Olivia Diaz

Student editor receives a Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellowship

August 10, 2020

Spider Pride

Senior Olivia Diaz is the first University of Richmond student to be awarded a 2020 Reporting Fellowship from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

Diaz was chosen along with 39 other fellows to investigate underreported stories including the coronavirus pandemic, environmental issues, and global health. She’s focusing her reporting on the underlying causes of food insecurity in Detroit, a topic she became interested in after co-leading a service-learning trip to the city earlier this year.

“Nearly half of households in Detroit are food insecure,” Diaz said. “I’m looking forward to interviewing individuals at urban farms, nonprofits, and social services who are working to find long-term solutions to increase access to healthy, affordable food.”

Diaz also serves as the vice president of finance for The SEEDS Project, a student-run organization that coordinates service-learning trips. 

“I’m thrilled that Olivia has won this prestigious reporting fellowship and excited to hear about the stories she‘ll find in Detroit,” said Shahan Mufti, chair of the journalism department. “I have no doubt that her work with the Pulitzer Center over the coming year will inspire other students to seek this opportunity in the future.”     

Diaz is majoring in both journalism and global studies and is the editor in chief for The Collegian, UR’s independent, student-run newspaper. The Collegian was selected recently for the Poynter College Media Project, a yearlong initiative providing students with in-newsroom training, regular online seminars, and support for a reporting project.