Rachel Crawford graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Journalism with a concentration in Creative Mass Media from the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media in Fall of 2020. Rachel is currently the Marketing Manager at Reedy & Company, the largest property management company in the Greater Memphis Area. She is also a freelancer providing branding and digital marketing strategies for a wide array of clients. In the past, she has worked for KQ Communications as a Bilingual Digital Marketing Assistant and has even interned in Seville, Spain as a Social Media Content Creator. In the future, Rachel intends to use her graduate studies to further her knowledge of digital marketing, analytics, and coding.

 

Makayla N. Davis is an alumna of Tennessee State University where she served as a reporter for TSU News 98, wrote for TSU’s newspaper “The Meter”, served as Junior class president, was a brand ambassador for the natural haircare brand “Impressions of Beauty”, and became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Makayla also served as a communications intern for both the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in the summer of 2020, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in the spring of 2021. Makayla received her B.S. in Communications in May of 2021. She has a passion for multimedia journalism and has professional experience as a reporter for WNBJ 39 News in Jackson, Tennessee. Makayla is a first semester graduate student at the University of Memphis. She is looking forward to furthering her education and honing her skills in the Journalism and Strategic Media program.

 

Jake Lankford is a student journalist and radio host who earned his bachelor’s in journalism in Fall 2022 and returned for his graduate education in Spring 2023. Jake has interned at the Institute for Public Service Reporting for a total of three semesters and is a mainstay on the student radio station, The ROAR, having hosted his show, “Eat Your Makeup,” for two years as of writing, and is currently on his fifth season. Jake is on his final semester of graduate school and hopes to find work in Memphis after he receives his master’s, as well as publishing various fiction pieces he has produced alongside articles and research during his time in the graduate program. 

 

Rebecca “Bex” Law graduated from Marshall University in 2024 with a B.A. in Multimedia Journalism and a minor in Women’s Studies. At Marshall, Bex worked for the school newspaper “The Parthenon” and the radio station WMUL. She also served as president of the Dead Podcasters Society, the executive producer of TEDxMarshallU, and the co-chair of the Title IX Task Force. Outside of school, Bex works as a freelance social media coordinator having worked on projects such as promoting a musical podcast called “With Love, Victoria,” promoting Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble from 2019-2021, and promoting WMUL from 2021-2023. Bex has a passion for social justice and advocacy and has served the Presbyterian delegation at the 67th Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations. Independently Bex researches music as a form of advocacy journalism and creates a podcast called “Should I Write Or Should I Rock,” which can be found on SoundCloud. Due to this research, Bex was awarded the 2023 Creative Discovery Grant at Marshall, and presented her research at the Creative Discovery Symposium in 2024. Outside of school, Bex enjoys reading, film, live music, and crafting. Bex is excited to be pursuing a master's degree at University of Memphis and is looking forward to working with Dr. Lang and Dr. Wang on their research. 

 

Daniel Ofosu Obeng is a highly skilled and accomplished communications professional with extensive experience. He holds a B.A. in Communication Studies with a Journalism major from the Ghana Institute of Journalism. In his roles as a Political Communicator and Event Organizer, Daniel has demonstrated exceptional multitasking abilities, managing various projects and responsibilities simultaneously. Notably, Daniel has refined his strategic communication and event management skills through his work with the communication and events team at the Ghana Presidential Seat, Jubilee House. Daniel aims to apply his extensive experience and skills at the University of Memphis, where he seeks to further his career in strategic and political communication, using his expertise as a foundation for continued professional growth and advancement.