Hi Bloomington! I’m Aubrey Wright, your new higher education reporter and Report for America Corps Member.
I’m originally from Ohio, but I’m excited to live and work with Hoosiers for the first time!
In my new role, I’ll be covering everything from universities and technical colleges to workforce development in the state. Indiana is home to renowned colleges and massive community college systems that impact thousands of people — students, employees, parents, alumni — every day.
My role will focus on equity in higher education, so I’ll look into topics like declining college enrollment rates in the state, diversity on campus after the end of affirmative action and the impact of state politics on academia.
Read more: WFIU/WTIU News welcomes new Report for America corps member
Before WFIU/WTIU, I spent four years covering (The) Ohio State University with the college’s student paper, The Lantern. I worked my way up from a reporter to the paper’s Managing Editor, getting to cover issues I cared about: gender disparity, free speech, a murder case, the president’s sudden resignation. I graduated Magna Cum Laude in May with a degree in journalism.
I’m also a proud graduate of the Alumnae Scholarship Housing Program, an all-women program that provides housing scholars to students in need. I lived on campus as an “ASH girl” for three years. This program instilled in me a drive to achieve I never knew I had and a passion for making college more equitable. Without those scholarships and support from other ASH girls, I don’t know where I would be today.
Before coming to WFIU/WTIU, I also had a chance to serve as a full-time reporting fellow for The Columbus Dispatch. At the Dispatch, I cut my teeth on every beat with the Metro Desk — crime, business, education, health. I got to work in new initiatives like a mobile newsroom, which places journalists in overlooked areas of the city, and produced a long term multimedia enterprise project on gunfire into Columbus homes.
Read more: WFIU/WTIU News named Report for America newsroom partner
This year I applied to be part of (in my opinion) one of the most interesting developments in media, Report for America. Report for America is a nonprofit national program that places journalists in host newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Our goal is to support local news organizations like WFIU/WTIU and strengthen our communities.
I had no idea where I would end up when I applied, but I can’t believe how lucky I got! Bloomington has been so welcoming, and I can’t wait to dig into higher education and investigate stories Bloomington values. I’ll also be completing a service project to introduce students to journalism and improve media literacy.
You can follow my work at WFIU/WTIU. Find me on Twitter at @aubmwright or email me your tips at aubmwrig@iu.edu or just to say hello.
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @aubreymwright. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
