WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- ASSISTAN T TEACHING PROF ESSOR
- Co - Founder and Co - Director of Reporting
- Teaching Assistant Professor / Executive Producer
Fun Fact: Ashton received two degrees from West Virginia University, a B.S. in journalism and M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications.
Ashton Marra joined the college's faculty in August of 2018, where she teaches news writing, video storytelling and community-focused journalism.
Ashton is the co-founder and co-director of Reporting on Addiction, a collaboration of addiction science experts, professional journalists and journalism educators who share a passion to decrease stigma and improve the way journalists cover addiction and recovery. Reporting on Addiction trains professional and student newsrooms and addiction science experts, creates research-based reporting resources, and has built a network of journalism professionals nationwide who are committed to improving reporting in the space.
Ashton came to the college with a decade of professional experience in both public and commercial media newsrooms in New York City, Ohio and West Virginia, and her reporting has appeared nationally on NPR and PBS, as well as "Good Morning America," where she worked with correspondents across the country to produce video news stories in the field and in the studio.
She served as the assistant news director for the statewide public television and radio network West Virginia Public Broadcasting and as its lead political reporter, hosting and producing the network's flagship television program "The Legislature Today." While working in public media, Ashton was also the producer and host of a number of radio programs as well as original podcasts. She was twice named the Associated Press of the Virginias Best Reporter.
Claudia is a senior journalism student at WVU minoring in communications. Originally from Shepherdstown, West Virginia, Claudia is a photographer for the Daily Athenaeum and a News Reporter and DJ for U92 The Moose, WVU's student-run newspaper and radio station. During the summer and fall of 2023, Claudia completed an internship with ReImagine Appalachia, a coalition aiming to bring green economic opportunity and support to laborers in the Appalachian region. In the spring of 2024, Claudia will be interning with Shine on, WV, a platform that showcases West Virginian artists and their stories. Upon graduation in May of 2024, she is still deciding in which direction she wants to take her career. She is interested in all aspects of journalism, from TV to print media. Regardless of what career path she takes, Claudia intends to stay involved with Appalachia-oriented organizations because she is passionate about her home state and loves helping build her community!
Garrett is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, and is a senior Sports and Adventure Media major at West Virginia University. Garrett enjoys writing and is one of the current poetry editors for Calliope, an award-winning journal for students at WVU. Garrett is also a Dean's List student and previously helped produce Mountaineer Playbook, a sports and adventure media news show produced by Reed College of Media students. While he is unsure of where his career will take him, producing is not only something Garrett discovered that he enjoys, but something he wants to seek in future employment opportunities. Post-graduation, Garrett is interested in improving and crafting his skills to better benefit his career.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs / Executive Producer
- Professor
Gina Martino Dahlia knew she was a teacher in September of 2001, after watching a student's TV story on the dangerous threat of anthrax in U.S. mail. She saw how much her student had learned and how the quality of her work had improved. She saw how her own belief, passion and refusal to accept mediocrity put students on paths that improved their lives.
Known as an exceedingly assertive and demanding professor who will push her students to create the best work they can, Dahlia is also beloved by students for the time she invests in their TV productions and for her accessibility.
And these are just a few of the reasons Dahlia was named a recipient of the 2012 WVU Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching. This prestigious award is the highest recognition of excellence in teaching at the University.
Dahlia's former students now work at television stations across the country - often with the help of her persuasive reference letters and phone calls- and when they decide that's not where life is taking them, she's just as supportive.
Job Titles:
- TV Journalism Graduate Assistant & Web Producer
Kara Vaughan is from Lewisburg, WV, and is the Reed College of Media's TV Journalism Graduate Assistant. She works primarily with the journalism capstone courses, WVU News and Mountaineer Playbook. After graduating from Kent State University with a BA in Fashion Design and minors in marketing, art history, and geology, Kara started her own LLC, offering content marketing services, which she still runs outside of her studies. She decided to pursue more education in writing and environmental journalism - two of her many interests - at her parent's alma mater, WVU. While in grad school, Kara has held many freelance positions in marketing and design, including working as the content marketer and fashion designer for a NYC-based start-up urban brand who was featured in New York Fashion Week!
Upon graduating from WVU in the spring of 2025, Kara plans to return to her hometown of Lewisburg where she will use her education and skills to help local organizations bring her surrounding community out of poverty. In addition, she intends on using her online business to strengthen her local economy through helping growing businesses, all while pursuing an online fashion design career.
Job Titles:
- Education / Consumer Reporter
Kathryn Bruch is a senior journalism student with a minor in sociology at West Virginia University. She was born and raised in Warrenton, Virginia, and will be graduating with her bachelor's degree in May of 2024. Kathryn is currently President of WVU's chapter of RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association), and previously was Vice President of New Membership Education in Sigma Kappa. She has participated in RTDNA conventions and media trips across the U.S. to build connections and opportunities. Kathryn has also been on the Dean's List during all previous semesters. Last year, Kathryn was one of the main anchors for WVU News and was also an Education/Consumer/Non-profit beat reporter. She has worked part-time at WBOY (Channel 12 news) in Clarksburg, West Virginia, and has gained real world experience in broadcasting news. Outside of school, Kathryn loves to stay active by going on hikes, working out at the gym, and hanging out with friends. After graduation, Kathryn plans on becoming an investigative journalist to create people-focused stories. A fun fact about Kathryn is that she is the youngest of five siblings, and the only girl!
Nathaniel Hite is a senior at West Virginia University majoring in journalism and minoring in music technology. He's originally from Beckley, WV, but grew up in Morgantown in WVU's backyard. He enjoys playing guitar, collecting vinyl records, and playing video games. Originally, Nate went to vocational school to study automotive repair. He started working for a private videographer in Morgantown, recording and live streaming concerts at local music venues. This sparked his passion for media. He has assisted bands in recording albums and has played in a few bands of his own, in Morgantown. Previously, he recorded, edited and archived performances for the School of Music at the College of Creative Arts. When he graduates in May, he plans to either return to WVU to get his master's degree in journalism, or enter the media industry, either through radio, broadcast, or even working in music studies.
Sydney is a senior journalism student at WVU minoring in marketing and music. She is originally from Akron, Ohio. Sydney is the podcast manager for WVU Student Media and is a member of Omega Phi Alpha National Service Sorority. She is also on the executive board of Professional Greek Council and has earned her way onto the Dean's and President's list every semester. At the start of her time at WVU, she worked for The Daily Athenaeum in podcasting and soon discovered a passion for radio and broadcast journalism. Sydney spent the past two summers in Nashville, Tennessee, interning with SiriusXM The Highway. This experience helped her gain a better understanding of not only the broadcast industry, but the music industry as well. Upon graduation, Sydney would like to work in a country music radio position or as a news producer. A fun fact about Sydney is that her parents named her after Jennifer Garner's character from the early-2000s show, "Alias."