Caroline Grass

I'm a senior journalism and legal studies double major and honors minor at Ithaca College. I'm the director of underwriting for the college’s campus radio station WICB 91.7FM in addition to DJing, newscasting and contributing to the station's podcast Ithaca Now. I have also written articles for our student-run newspaper The Ithacan. This past summer I stayed in Ithaca and was a general assignment report for a local nonprofit news organization The Ithaca Voice.

 

I write stories about Ithaca with a specific focus on environmental issues the area faces and innovative solutions that are being implemented to improve the environment. In 2022, my piece "Spotted Lanternflies Arrive in New York” won the Park Student Writing Award for Best Journalistic Essay. In Spring 2023, the Society of Professional Journalists awarded my piece “Ithaca Now - The Band's Visit: Interview with Ali Bourzgui” a Region One Finalist distinction for Best Radio Feature.

 

After my sophomore year I was a development intern for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. I wrote and edited ten persuasive concept notes detailing strategic initiatives and programs to expand the work of the Reporters Committee and researched and created comprehensive reports on potential donors and foundations for the Reporters Committee to engage with.

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After my freshman year, I was a communications intern for the Chesapeake Bay Program, a regional partnership that works to restore the Chesapeake Bay watershed. I have also been a research assistant for Allison Frisch, assistant professor in the Ithaca College Department of Journalism, and evaluated the quality and quantity of news content from 60 local papers in 29 counties in and around Central New York.

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I am a varsity coxswain on the Ithaca College Men’s Rowing Team and in Spring 2024 our team won the Liberty League championship for the first time in program history. Additionally, my boat has won the New York State Championships for two years running. In 2023, I made the All-Liberty League Second Team and Liberty League All-Academic Team and received an Empacher-IRCA Scholar-Athlete Award.

 

I was born and raised in Burke, Virginia, and when I'm not at college I live with my parents, three brothers and three dogs!