburgh. He is looking forward to working with the correspondents and passing off his knowledge to them!

Manuela Bushamani

MANUELA BUSHAMANI

Junior Faculty Advisor

Manuela Bushamani is a rising fourth year student at the University of Virginia who is a double major in Art History and Drama. She attended the Washington Journalism and Media Conference in the summer of 2019 as a rising junior in high school. As she was figuring out what she wanted to do with her passion for writing, she had an amazing learning experience that introduced her to the world of journalism. As a JFA in the summer of 2022, she loved the experience of working with students, so she is excited to return to help this year’s correspondents discover a passion and new learning experience that she experienced as a correspondent.