Get to know the students behind the News Product Alliance Summit’s student newsroom.

The News Product Alliance has a wonderful group of students to cover this year’s NPA Summit! Below, you’ll get to know the students who will produce content over the master classes and interactive sessions. The articles they write will be published on NPA’s website in the weeks following the Summit.

Ava Mandoli is a senior at Northwestern University studying journalism, global history and data science. She’s most passionate about leveraging data to make journalism more impactful and resilient, on both the editorial and business sides. Recently, she’s interned at Inc. Magazine and worked as a fellow with Medill’s Local News Accelerator. At the NPA Summit, Mandoli is excited to learn about how newsrooms can better understand their audiences and develop creative products that get people excited about news. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and exploring Chicago. 

Connect with Ava on LinkedIn.

Elizabeth Casolo is a senior at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. She will graduate with majors in journalism and global health studies and a minor in data science. Liz enjoys digital storytelling and experimenting with new techniques for measuring impact in journalism. At the Summit, Liz hopes to learn more about ways AI can help newsrooms build trust. Outside of school and work, you can catch Liz baking new recipes, reading a memoir, or cuddling up with her dog.

Connect with Liz on LinkedIn.

Mercy Koehler is a Senior at Texas State University pursuing an undergraduate degree in Digital Media Innovation from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Mercy has a strong interest in digital product design and data analytics and hopes to gain some writing experience and connections from this year's summit. When she's not at work or school, Mercy is likely baking and reading, or playing with her daughter, Reverie.

Connect with Mercy on LinkedIn.

Valerie Figueroa is a graduate student at Texas State University pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communication. She is the staff writer and editor at McCoy College of Business and a digital media professional with expertise in social media management, influencer marketing, content development, and journalism.  As she prepares for graduation at the end of the year, she is eager to explore all that this year's NPA Summit has to offer. She is particularly interested in growing her network and connecting with individuals who share similar passions and exploring innovative storytelling methods for social media. Her leisure time consists of spending time with family and her cats, trying out new restaurants and going to live music shows.

Connect with Valerie on LinkedIn.

Aviva Loeb will be mentoring the students at the NPA Summit 2024. She is the News Analytics and Insights Editor at The Washington Post. Aviva got her B.S in communication from the University of Vermont. During the Summit, she will focus on making sure that the students are making connections that could change their career path. When not at work or doing anything NPA related, Aviva is spending time with her dog or playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Connect with Aviva on LinkedIn.

💡 The student newsroom is sponsored by the Northwestern University Knight Lab and the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri.

Visit the NPA Summit 2024 page for more information about this year’s event!