鶹ý

Taylor Blatchford

“This program has certainly made me more interested in finding a way to incorporate education into my career as it progresses. I feel more equipped for potential future roles involving training or mentorship. ”


Taylor Blatchford  | M.A. Journalism and Mass Communication

Current job: Engagement Reporter, The Seattle Times

Taylor Blatchford enrolled in Kent State's master's program in journalism education because of her long interest in working with student journalists. "Student journalism provides an essential role in keeping schools and communities informed," she said, "and it's also a great training ground for students entering all sorts of careers, not just journalism. I wanted to learn more about working with students and better equip myself to support them in the future."

A reporter for The Seattle times for over five years, Taylor didn't have an education background before starting this program, and she admits she was intimidated the first time she had to write up lesson plans as a class assignment. "I read through so many templates and guides," she recalled, "and took a long time to fine-tune those first lesson plans. It was a type of writing I'd never done before! I'm proud that through this program, I've pushed myself to learn new skills. The feedback from instructors and support from classmates has been invaluable in my growth."

M.A. Media and Journalism     CCI Graduate Programs

What Taylor loves about journalism is the story telling, with and for the community. In roles that have spanned the paper's digital audience team, investigations team and, most recently, the team covering mental health, she's enjoyed thinking about how journalism can reach people and ensuring that her reporting includes the perspectives of people most affected by the issues she's reporting on.

Advice for future graduate students:

“Think realistically about your bandwidth and how much time you can dedicate to the program each semester. I've taken only one class per semester as I work full-time as a journalist, and making slow but steady progress over the past few years has worked well for me. ”

  • Graduate Student Success Stories

    Graduate Student Success Stories

  • Theresah Ayertey

    Theresah Ayertey

    M.A. Communication Studies

    “I now feel confident and capable of pursuing roles in academia, research or professional settings within the field of communication."

  • Jeremiah Nordholt

    Jeremiah Nordholt

    M.A. or M.F.A. Visual Communication Design

    “My career outlook has definitely changed. I feel more confident in my understanding of the field and have grown my network."

  • Ranae Duncan

    Ranae Duncan

    M.A. Journalism and Mass Communication

    “One of the best parts about this program is that it has given me tools to implement immediately in my classroom It has made me a stronger adviser, and has provided me a network of other advisers, who are now friends, from throughout the country.”

  • Alizeh Khalifa

    Alizeh Khalifa

    M.S. Emerging Media and Technology

    “With the hands on experience I've had coding and building out projects, I feel much more capable and comfortable handling those."

  • Angela Gartner

    Angela Gartner

    M.A. Journalism and Mass Communication

    “This degree program and my final project has revitalized my love for journalism and the desire to help the future generations to take the industry to the next level. It has strengthened my resolve to provide young journalists, whether in the classroom or in my freelance network, with opportunities to thrive in the field.”