A sister. A daughter. A friend. A medical journalist. A former sorority president. A woman with multiple degrees. A future news producer. All of these words describe Keshondra Shipp, a 25-year-old woman from Sylvester, Georgia. In her 25 years, Shipp has accomplished a variety of goals. “It feels like I’m living my dream. There’s so much change for me right now, but it’s all really good change,” Shipp said.

In 2020, Shipp graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University with a bachelor’s degree in English. Throughout her time at Georgia Southwestern, Shipp was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, holding positions such as president, further enhancing her college experience. Three years later, Shipp graduated with a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Georgia with a concentration in health and medical journalism and a certificate in African American Studies. 

During her time at UGA, Shipp worked as a research and teacher’s assistant in Grady’s Entertainment and Media Studies Department. Shipp chose to work this job for various reasons, but one in particular that prompted her to take this job was to inspire students, as she saw a lot of herself in them. 

Shipp’s easygoing personality additionally makes her an inspiration among students. For student Hunter Pitrak, Shipp is someone to look up to both as a person and in her journalism career. “She is so easy to get along with and so sweet. She has an all-around good personality and I will miss her so much,” Pitrak said. 

Shipp is very driven, and is moving to Texas at the end of June to pursue a career as a news producer. “I’m always eager to learn and I can get along with anyone, and I love working with others,” Shipp said. “I’m not afraid to be uncomfortable.”

CHICAGO – Joe Dennis was born Aug. 30, 1976, but little did anyone know, he would go and try to discover everyone’s story, all while wearing a fedora. 

“One thing about my life, that I’m happy and I’m older now,” said Dr. Joe Dennis, associate professor of mass communications at Piedmont University, in an interview with 16 rowdy students. “I look back and I’ve done everything I have ever wanted to do.” 

In Athens, GA, Joe Dennis lives with his wife and three kids: Jaydon, Jackson,and Matthew. Although he lives in Athens now, Joe was born in Chicago. He grew up on the Southside  and went to school at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. At this small college in Illinois, his journey in journalism had started due to an odd pairing — a crush and pepperoni pizza. Who knew being a volleyball reporter at a small school would result in his long career in journalism. 

Joe’s first journalism job was at the Walton Tribune in Monroe, GA. He worked many jobs in the field of media, including hosting a radio show, “The Big Rock Show.” For 10 years, Joe worked as a radio host, where he had “the most fun he has ever had at a job,” he said. 

Nevertheless, Joe had to move on. 

Joe currently is the associate professor of mass communications at Piedmont College. “I really enjoy getting to teach students,” Joe said. 

Inspiration for Joe comes from many sources, but everyday people are his main source.  “The most inspiration [comes] from the everyday people I encountered,” Joe said. Joe has met several historical figures, but he still strongly believes the fact that everyday people are the most inspirational people for writing. He is fascinated by the unique stories that he comes across throughout life. 

“I have been married to the love of my life for almost 23 years, three kids, and I’m happy” Joe says. He hopes to continue to tell people’s stories and continue to “[recycle] every interaction I make” in conversations. “I’m really happy how things have turned out and I’ve gotten to do everything I have wanted to do in life, so I’m really blessed with that,” Joe said.

While 4.5 million people bear the distinctive honor of a PhD, Dr. Joe Dennis shines through the masses with his iconic fedora, which you can often see him sporting and the many hats that lie underneath.

“I always wondered what I’d look like in a fedora and of course the person who was working the booth said, you would look great in a fedora,” Dennis said, recalling the day he bought his first fedora when he met a hat vendor on the streets of New York City.

Dennis currently works at Piedmont University as a professor and chair of mass communications, where he has helped build up the program from 30 students to over 60 students. During the summers, Dennis stays busy though, working at UGA as a journalism camp instructor and teacher to the future journalists of America. However, college isn’t where Joe’s various hats begin to show. His hats come from various events and connections he has made through his life. From the baseball helmet he wears, to the salakot which reveals his Filipino identity and even the hat of radio, his headphones, Joe Dennis wears many hats.

Nowadays, his students know him for the frequent reminders that “girls are players too,” but in the past he was known for his iconic radio voice. Working for Rock 103.7 in Athens, Dennis said, “I did radio full-time and it was the most fun I’ve ever had at a job… and it was also the lowest I ever got paid.” 

The now-closed radio station holds very fond memories for him, but he unfortunately had to step away due to the needs of his family. He doesn’t regret making the switch back as a journalist though, adding that “I look back and I’ve done everything I’ve ever wanted to do, maybe not at the level, like I wanted to be the next Howard Stern. I wasn’t there, but I got to live my dream and do radio.”

However, the time spent in journalism wasn’t easy for Dennis. When starting, he worked for a smaller publication which was “relying on the community that you are covering. You know those people — the mayors, the congressman, and the politicians you talk to — who also own the auto dealer and the grocery store that advertise in your publication. There’s a balance there that as a young journalist, I didn’t understand”. 

Joe struggled between trying to hold his journalistic integrity and holding on to a necessary job. Writing stories that got to the center of the issues, due to the connections in his community, he was at times turned away by his publisher for exposing the same people who were “the biggest advertisers we have.” 

At the time, Dennis said this was extremely hard but as he has grown older he understands.“It’s sad but I get it, that’s the business.”

Shifting to the non-business part of his career, Dennis and his wife have a great love for the show Parks and Recreation. Dennis said one of the highlights of his life happened at the Peabody Awards in 2012, Parks and Recreation won an award. After the Awards, Amy Poehler, an actress who he stated he “had such a crush on,” saw him taking pictures and asked if he was a photographer. He responded with a nervous “Yeah,” to which Poehler dragged him through the green room to take a picture for her. After taking the picture for her, she began to hand him a business card and he thought “Oh my God, I’m about to get Amy Poehler’s number,” but unfortunately she said 6 fatal words. “Send those pictures to my publicist.” 

In Ancient times, civilizations settled near water as it was not only the roots of their plants, but also of their life. Without the water to survive, danger could easily creep up onto the people and cause the destruction of their lifestyle as they know it. However, to Joe Dennis, his water is White Sox baseball. Growing up “5 minutes from the stadium,” Dennis found the choice of being a White Sox fan easy, even when his team struggled or players became injured. Since he grew up a fan, Dennis found it “natural that when my sons were born, I kinda raised them as White Sox fans,”

This bond extended through just watching the game, as Dennis has watched as his sons played baseball both from the stands as their loyal fan and from the dugout as the loving coach. Even though his oldest son has moved out now and life is busy, Dennis stated that baseball is “just something that’s kind of at the root of our bond together.” Through separation and hard times, he and his sons have found comfort in America’s pastime. It isn’t just a game but “such a big entity that bonds me with all my boys.”

Even with the various hats buried under his fedora, Joe Dennis finds a way to show himself in all the best ways everyday. He continues to bring joy to his students within and outside of the confines of a classroom. 

Joe Dennis enjoys journalism, sarcasm and insulting his students … but it’s all part of his teaching style.

“All of these things are jokes or examples,” he said, noting that he likes to teach using humor.  … and Kesha. 

Joe self-describes himself as Kesha’s biggest fan and will allegedly kick students out of his class if they don’t like her. “If you don’t like Kesha, get out,” he told his class of high school journalism students.

He also looks out for his students, trying to save them money when possible.

“Always look at the AP style book,” he said. “Or just Google it because that’s free.”

Joe teaches mass communication at Piedmont University, but he lives in Athens, Georgia. He used to be verified on Twitter for his White Sox news, but then “Elon Musk came along and ruined everything,” he said. 

Joe’s fedoras are an important part of his identity. He always wears one, and whether or not it’s because he has thin hair is unknown. He said he first donned a fedora after encountering a hat vendor in New York.

“She told me I looked good in a fedora and I thought “You know what? She’s right,”Joe said.

Chicago is home to Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Dr. Joe Dennis. But as his sticker-laden laptop states, he’s “Not that kind of doctor.” 

“I wanted to be a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. I didn’t quite get there, but I was a journalist for several years and won many state and regional awards. I wanted to teach and I’m getting to do that now,” Dennis said. “I got to do everything I wanted to do in life, so I’m really blessed with that.” 

Joseph Dennis was born in Chicago on August 30, 1976. He’s now the head of the mass communications department at Piedmont University in Demorest, Georgia. During the summer he instructs journalism courses in the Summer Media Academy at the University of Georgia in Athens. But he loves radio almost as much as journalism.

“I wanted to be the next Howard Stern,” he said. “I never got there, but I got to live my dream and do radio.”

From 2000 to 2009, Dennis hosted a radio show named the “Big Rock Show.” It was a Friday night show, but he worked full time at the station, WPUP-FM. “Radio was my major and is still a passion of mine,” he said..” The show brought back the 80s’ “hair metal” and was a Joe Dennis original.

If Dennis is known for anything, it would be his hats. He’s easy to pick out among summer camp instructors – he’s the one wearing the fedora.  He has eight fedoras, showing real commitment to the cap. He said that his love started when he ran into a hat stand in New York and the woman working there told him he would look great with a fedora. Sure enough, after trying on multiple, he fell in love. He claimed that his greatest inspiration to this part of his style is fellow half Filipino man, Bruno Stars.

“I always wondered what I’d look like in a fedora,” he said, recalling  the single most life-changing moment of his life, when he was at that stand in New York.. “She said, ‘You look great. Here, look at yourself.’ And I was like, I do look good.”

Dennis’ confidence transcends his fedora into his outlook on life. After careers in journalism, radio and now teaching, when asked if there was anything he would change about his life, he answered thoughtfully, “Huh. That’s a really profound question, really deep. Nothing.”

Three words is all it takes to start an introduction, but the answer is much more complex than just that. Laura Gonzalez, that’s my name and almost everyone calls me that, save for the few friends and family who call me Lala. Most people here have one thing in common, they live in Georgia however me and a few others are the exception to this rule.

Born in Coral Springs, Florida, I have spent my whole life down in the “Sunshine State” spending weekends at the beach and holidays at Disney or Universal. Despite my homes nickname and my love for laying on a towel along the coast with a book in hand, I tend to be compared to a paper sheet with a complexion so pale I feel like Edward Cullen when standing in the sun. But even though summer has just begun, time has begun to pass as senior year approaches and failed attempts to tan fall away. So how will I spend my last summer? How will I let it define me? That has yet to be seen.Back home I have been attending Coral Springs Charter School since 6th grade seeing how the school contains both middle and high school. After years within the same school, I’ve come to learn that change never stops with new and old friends leaving as well as new and old dreams arriving, but one thing that has remained constant in my life is literature. When I say literature it sounds fancy and broad but in reality I’m a person who thrives when reading a heart- wrenching romance or an action-packed adventure. Because of my interest in reading, I grew to want to write fiction. Telling the stories that I lived out in my head and writing out the dreams I had harbored allowed me to live out my fantasies through the characters that lived in the pages of my notebooks, but this wasn’t something I was able to learn about in school so I turned to the next best thing, journalism.

Going into journalism my freshman year of high school I thought I had signed up for newspaper but to my surprise, I somehow ended up in a yearbook classroom full of people who looked just as lost. I had made up my mind, I was going to ask to be transferred out, but then the teacher started talking and all thoughts of leaving left my mind. Mrs Harwell was loud, confident and VERY straightforward and when she looked at me she said, “If you don’t want to be here leave because I’m not going to put up with your bulls**t,” and with that I knew I was in this for the long run.

Now going into my senior year I’m glad I decided to see it through because without Mrs. Harwell and the editorial staff, high school would’ve really sucked. Freshman year I became an assistant underclassmen editor and by sophomore year managing my own group of kids as an editor. Junior year I did good enough that she let me be senior editor — I mean who ever heard of a junior being senior Editor — I was sure someone was going to come at me for it, but I knew I could do it so I saw it through. Next year I’m going in as editor-in-chief of my school yearbook and I know that all my effort throughout all these years was worth it. I get to call the shots, I get to have the final say. I get to prove to that freshman girl that we were worth the bulls**t.

But as much as I love yearbook, my true high school achievement lay within our literary magazine, which I have been editor-in-chief of since sophomore year. Freshman year no one seemed to care about it but I knew it was something I couldn’t look past, something I couldn’t let die out when our editor-in-chief left for college. Learning the ropes freshman year I picked up additional skills in my sophomore year practicing design in my free time. That year, I won the award for Best of the Best Literary Magazine spread at the FSPA states competition. I couldn’t believe it, I mean I was the first yearbook kid under Mrs. Harwell to ever win a Best of the Best at states. Who would’ve thought? The next year I went on to win that category once again. Journalism is more than just writing about someones story, it’s capturing the essence of it, whether that’s in a lit mag spread or a feature story.

Not everyone can say that they know what they want to be when they “grow up” and quite honestly neither can I, but I think I have an idea. My dream is to live life to the fullest: to read every book I find interesting, travel to every place I have on my list, take every risk that makes me feel like the world might just end if I see it through. I want to be able to travel and be free, not held in place by the weight of expectations or societal acceptances. Yep, my dream is to live in the Lala land I’m made up in my head (maybe now you’ll understand the nickname).

Life is meant to be enjoyed. To quote a show I did not quite love but did enjoy, “You Americans live to work. Here… here we work to live.” Thank you “Emily in Paris.” I think this is pretty true but I want to be the living exception, I want to break that rule. I may not seem that brave or extroverted, but in my mind there’s nothing that can stop me. No fear, no doubts, nothing. It may only take three words to start and introduction but it takes just two to respond. Laura Gonzalez. Two words that’s all they are, but those two words identify me.

Hello everyone! My name is Maika Walker and I am 14 years old. I am born and raised in Atlanta and will be attending North Atlanta High School in the Fall. It will be my freshman year and I’m excited to explore a new campus! One thing I am passionate about is sports. Whether that’s watching or playing its always been a big part of my life. Currently, I play year round volleyball and I’ve recently been getting into golf. I don’t have any prior experience in journalism, but I’m eager to learn.

Growing up, I’ve always been interested in some form of journalism. Whether it was news, sports or entertainment, I’ve always had an interest. But as soon I heard about my high schools’ newspaper The Warrior Wire, that was something I had to be apart of. So I made the decision to do everything I can to secure my seat on the newspaper staff. For the next 3-4 years, I will be taking journalism classes to be on the newspaper staff and hopefully turn it into a career later on. I don’t know much about journalism, but I will do everything in my power to be the best I can be.

Something I don’t ever think I could stop loving is volleyball. I’ve had an interest in it since I was about 8 years old. This will be my third consecutive year playing year round and I haven’t lost the love for it yet. I’ve played for my middle school for two years and played for Rio Volleyball Club and Ace Volleyball over the years. With tryouts coming back up quickly, who knows where I’ll end up next. I haven’t decided if I want to pursue my volleyball career in college but that is a decision I will have to choose soon.

If I’m not playing volleyball or in school, I’ve been getting into photography a lot recently. Having photography as a career doesn’t seem like something I’ll pursue, but I really enjoy having it for a hobby. I’m that type of person who takes photos of everything. Anything that is like remotely interesting I will take picture of. So I was trilled when my mother got me my own camera. It wasn’t some regular camera, it is a professional camera in which you have the option to take off the lens and put different ones on. It might not sound like much but it’s the little things in life that count for me.

One thing about me is that I always enjoy trying new things. With this being said, I am very excited to learn more about journalism and I can’t wait to explore the different aspects of it.

3,000 miles away from here is Marin County, California, the place that I have lived in my entire life. My name is Elsa Block and I go to Redwood High School. I am entering my senior year, one that is defiant and bittersweet, as it brings a close to childhood and youth. Most people in this program are from Georgia or a state nearby and easily drove here, but I had to take two separate planes and a bus to get here. Being from California, some may assume that I go to the beach often and have met many celebrities, but I have never met a celebrity and the beaches in Northern California are surprisingly very cold. The closest beach to my house is 30 minutes away and averages to be 50 degrees year round, and the water is so cold you can’t go in for more than five minutes without a wetsuit.

I learned to read when I was 2-years-old, and I learned to write when I was 5. Ever since I was young, I have enjoyed writing because it allows me to express my interests and opinions in a creative way. I became involved in my school newspaper my sophomore year. I have held positions such as a reporter and copy editor, and in the fall I will be the news editor-on-call. I like journalism because it allows for various voices and perspectives to be heard. I also enjoy editing and getting to help others refine their work.

Something interesting about me is that I have two different colored eyes- one is blue and one is brown. I was born with blue eyes, but according to my mom, when I was 1, my eyes randomly changed colors overnight. My parents thought something was wrong with me, but the eye doctors said I was completely fine. The eye doctor said I had a condition called heterochromia, which is a variation in color most commonly found in humans and animals. Even though heterochromia sounds like some crazy medical condition, it is entirely harmless.

Even though I am far away from home, stepping out of my comfort zone has caused me to learn more about other voices and perspectives and to embrace the change I may have otherwise not experienced.

In addition to Atlanta, I love exploring the city, shopping, going to concerts with my friends, and playing tennis. On Sundays, I like to get in my car and drive just 20 minutes into the city with no particular destination in mind. I scout out potential places for my friends and I to visit like local coffee shops or parks. I love taking my labradoodle Cali (named after California) on long walks in the park in the middle of the city. Most of the time, the driving in the city is the farthest thing from relaxing so I like to read and listen to music to unwind. My favorite kind of music is classic rock but I also listen to a little bit of Hip-Hop, R&B, Indie, and Pop. My favorite band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers and my favorite artist is Mac Miller.

I love traveling as well. I’ve visited over ten countries and twenty-five national parks. Something about experiencing a completely new environment and culture has always excited me. My extended family shares this excitement as well and for holidays we often like to go an adventurous trips such as sailing in the Bahamas. However, my family truly took it to the next level when we decided to go on a six month sabbatical across Europe. For six months, I was questionably homeschooled and went to what seemed like every art museum in Europe. We stayed with many friends in Spain, France, England, Belgium, and Amsterdam. I made a lot of new friends and ate a low of new food. During this time, I developed a taste for caviar, distaste for pigeons, and a new appreciation for the beauty of different cultures.

My friends and I in front of a volcano in Costa Rica!

Although I don’t have a lot of formal journalism experience, I really enjoy informational writing for my classes. Reading and writing is something that I’ve enjoyed since a young age. My mom even used to call me a mini Shakespeare because I would write so much poetry in elementary school. Journalism itself is something I’ve become more interested in recently as more of my classes have incorporated news style assignments. These assignments were challenging but enjoyable for me which is what led me to signing up for this camp.

Hi! I am Legacy Jackson. I am 14 years old, and from St.Louis, Missouri . As a 14 year old I have many expectations to live up to. At only 14 years old I am: published author, competitive dancer, news reporter for the New Real STL news, an owner of a 50lc3 community service organization, Girl Scout media team member, a youth advocate for iHeart Radio, and a girl boss. In your free time you should go follow me on instagram @thelegacyjackson and watch me on the Drew Barrymore Show. Journalism is definitely a career that interests me, anything that has to do with being in front of a camera interests me.

My passion for journalism started when I was about 5 years old. I had my first opportunity to go on Fox 2 news to talk about selling Girl Scout Cookies. We went to the station and my mom had to literally pull me out of the building. Who knew that I wanted to be in front of a camera that bad. Just about three weeks later I was invited to join the Girl Scout media team. That team has provided me with many opportunities, I got to, and still am practically the face of GSEM ( Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri). And now we are at the Fox 2 new station just about every other week recording different segments. I started doing this at the age of 5 and now I am 14. Now when we go to the station I am known. I don’t only go there for only GSEM I go there to talk about all of the amazing things that I have going on in my life.

I am also on the Youth POV board for iHeart Radio. On this segment we discuss different topics that we feel are important to us as kids. The age of this team varies so that everyone can be heard. Also from this engagement we gain siblings. People that are there to help us through our ups and downs in life. These people are also there to support each other.

I plan to become a news anchor woman when I grow up. I want to be at the news station as much as possible when I am older. But I want to be able to create my own segment on the news where kids that are doing positive things around the world can be highlighted. I feel that young entrepreneurs like me should have a chance to get the spotlight on them. Since we are living in a world were so many negative things are happening. I feel that we need to know that there are positive people that are here, maybe even sitting right next to you. What I would call it is “ordinary kids doing extraordinary things.” Another way I am getting my word out about this topic is I am doing a TEDx Talk. Where I will be talking to a room full of people and motivating them to do amazing things. My love for this topic came from me owing my own 50lc3 — Little Legacies Community Service Organization — which I am the founder of. Little Legacies helps kids get involved with community service. We do a different community service project every month. It is operated by kids: we pick, plan, and do the projects. Parents only over see it.

I have had many setbacks in life but I choose to not let them get the best of me. One of my major setbacks was when I lost my brother at the age of 19. Brendon pasted away from Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. This had to be one of the most traumatizing things that has ever happened to me. But instead of letting that incident get me down I chose to write a book in memory of him — Bubbles for Brendon — now every where we go we blow bubbles for him. This book is about coping skills from A-Z. It is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Half of the proceeds from this book actually go towards JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). This company tries to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

Everyone is going to have major setbacks and challenge that we have to overcome but instead of letting it get us down we should be able to make that motivate us to get better.