Rachel Aiken is a first-year student at Washington and Lee University. She is a 2009 graduate of St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis, Tennessee. In high school, Aiken served on the Student Council and was involved with the Environmental and Spanish clubs. She was also a cheerleader for the school’s football team. She has volunteered at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, worked as a gymnastics coach, and interned for Linkous Construction Company. She is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, and she is interested in this class because she is contemplating a journalism major. Click the photograph to the right to go to Rachel’s blog.
Jayna Johns is a sophomore Journalism major/Philosophy minor at Washington and Lee University. Home is in Ruidoso, New Mexico. In 2008, she graduated from the New Mexico Military Institute, located in Roswell, New Mexico. In high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society and lettered in three varsity sports through all four years of school. While in college, she has spent time volunteering at different organizations through the Nabor’s Service League, and she regularly tutors children at local elementary, middle, and high schools. This summer, she will be working as an intern at a local television station in Lynchburg, VA. She is a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority, and her future plans include working as a news reporter.
Michael McGuire is a first-year prospective Journalism and Spanish double major at Washington and Lee University. A 2009 graduate of Easton High School in Maryland, Michael has directed his collegiate focuses toward Legal Reporting and a law degree. Michael’s professional experience is mostly related to music and he is a recipient of the Raymond E. Shucker Scholarship for Jazz Pianists. Other honors include being a National Merit Commended Scholar and membership in the National Honor Society. Michael volunteers at the Talbot Hospice and has also given time to William Hill Manor. He is a proud supporter of Autism Speaks and is working to bring a NAMI Walk (National Alliance on Mental Illness) to Washington and Lee’s campus. He has worked in the real estate business, designing advertisements for publication in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and various home magazines. Click the photograph on the right to be taken to Michael’s personal and professional blog.
Benjamin Petitto is a sophmore transfer student at Washington and Lee, majoring in Politics and History. He plays for the varsity soccer team and is a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Petitto’s writing has been featured on Gatortailgating.com, a website covering Florida Football. Ben graduated from St. Francis Catholic High School as a member of the first graduating class. He was an AP scholar, a member of National Honor Society, and a National Merit Commended Scholar. He was also all-area in high school baseball and soccer. Ben has worked as a summer camp counselor and an intern in medical consulting in his hometown of Gainesville, FL. Ben will work for Florida State Attorney Bill Cervone this summer and plans on attending law school after undergrad to possibly become a defense attorney.
Professor Toni Locy is the Donald W. Reynolds Professor of Legal Reporting at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Va. She was a journalist for 25 years, specializing in coverage of the courts and law enforcement. Prof. Locy was a reporter for the Washington Post, USA Today, the Boston Globe, U.S. News & World Report, the Philadelphia Daily News and the Pittsburgh Press. She also covered the U.S. Supreme Court and national legal affairs for the Associated Press. In 2008 a federal judge held her in contempt of court for refusing to reveal the identities of confidential sources who provided information to her for stories she wrote for USA Today about the FBI’s investigation into the deadly anthrax attacks. She earned a master’s degree in the studies of law at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law in 2007 and a bachelor of science degree in journalism from West Virginia University in 1981. Click the photograph to the right to see more information about Toni Locy and to view her curriculum vitae.
