Training local voices. Deploying local power.
Journalism New England’s Career Lab and Workbench are made possible thanks in part to support from the Barr Foundation.
RESULTS SO FAR:
Number of Journalists
21
Number of Stories
76
COHORT FOUR
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Tiffani Bourque may be relatively new to journalism, but she is certainly no stranger to storytelling. An educator for 15 years, Tiffany currently teaches English Language Arts and Latin to middle school students in Maine, where her love of language, curiosity, and human connection shape both her classroom and her writing.
She currently writes for the Sanford Springvale News, where her favorite assignments are feature stories that shine a light on the people, places, and positive things happening throughout her community, Whether she is talking with a local farmer, highlighting someone making a difference, or capturing a story that might otherwise go untold, Tiffany believes the best writing begins with listening.
Currently completing her Doctorate in Education, Tiffany has spent plenty of time immersed in academic and research writing– but hopes her future includes much more creative writing, too. Someday, she would love to teach creative writing at the college level while continuing to pursue journalism and storytelling.
At the heart of it all is Tiffani’s belief that connection is fundamental to the human experience. Through her writing, she hopes to celebrate her community, preserve its stories, and help people feel a little more connected to one another.
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Jenni Belotserkovsky was born to Ukrainian/Russian immigrants in Italy. She received her diploma in graphic design in Munich, Germany, volunteered in Botswana, and traveled New Zealand before settling in Vermont, USA. Jenni is a middle school literature and study skills teacher, an award-winning artist, a published cartoonist, and a freelance journalist.
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Mwangi Gitahi is a community reporter with The Providence Eye, where he covers sports and recreation, arts and culture, and the people and programs that shape community life, with a focus on access, wellness and representation. An immigrant from Kenya, he has lived in Rhode Island on and off since 1991 and is now based in South Providence.
He has long been drawn to investigative writing and found an outlet for it in local news, where he gravitates toward stories others have overlooked or haven’t told in quite the same way. He has written company blogs for small businesses such as Rhode Runner, and produced his own wellness newsletter. He joined Journalism New England’s Career Lab to develop and sharpen his craft in service of the people and communities he covers.
Mwangi’s career has spanned finance, sports business and technology, and he holds a degree in business administration from the University of Rhode Island. He runs and cycles to stay active and to get around Providence, and while he loves to travel, he’s always happy to return to the city he calls home.
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Kevin Mann is a reporting fellow for Monitor Local, an initiative of The Maine Monitor. He is receiving training through the Journalism New England Career Lab to do civic reporting that provides people in towns across New England with the information they need to be engaged in their community.
Kevin is a policy impact specialist for the Pulte Institute for Global Development at the University of Notre Dame and holds a Master's of Global Affairs and Sustainable Development from Notre Dame. He is a former teacher, and his work in international development and education includes time as Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa, with the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme, teaching in Camden, New Jersey with the Uncommon Schools charter network and studying the habits of high-performing principals in low-income contexts in Chile.
Kevin is also a creative writer and lives on Great Cranberry Island year-round. His interests include environmental, housing, and education policy.
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Leslie Goode brings more than 40 years of experience in public health, philanthropy and nonprofit leadership to Journalism New England. Goode spent more than 15 years working in health policy and academic medicine for mission-driven organizations in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia before moving to Maine in 2005. Her career includes more than 25 years in public health and philanthropy roles with nonprofit organizations in Philadelphia and Maine. She also operated a solo part-time therapeutic massage practice and art studio in Blue Hill.
Throughout that time, she played volunteer roles and served on several boards for community organizations focused on social justice, health care, and the arts.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, she moved to the East Coast to attend Smith College, earning a bachelors’ degree and later masters degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, as well as certification from the State of Maine as a licensed massage therapist.
In her spare time, Leslie enjoys swimming, fiber arts, painting, gardening, reading, cooking and spending time outdoors.
STORIES
COHORT THREE
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Joey Jett is a writer, artist, musician, filmmaker, tinkerer, and proud first-time homeowner from Bucksport, Maine. He’s the oldest of six siblings and comes from a family of artists. Born and raised in Deer Isle, Joey was exposed to local painters and artisans at an early age, which grounded him in the natural beauty of Maine. He was drawing as early as two years old, making music at thirteen, writing at fifteen (taking after his father, also a writer), and leaving the state for the first time at eighteen.
Now thirty-six, Joey’s lived an exciting life that has left him with an incredible catalog of stories and characters he’s met along the way. He’s hitchhiked with vagabonds, couch-surfed with musicians, driven across the country, acted for film, and worked a few seasons in the remote Aleutian Islands of Alaska. He’s also a veteran of the US Army, owns two businesses, and is soon to be a graduate of the Los Angeles Film School. It’s this obsession with life and all its experiences which drives him to strengthen his career as a community reporter.
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Diane has worked in school and economic development; in local, state, and national politics; with community volunteer action groups; and in community investment and community impact with a major United Way for 18 years prior to retirement. She is currently running for an elected seat on the RSU21 School Board after serving for three one-year terms as an appointed interim director for each of the resignations of three previously elected directors.
Diane is a member of a bipartisan community committee dedicated to bridging communication gaps. This work insists on primary sources in its discussions, and she has made the integrity of her sources a critical component of her contributions to each conversation. She is also on the Board of The Local News, a newly launched independent nonprofit newspaper with the mission of providing a balanced, free source of community news, ideas, and opinions. Both commitments have made the fellowship with Journalism New England an integral part of her discipline to bring integrity to her own communications and writings.
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Amanda enjoys life with her partner Will, their two children and family dog in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. She connects to the community through movement by teaching free dance classes at a local library and senior living center. To connect further, Amanda shares her real life in real time as she hosts and produces TRUTHpunk: a daily podcast. Already committed to unveiling and sharing the truth, a career in journalism feels like a natural extension of Amanda’s spirit. She is honored and excited to take part in Journalism New England’s Career Lab.
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Renée Morin is a 21-year-old Sanford resident, who has just completed her sophomore year at York County Community College. She first became involved with journalism in 2024, during her senior year of high school. For her senior year project, Renée took on the task of covering Sanford City Council meetings for the Sanford Springvale News. She has continued to help cover city council meetings due to her belief in the importance of an informed community, and the appreciation she feels for the Sanford Springvale News’ efforts towards that end. In addition to school and working at the newspaper, Renée works part-time at a comic book store and aspires to become an immigration lawyer.
STORIES
Sanford Officer Patrols with 1 Badge, 2 Wheels
By Angelina Keizer
Future of houseboats on Kennebunk River discussed
By Diane Franz
KHS alternative education is changing students’ lives
By Diane Franz
Welcome to ‘Vacationland’: Tips from locals
By Joey Jett
City Declares International Woolen Mill Abandoned
By Renée Morin
Sanford Soldier Honored Where He Died 82 Years Ago
By Angelina Keizer
City Commissions Closer Look at Downtown Parking Rules
By Renée Morin
Late But Appreciated: Group Thanks Women Veterans
By Angelina Keizer
Industrial Development Task Force Takes Shape
By Renée Morin
Cottage Street and Other Closures: What to Expect
By Renée Morin
Biddeford natural food store to start a new chapter
By Amanda Carter
City Council Moves Toward Amending Marijuana Ordinance
By Renée Morin
Sarah’s Meals Bring Families to the Table
By Angelina Keizer
New Rachel Carson Center opens in Kennebunk
By Diane Franz
Hold That Plastic Wrap: Many Things Aren’t Recyclable
By Angelina Keizer
Council Declares Nason Street Building ‘Dangerous’
By Renée Morin
New Owner, Same Family Feel at Shaws Hardware
By Angelina Keizer
Cobb Stadium Redesign Emphasizes Accessibility
By Renée Morin
City Council Weighs Changes to Marijuana Ordinance
By Renée Morin
COHORT TWO
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Maggie Raymond recently retired after a career advocating for the commercial fishing industry, fishing families, and coastal communities. Throughout her tenure, she played a role in shaping fisheries management policies and regulations that strike a balance between conservation goals and the practical needs of maritime safety and economic stability.
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Jessica “Jessi” McVay Hardy grew up in Sedgwick and has always had a passion for writing. She recently completed her MFA in English-Creative Writing and is working on two crime/thriller novels. Hardy has worked as a teacher and at local restaurants on the Blue Hill Peninsula while raising her family. She resides with her husband, daughters, and critters in Sedgwick. When she isn’t at a computer writing, Hardy can be found outside in her gardens or cheering for the Celtics or Patriots.
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Jessica Brockington is a New York City journalist who landed in Maine as a COVID refugee. She fell in love with the quiet rural communities of Downeast Coastal Maine and stayed. She has a Masters in Social Journalism from the Newmark J-School. Early in her career she published a local newspaper in an underserved area of NYC.
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Melissa S. Razdrih resides in Downeast, Maine, where she settled in 2021 with her family. Her background includes local reporting for FloridaPolitics, COVID coverage for The Center of Illinois Politics, and news writing for publications like The Quoddy Tides and Tampa Bay Business & Wealth. She is an educator and content marketer with more than two decades of experience in copywriting, account management and marketing, with focus on community services and the arts. Currently, Melissa is a community fellow with The Maine Monitor through a program by Journalism New England.
