Tracy A. Wood fellow Angelina Hicks was named the next collegiate news editor at the Voice of OC, spearheading the partnership between Chapman University and the newsroom that offers students opportunities to report on civic news across the county.
Hicks, who published within Collegiate News Service classes during her undergraduate studies, was first hired as a lecturer to the university in August 2024.
She was later hired as an associate professor of journalism in January of this year to teach students across foundational classes in the program.
“She’s walked the same path she’s now helping her students navigate — and she did it exceptionally well,” said Susan Paterno, director for the journalism program at Chapman University’s Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
“Angelina didn’t just study journalism at Chapman, she lived it. She knows what it takes to get the work done—and how to support others so they can succeed too. That’s what makes her such a great professor for foundational classes in journalism,” Paterno said. “She knows what it’s like to be new to journalism, to feel intimidated calling public officials, to wonder what counts as a story.”
“She can meet students where they are and guide them with real-world wisdom.”
Hicks emphasizes this mindset in her teaching style.
“Getting real-world experience can really set them apart and help students grow as journalists before they even earn their degree,” said Hicks. “Mentoring students and giving them opportunities to be published in a professional nonprofit newsroom like Voice of OC sets them up for success in the future of journalism.”
Before Hicks joined the university, students published around 50 stories a year to the Voice of OC. Since her start, that number has almost doubled.
As of April of this year, students have published nearly 40 stories.
Under the partnership’s model, students are taught how to report to modern news publishing standards – while gaining reporting skills such as pitching and fact checking – in order to have their work published on Voice of OC.
“Professor Hicks is committed to our publishing goals,” said Nicole Kavros, 21, a junior studying journalism who published in Hicks’s Advanced Reporting and Editing Workshop for Journalists class.
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Kavros said she has improved her pitching skills through coaching provided in class, noting that it’s useful having a professor that has also received their journalism education from Chapman.
“She’s been a great influence and role model because she was where we are currently, and she shows us how what we’re doing right now can lead to a future career in journalism,” Kavros said.
Students at Chapman University have the opportunity to have stories published from their very first class under Hicks’s mentorship.
“All these stories need to be told to the residents of Orange County in a way that will motivate them to read the article all the way through and not lose interest after reading the headline,” said Lane Forti, 20, a sophomore studying journalism who published a story while enrolled in Theory and Practice of Journalism, the first journalism class students take within the program.
Forti has followed the City of Fountain Valley since starting his studies within the journalism program. He said that Hicks’s classes have taught him the importance of local government reporting through reviewing agendas and watching city council meetings.
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Reporting has also taught some students the importance of local coverage.
“Not everyone has the time or resources to make it to city council meetings, so outlets such as Voice of OC help to inform more people about what is going on in their community, even if they can’t sit through a city council meeting,” said Britney Henderson, 18, a freshman studying journalism who has published a few stories during her News Reporting and Writing Workshop class.
“It expands the access to information to many, not just a few.”
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Henderson has been reporting on the City of Dana Point alongside her classmate, Annie Lewis.
Lewis covered the City of San Clemente last semester in the introductory class, bylining two stories alongside her peers.
“My first journalism class was super eye-opening, said Lewis, 20, a junior studying strategic corporate communications.
“I now can go home and look at my city’s agenda and understand what they’re doing. If you don’t know what’s happening in your community, whether there’s new laws being passed or if there’s going to be an event, you won’t be able to navigate the world.”
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Hicks started publishing with the Voice of OC during her freshman year at the university.
“Angelina understands what it takes to thrive as a journalist focused on civic accountability, a strong work ethic and a servant leader mindset,” said Voice of OC Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Norberto Santana, Jr.
“She’s developed one story at a time since we first started working together when she took my public affairs reporting class as an undergraduate and it’s really exciting to see her develop into a leadership role, watching her become a mentor to so many students, who are seeing themselves get published with substantial clips.”
As an undergrad, Hicks reported more than 100 civic news stories for Voice of OC, reporting on accountability issues like campaign finances and the county animal shelter.
She also revived the print edition of The Panther, serving as editor-in-chief of the student-run paper.
After her graduation from Chapman, she continued her studies at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication.
Hicks gained her Master’s in Journalism from USC in May 2024.
Hicks said that teaching journalism at the collegiate level has helped her hone her own reporting and editing skills.
“I see my own skills, my own reporting getting better through the teaching that I’ve been doing,” Hicks said. “I’m able to learn for my students as much as they’re learning from me.”
“It’s really beneficial for journalism instructors to also be current reporters themselves and I have just seen benefits in my own reporting as well as my students improving over the semester.”