Long before they filed stories for The New York Times or Vogue, some of today’s top journalists were busy chasing stories and making deadlines for the student-run newspaper on campus.
Now, these distinguished alumni are returning to Gambier — where it all started for some of them — to take part in a two-day journalism conference hosted by the staff of The Kenyon Collegian.
From Oct. 23-24, these writers, editors and other professionals will share insights that go beyond the headlines while meeting with and mentoring current students and alumni. At the heart of the conference will be a panel discussion at 7:30 p.m. Thursday that is open to the public and includes:
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Beth Bennett ’96, associate dean and professor of journalism at the Medill School at Northwestern University;
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David McCabe ’14, technology reporter at The New York Times;
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Erin Mershon ’12, deputy media editor at The New York Times;
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AJ Rourk ’03, director of operations at The New Yorker; and
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Emma Specter ’15, culture writer at Vogue
The free event — underwritten by the Collegian Endowed Fund — will be held in Oden Hall’s Archon Auditorium. Participants will discuss their jobs and the state of journalism today, as well as how their Kenyon experiences prepared them.
Matt Winkler ’77 H’00 P’13, a former Collegian editor-in-chief who went on to co-found Bloomberg News, will introduce the discussion, moderated by the Collegian’s current co-editors-in-chief, Dorothy Yaqub ’26 and Sacha Franjola ’26, and its executive director, Micah Arenstein ’26. A dessert reception will precede the discussion at 7 p.m.
While on campus, the journalism professionals will meet with current Collegian staff and join conference participants for a networking luncheon. Among those registered are alumni working at GQ, National Public Radio, Good Morning America and the former features editor for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans.
“I am happy for all students to get a chance to hear from the members of our incredibly accomplished, impressive and informative panel — as well as other alumni who are returning for the conference,” said Molly Vogel ’00, director of advancement communications and strategy, who wrote for the Collegian as a student and now serves as its advisor. “They are inspiring examples of where a Kenyon education can take you.”
Mershon, for example, was a political science major at Kenyon and editor-in-chief of the student newspaper. Today, at The New York Times, she leads a team of reporters who cover the media industry — everything from newspapers and magazines to podcasts and TikTok, and how the business decisions related to them affect the information we all consume.
She hopes the conference inspires current students to get involved in campus journalism as a pathway to a career.
“The best way to learn journalism is to go out and do journalism — exercising your reporting and writing muscles and honing your news judgment. Working on the Collegian gave me the chance to do exactly that,” she shared.
Bennett got her start writing articles for the Collegian before going on to the Medill School for a master’s degree in journalism. From there, she worked in Midwestern television markets, including Milwaukee and Chicago, and then returned to Medill as a professor.
“I think the Collegian does really strong work, and the kind of work that we need to applaud and promote and nurture,” she said.
To support its important work, Bennett helped arrange for the current Collegian staff to participate in a workshop for undergraduate college journalists offered through the Medill School.
“I had a great career in journalism, and I see our students having strong careers in journalism,” she said. “If what a person is looking for is an opportunity to have influence over local and community conversations — or even national conversations — and give back for the public good, journalism is an ideal way to do that.”
Rourk, who oversees hiring practices and contributor safety at The New Yorker, said he hopes his example offers an alternative path for getting involved in journalism.
“Don’t be afraid to try something that’s not the role of a writer or editor,” he said. “Be open to paths that you didn’t plan for.”
Yaqub ’26, who is considering a career in journalism, said she’s excited that the Collegian — whose origins date back to 1856 — has been able to assemble such an impressive group that represents a variety of approaches and angles to the field. For her, the conference is an important extension of the work the Collegian does preparing aspiring journalists for the future.
“(The Collegian) made me a better writer,” said Yaqub, a double major in English and art history. “It’s really important to me, as someone who didn’t know anything about journalism and then learned it all here, to give incoming writers a place where they’re allowed to experiment and learn in a safe environment, but also a professional environment so that people feel really prepared.”