The Arizona Luminaria team is excited to host two outstanding student journalists in Spring 2024 as part of the first cohort of Jamieson-Metcalf Scholars from the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
Kiara Adams and Noor Haghighi, both in their junior year at the journalism school, will cover public affairs topics and center the stories of Tucsonans.
The Jamieson-Metcalf Family Scholarship for Public Affairs in Journalism at the UA School of Journalism was funded by UA alum Bill Jamieson.
“This scholarship empowers serious journalism in Tucson by investing in promising students. It recognizes the urgency of both. That’s what we love about it,” said Pate McMichael, associate director of the journalism school.
Haghighi was an intern at Arizona Luminaria in 2023. In addition to studying journalism, she is minoring in environmental sciences, environmental studies and Spanish. Tucson is her hometown.
“I am thrilled to continue another semester at AZ Luminaria where I have not only enriched my journalism skills, but also grown my relationship with Tucson,” Haghighi said. “Shining a light on positive feats in local education has been a highlight of my college career. This time around, I’m hoping to learn more about border affairs, work on translating a story into Spanish and get practice with requesting public records. I can’t wait for more opportunities with AZ Lu’s strong team of dedicated journalists.”
Adams is a journalism major and government and public policy minor. She is from Nevada and previously interned at the Las Vegas Review Journal.
“I’m looking forward to getting experience doing local journalism in the city I’ve been going to school in for the last three years and reporting on the issues that matter,” Adams said. “I also hope to learn more about how to find the right person to talk to when it comes to getting sources for my articles. Looking forward to this experience!”
Local news business struggles have led to a massive loss of local journalists. Research shows when communities lose local journalists, it leads to lower voter turnout and civic engagement and more political polarization.
Journalism job cuts in Tucson and across Arizona mean less public-affairs news is available to help people participate in their own communities.
“The Arizona Luminaria team is excited about this partnership with the University of Arizona School of Journalism to host and mentor rising-star journalists to help us craft local news that’s equitable, relevant, helpful, community-centered and accessible for all Arizonans,” said Becky Pallack, Arizona Luminaria’s co-founder.
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