Meet our first Career Lab
cohort, in partnership with
The Providence Eye
Our career-ready training program for aspiring journalists is rigorous and focused on practical, experience-based learning. It's designed to ensure participants graduate with the skills necessary to serve their community and the newsrooms nominating them.
Thank you, Providence Eye, for believing in this program, nominating four trainees, and building capacity to create sustainable news. Please check back for incredible stories and coverage of Providence, Rhode Island.
Originally from California, Andrea traversed much of the country before finding home in Providence. She worked in hospitality for 20 years, and finds joy in dining al fresco on a perfect summer evening. She is interested in places where food, art, history, and the natural world intersect to create an aesthetically rich environment, which makes the Creative Capital a perfect fit. She’s eager to shine a light on the city’s greatness, and to be a community builder that contributes to what makes the city great.
Andrea Guttierrez
Eric Halvarson is a multimedia journalist focused on the political ecology shaping a new world in climate crisis. His work has been featured by Democracy Now!, Burnaway, the Appalachian Voice and ecoRI News. Hobbies include gardening, science-fiction, volleyball, dancing and holding onto a sense of wonder.
Eric Halvarson
Jessamy moved to Rhode Island over 20 years ago from her rural Pennsylvania hometown, and has been living in Providence for over 7 years. Her professional background spans from working in education access to graphic design and marketing, and finds fulfillment in connecting people to the community. Her love for local journalism began at the Community College of Rhode Island, where she worked her way up the ladder from staff writer to become the student newspaper's youngest editor in chief, and continued past graduation when she took on a videographer role at the Norfolk Community Television station. Jessamy is excited to revive her passion for community-focused journalism with the PVD Eye, and finds most fulfillment covering local art, music, education, and environmental news.
Jessamy LeBeau
We share stories to entertain, understand, laugh, distract, connect and to create community. I have told stories in classrooms, museums, libraries about people, places and events that have been understudied and underserved. My goal with the Providence Eye every week is to curate a story that provides the reader a written and visual experience of this great city and the people that call it home.
Christopher West