Cascadia Daily News welcomes two new staffers to bolster our reporting in Whatcom and Skagit counties this summer.
The two will cover a variety of topics, including elections, science and environmental news, local government and health issues.
Olivia Capriotti, Dow Jones intern
Olivia Capriotti joins us as part of the Dow Jones internship program.
Olivia is a recent graduate of UMass Amherst, where she earned a dual degree in journalism and Spanish. During her time at UMass, she worked as an assistant news editor and staff translator for her college newspaper, the Massachusetts Daily Collegian.
She reported on a variety of issues, ranging from housing shortages to student-led food security efforts. Aside from covering breaking news involving union rallies, political protests and court hearings, she has also produced long-form pieces regarding health care, social justice and higher education. Prior to graduation, she received the UMass Community Journalism Storytelling Award. Olivia has also participated in the Online News Association’s Student Newsroom.
Olivia, who is bilingual, will be immersed in the everyday operations of the newsroom, learning how to balance weekly coverage along with longer, data-driven projects. She loves exploring new areas and is ready to learn more about the people and places that make up Northwest Washington this summer.
The Dow Jones News Fund internship program has a legacy dating back to 1960. Each year, DJNF arranges internships for close to 100 college students across the country and provides them with hands-on training and mentors.
She hopes to cover problems and solutions that span Bellingham and the surrounding areas in relation to health care, local politics, business, climate change and criminal justice. She aspires to build a wealth of reporting that will foster a sense of community, increase civic engagement and eventually create policy-level change. Reach Olivia at oliviacapriotti@cascadiadaily.com or follow her on X at @CapriottiOlivia.
Ben Long, AAAS Mass Media fellow
Ben Long, our environmental/science reporter, comes to CDN as part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mass Media Fellowship. CDN is one of 20 newsrooms in the U.S. hosting a fellow until August.
The 10-week program places science, engineering and mathematics students at media organizations, and fellows use their academic training as they research and report news, refining their ability to communicate complex scientific issues to the public.
Ben is a Ph.D. candidate in plant genetics and an aspiring science journalist. He studies yaupon holly, a plant native to the American southeast that has been used for millennia by local Indigenous tribes to make a caffeinated infusion similar to tea. His research uses genetics and chemistry to find varieties of yaupon that could offer a modern, more sustainable alternative to coffee and tea in America.
Outside the lab, he enjoys writing articles and creative pieces at the intersection of science and culture.
Ben, who wrote and edited for the Athens Science Observer, hopes to hone his science journalism skills by covering topics like climate, local agriculture and conservation. Reach Ben at benlong@cascadiadaily.com.
Rhonda Prast is CDN’s managing editor; reach her at rhondaprast@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 112.
