Those of you who have been in this room at the Pulitzer Center Washington Weekend know how much it has meant to me over the years to work with our Reporting Fellows—and to watch their careers develop. So many of the stories they’ve told will stick with me:
Food access in Detroit and New Orleans. Acid attack survivors in Pakistan. Support for young refugees who make their way to Greece, Turkey, and India. Emergency healthcare for Ugandans. Climate adaptation in Mongolia. Stories of Venezuelan migrants starting over in New York City. Or of the Rohingya diaspora as seen through the eyes of a City Colleges Chicago student, himself a Rohingya refugee. I could go on.
But I’m excited to share that I am passing on my role to Karima Haynes. Karima, I know you will be amazing. You now have the best job ever. May you make EACH Reporting Fellowship both challenging and rewarding.
Of course, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who are with us this evening:
Our friends who have given us good advice from the get-go
Our family who have closely followed all the ins and outs of this journey, shared brilliant ideas, and provided diversion that kept us on an even keel.
Thank you to our fabulous Pulitzer Center Board of Directors.
To all the grantees who have produced ground-breaking work. And those grantees who have served as advisers to our Reporting Fellows
And to all our Campus Partners and the Advisory Council members. Many thanks to those who made a special trip.
And also thank you to the entire Pulitzer Center team. I’ve enjoyed working with you—more than you know. I’ll always look back fondly on the many events, campus visits, and all the birthday cakes. (Thank you, Madlen.) On producing flow charts and looking for sloths at our Panama retreat.And on getting through the pandemic together, adapting to icebreakers and webinars on Zoom—little knowing they would become our standard modus operandi.
To work with you and to see how we have grown has been a both a thrill and a great privilege. Thank you ALL for your friendship. And thank you, JON, for thinking creatively and making things happen.
