Robert Andersson is a graduate student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Medill Watchdog is his first foray into investigative reporting, this after acting as Chicago Tonight’s John Callaway Fellow earlier in the 2013 and spending many years prior teaching kindergarten in Japan. He wants to pursue a career in audio reporting and is the host and creator of the Medill Watchdog Podcast.

Jacob Fischler joined the reporting staff of The Monitor in McAllen, Tx., this year after graduating with an M.S.J. from Medill. His work has appeared in McClatchy newspapers, MarketWatch.com and the Austin Weekly News. He holds an undergraduate degree in American Studies from the University of Minnesota in his hometown of Minneapolis. His interests include baseball, Bob Dylan and bad jokes.

Rebecca is a journalism graduate student at Northwestern University studying urban affairs reporting. She worked full-time for the Medill Watchdog in the winter 2013 quarter. Prior to coming to Northwestern, Rebecca received her undergraduate degree at Baylor University and worked as a reporter covering education and local government in Central Texas.

Laurel White is a graduate student at Medill focusing on public affairs reporting. She graduated from North Central College in 2010 with a B.A. in English (and minors in Interactive Media Studies and Public Advocacy & Social Change). After graduation, Laurel spent a year as a press assistant in the Office of Governor Pat Quinn. In 2011, she joined Public Communications Inc. in Chicago and spent a year conducting public relations on behalf of a variety of clients, including Shedd Aquarium and Openlands.

James Arkin is a senior graduating from Medill this June. He has interned with the Metro section of The Washington Post and covered city, state and national politics for the New York Daily News Daily Politics blog. He has also written for the Columbus Dispatch and Medill News service, and served as political director for the Northwestern News Network. A Columbus, Ohio native, James cheers for the Buckeyes, Northwestern Wildcats and Cleveland Indians despite consistent heartbreak.

Sarah Bowman is a Medill senior concentrating in newspaper/online and double majoring in international studies. She has worked on the Medill Watchdog team for two quarters, and also has experience working for The Columbus Dispatch, the Medill Justice Project and Patch.com among others. Originally from the Detroit area, Sarah has aspirations to be an investigative journalist and continue to use multimedia to help tell the stories.

Fritz Burgher is a junior at Northwestern University studying journalism and political science. He interning at Medill Watchdog spring quarter after returning from Washington, D.C. where he covered business and politics on Capitol Hill through Medill. Fritz has worked at The Daily Northwestern and served as NU Intel’s assistant sports editor. Outside of journalism, he plays trumpet in the Northwestern University Marching Band and mentors inner-city youth with Medill Media Teens.

Annie Chang is a senior whose concentration is in television broadcast. She has professional experience in on-air reporting, live reporting, video editing and broadcast writing. Annie grew up in Norman, Okla., and is an enthusiastic Oklahoma sports fan.

Cathaleen Chen is a Medill sophomore also studying sociology. An aspiring investigative journalist, she has been with Watchdog for two quarters. Last winter, she worked in Washington, D.C. as a political reporter for Medill News Service. In addition to her work at Watchdog, Cathaleen is an editor for STITCH magazine and blogs for leisure.

Rose Conry is a senior at Northwestern University. She is majoring in journalism and minoring in Spainish. Before coming to Watchdog, she was an editorial intern with Popular Science in New York.

Katherine Cooney is a Medill senior concentrating in magazine journalism and minoring in Middle Eastern History. Originally from Cincinnati, she spent last spring in New York, interning as a politics intern at Time.com and the following summer as an editorial intern for Interview Magazine. She will be staying with the Watchdog Initiative this summer.

Julie Kliegman is a Medill senior with a double major in Spanish. In the past she’s reported for The Bergen Record, the Medill Justice Project and CBS 2 Chicago’s investigative unit. She’s also used her Spanish fluency to snag an internship at El Nuevo Día in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Erin Kron is a senior Journalism major on the broadcast and videography track, double majoring in english literature. She is pursuing a career in shooting and editing short- and long-form documentary.

Mike Mallazzo is a junior in Medill that has worked at Watchdog since September 2011. He is a columnist at the Daily Northwestern, blogger for HerCampus, and Italian poetry aficionado. He has worked for Fortune Magazine and is an incoming analyst at ThunderHouse media. He hopes to launch a career on the business side of the media, doing his tiny part to ensure the financial stability of investigative journalism. When not creating spreadsheets, he enjoys fishing, Bruce Willis movies, and long runs on the beach. 

Lauren Manning graduated from Medill in March 2013 with a major in journalism, minor in sociology and Certificate in Civic Engagement. Besides spending three quarters with Watchdog, she worked for the Cape Argus newspaper in Cape Town, South Africa, a hyper-local print and web group in southern Connecticut, and in non-profit communications and international development programming. Lauren also followed her passion for international journalism while reporting with the Refugee Lives project in Jordan and Malawi and ultimately hopes to work in international correspondence.

Lily Oberman is a Medill senior who has worked for Watchdog for three quarters. Previously, she has interned at TV Guide Magazine, Commercial Investment Real Estate magazine and Chicago magazine, and she completed her journalism residency in winter of 2013 at The Oregonian in Portland.