The SND Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of travel grants for the 38th SND Annual Workshop & Exhibition celebrated in San Francisco, on April 7-9, 2016. Each grant covers the $270 workshop registration fee, as well as, a $500 travel stipend. The winners (listed alphabetically) are:
Chidera Anugwom, University of Miami
Experience: I’m a geography major, so I mostly use design to customize maps and charts I create, using geographic information systems (GIS), to make them easier to understand. Through my graphic design classes, I became really interested in the field of data visualization and web design, and I am currently taking classes to learn how to code websites and create interactives.
Involvement with SND: I heard about SND through my school magazine’s adviser, who is a former president of SND. He always talks about the great connections that SND offers to designers, so I’m thrilled to be able to get more involved with the organization.
Most Excited About: Being able to learn from people in the field and meeting other design students from around the country is definitely what I am the most excited about. The field of design is so dynamic and I am looking forward to connecting with people who are using design in new, innovative ways.
Caroline Callaway, University of Mississippi
Experience: I am the design editor for The Daily Mississippian and love every minute of it.
Involvement with SND: I joined SND last year when the previous DM design editor, who was training me, told me it was something I would be interested in and a great way to get experience and build contacts. I am now the Ole Miss SND director of membership and communications. I also facilitated the SND “Best of News Design™” Creative Competition this past February and it was probably the best way I could’ve spent my Valentine’s Day.
Most Excited About: I am most excited about learning new things. With trends and software that are constantly changing, there are always new techniques and tricks to learn and so many ways to get inspired.
Tatianna Ducklow, Mount Royal University
Experience: Summer internship with Beaverlodge & West County News in 2013 in Beaverlodge, outside my hometown of Grande Prairie. I am currently a 2nd year journalism major with a double minor in political science and women’s studies and am working towards my international communications certificate at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. I currently write for the Calgary Journal and VAST (a new, up-and-coming Calgary magazine).
Involvement with SND: Last year was my first experience with SND. I actually learned of the conference through our school bulletin and thought it would be a great experience. I now hope to go every year, as it is such a fantastic benefit for my education and future career, and the people are fantastic to meet. I have attended other conferences, such as NASH for Canadian University Press, but none as focused on digital design as SND. I am very excited to be attending my second conference and our university is hopefully looking at starting a student chapter in the future!
Most Excited About: I am most excited about the networking opportunities and the chance to travel to a new city. As an avid traveler, and with hopes of an international communications certificate, I learn best by going to explore new places, and it is always so interesting to see the way journalism is in every place I go. I am very excited to hear from some fantastic people in the industry and to invest a weekend into expanding my knowledge of digital design!
Erika Espinoza, Ball State University
Experience: I’m a junior at Ball State University majoring in journalism graphics and minoring in Spanish and digital publishing. I’m currently an intern at Vox Media, Inc. The previous summer, I interned at Gannett’s Phoenix Design Studio in Phoenix, Ariz., where I designed daily features sections for publications in the West. I have also been part of the CCIM Unified Student Media for six semesters. During my first semester, I worked as a lead designer for the student-run newspaper, The Daily News, where I designed front pages once a week. I have worked as a page designer, graphics reporter and digital designer for our student publications. I’m a former digital designer for the Ball State Publishing Studio, and now the Assistant Art Director for Ball Bearings Magazine.
Involvement with SND: I learned about SND through other students who attended conferences in the past. When I first joined student media, my editors had just attended the Germany conference and were over the moon when they returned. I think seeing their enthusiasm, as they shared what they had learned, pushed me to be part of it. SND San Francisco will be my very first conference and I seriously can’t wait to meet more talented people!
Most Excited About: I’m looking forward to being surrounded by talented professionals and students. It’s always fun to be in the same room with other designers and geek-out about design. I’m also excited to see people from my summer internship again.
Florence Fu, Northwestern University
Experience: Last summer, I was an art intern at Redbook Magazine. I loved the energy and pace of working in an art department and the opportunity to observe how an idea develops from the drawing board to a final product on the newsstands. At Northwestern University, I serve as the art director for a news magazine, North by Northwestern, the design editor for a fashion magazine, STITCH, and a designer for a food magazine, SPOON. One project that I’m currently working on is an online interactive and multimedia issue for STITCH. In the spring, I’ll be a design intern at Glantz, a strategic design studio in Evanston, that builds identities, websites, and campaigns for brands.
Involvement with SND: I first learned about SND from our current chapter adviser, Professor Susan Mango Curtis. The Northwestern chapter was started a few years ago, but went defunct due to a lack of continuing leadership. With the help and support of Professor Curtis, another student and I decided to get the chapter up and running again in January 2016. I serve as chapter president and Jesse Sparks is our chapter vice president. We have 12 members, including both undergraduate and graduate students, with diverse interests including journalism, history, biology and art history. In February, we documented the Chicago Auto Show by taking photos and started a conversation about the way color influences people’s perceptions and buying habits. For the rest of the school year, we have a lot of fun things planned, from portfolio critiques, logo and personal branding workshops, to potential design projects with local businesses in Evanston. Our members are extremely talented and passionate designers, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for each of us as individual members and as a chapter.
Most Excited About: My friends at school know me as the “font queen” because I’m constantly nerding-out about typography. They’re used to it now, but I’m most excited to meet and work with students and professionals who enjoy nerding-out about design as much as I do. I’m talking about people whose eyes light up and whose hearts swell when they see a beautiful infographic, awesome packaging, or a sexy typeface. Fellow designerds and typomaniacs, I’m coming for you!
Margaret (Yee Man), Ng, University of Texas
Experience: With a driving passion for both journalism and computer science, my previous journalistic work has largely focused on media design. When I worked for the National Geographic Magazine and The Seattle Times as an infographic designer, I had the opportunity to research, conceptualize and design visualizations. From a story about exotic pets in the U.S. to an article about a hundred-year-old construction secret in a cathedral in Florence, I selected visual elements that coincided with the audience’s beliefs to make visual arguments more persuasive. I also worked as a data journalist and an interactive news designer at the Center for Public Integrity and Investigative Reporters and Editors — two leading non-profit organizations to promote investigative and data-driven journalism across the world — I reviewed FOIA dataset from as many conceptual and mathematical angles as I could. From tracking Federal Elections Commission campaign finance to investigating pharmaceutical payouts, I built databases that transformed obscure government dataset into a format that could be easily queried and understood by readers. I developed an interactive map to show where federal appellate judges ruled on cases in which they had a financial conflict. My interactive visualizations adhered to industry best practices in being mobile-first and were executed in a clean and elegant visual style. My work earned me the White House Correspondent’s Association Scholarship, which granted me an unforgettable opportunity to meet President and Mrs. Obama in May 2014.
Involvement with SND: I joined SND in 2013 at SNDLOU. To me, it was like an intense news design boot camp. I was bombarded with all the latest user-experience technique and projects, which was an eye-opening experience.
Most Excited About: I am looking forward to meeting all the giants in the news design field and getting to see all the amusing work they did!
Morgan Oberhausen, University of Mississippi
Experience: I have been the editor for Sigma Alpha Iota for the past two years, which involvs creating posters, invitations, a yearbook, and t-shirts. I am also a spread designer for the Ole Miss yearbook.
Involvement with SND: I learned about SND through an upperclassman when I took my first graphic design class at Ole Miss. I went to the first meeting and immediately fell in love with the members’ love for design and enthusiasm for the organization. I have been the officer of programming for the past year and enjoyed every minute of it. In February, I had the opportunity to be a student facilitator at The Best of News Design Creative Competition in Syracuse, New York. It was truly an enlightening and inspiring experience.
Most Excited About: I’m most looking forward to meeting professionals in the news design industry and learning from the best around. I am also excited about meeting other students from around the world who are interested in SND.
Lexi Rodgers, Ohio University
Experience: I am the editor of design for The Athena, our university’s yearbook, and all of the publications that we’ve developed to accompany it. I also design for The Post, our local community and university newspaper, where I also design separate publications and assist clients in designing advertisements. I am a graphic designer at our printing center, as well, where I create a wide range of graphics for different clients. For my senior capstone, I am designing for Southeast Ohio Magazine.
Involvement with SND: I learned about SND through my design professor who encouraged all of us to become involved. I was interested, but never really got into it until my magazine professor also recommended I become a student member shortly afterward.
Most Excited About: I am extremely excited to meet some wonderful designers and learn about their process and how I can use different techniques to improve my own work. I’m also excited to meet other student designers and get our portfolios reviewed.
Kiersten Schmidt, University of North Carolina
Experience: Before beginning grad school in August, I worked as the lead sports designer for The Star-Ledger in New Jersey. Prior to that, I was a sports designer at Gannett’s Asbury Park Design Studio and a copy editor/page designer at Florida Freedom Newspapers in Panama City. As an undergrad at the University of Miami, I served as the assistant design director for Ibis and a designer for the Miami Hurricane and Distraction magazine. I will be spending the upcoming summer as the data visualization intern for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Involvement with SND: I was a member of our student chapter at the University of Miami.
Most Excited About: Since I’ve spent my newspaper career up to this point working in print design, I am excited to see all of the digital design work newsrooms are producing and the trends in interactive design. I’m especially interested in data visualization and using interactivity on the web to enhance our storytelling. I am also interested in learning what roles interactive designers play in newsrooms and what kind of jobs are available in interactive news design.
Madisen Theobald, University of Mississippi
Experience: I am a graduating senior from the University of Mississippi with a B.A. in journalism and a magazine services specialization, with a graphic design minor. I am currently the art director at At Home Memphis & Mid South magazine in Memphis, TN and the creative director for The Ole Miss Annual, our University’s yearbook. I also have my own freelance business at www.madisentheobald.com, where I do book design, print publication design, branding and digital strategy. Previously, I have been the design editor at The Daily Mississippian, UM’s daily newspaper, and a creative services intern at renowned fashion house, BCBG MAX AZRIA in Los Angeles.
Involvement with SND: I joined SND as a sophomore at Ole Miss. After joining, I quickly became director of communications for our student chapter. I promoted meetings, printed and designed posters for our meetings, sent out tweets, Facebook statuses and created our Ole Miss SND Instagram. I also designed our famous t-shirts “Hell Yeah Design Right.” I attended SND36 in Syracuse, NY in 2015 as a student facilitator. Now a senior, I am the president of the Ole Miss student chapter of SND. I organize and coordinate all meetings for our group. I plan all the details of the meetings, help with recruiting new members and make sure all my officers stay on task.
Most Excited About: Learning from professionals and absorbing as much information that I can! I also wish to obtain some insightful critiques on my current and past work.
Kristi Walker, University of North Carolina
Experience: I worked as the infographics and editorial design intern for the Boston Globe in summer 2015, and will be the interactive storytelling intern for the Dallas Morning News in summer, 2016. During my time at UNC-Chapel Hill, I have been in student leadership roles as the art director of Twang magazine and the design director of Southern Neighbor Magazine while also working with data visualization as a senior graphics reporter for the Daily Tar Heel.
Involvement with SND: My first experience with SND was through the UNC-Chapel Hill student chapter, which organized portfolio reviews annually. After a few years of finding the local events so useful, I finally ventured out to SNDDC where I fell in love with the visual journalism community. Now in my senior year, I’m a co-president of our student chapter and have helped organize a CAMP SND and portfolio review on our campus.
Most Excited About: Last year, I came to SNDDC with a print design background and met many brilliant storytellers with similar interests. I’m excited to see them all again, but I’m also thrilled to meet journalists working in data visualization and digital storytelling, which are where my career goals have shifted.
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