Meet Anna Colletto, Cate Charron, Jessica Kim and William Tong: the 2023 Student Press Freedom Day Student Co-Chairs! These college journalists are leaders in their newsrooms, communities and local New Voices movements. They are the student voice of the Student Press Freedom Day planning team. And they’re hard at work with the Student Press Law Center and partners strategizing for Student Press Freedom Day 2023: Bold Journalism and Brave Advocacy!
Anna Colletto
Anna Colletto is a sophomore at the University of Missouri-Columbia pursuing a dual degree in Journalism and Political Science (Pre-Law). She is the Editor-in-Chief of The Maneater, MU’s student-run newspaper. Anna has sought to foster innovation and community by establishing several new training and information gathering initiatives during her tenure. Prior to taking on the position, she worked as a reporter and Multimedia Editor for the paper. She also spent the previous summer working as a Digital Media Intern for Cincinnati Magazine.
Cate Charron
Cate Charron (she/her) is a December graduate from Indiana University, with a degree in journalism, certificate in informatics and minor in web design and development. She was the fall editor-in-chief of the Indiana Daily Student and has interned for the Indianapolis Star and the Herald-Times in Bloomington, Indiana. In October, Charron won the SPLC’s Reveille Seven Courage in Student Journalism Award for her work on a sexual misconduct case and resulting battle for information from her university.
Jessica Kim
Jessica Kim (she/her) is from Vancouver, BC — yes, she is Canadian! She is a recent grad of Eric Hamber Secondary where she was the Managing Editor of the newspaper, The Griffins’ Nest and Editor-in-Chief of the school’s yearbook. She co-drafted Canada’s first student journalism protection legislation, the Student Press Freedom Act, alongside Editor-in-Chief Spencer Izen and has since been campaigning for its passage in the legislature. Currently, Jessica is a freshman at the University of Western Ontario studying Political Science and Business Administration and is a News Intern for the Western Gazette.
William Tong
William Tong (he/him) is from Naperville, Illinois. He studies journalism at Northwestern University, where he also reports for The Daily Northwestern. At his high school newspaper, the Central Times, he was Editor-in-Chief and Editorials Editor. Last year, William helped revise his school district’s student publications policy to strengthen student press rights.