Cherisse Halsall, Missouri School of Journalism graduate student, named 33rd Kaplan Fellow
By Austin Fitzgerald
Photos by Nate Brown
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Nov. 19, 2024) — Cherisse Halsall, a master’s student at the Missouri School of Journalism, has been named the 33rd David Kaplan Memorial Fellow. In addition to a $10,000 stipend, the esteemed fellowship will grant her a full-time, paid position at the ABC News Washington Bureau in the spring, where she will rotate through roles in various productions throughout the semester.
Halsall previously gained broadcast reporting experience at 7News in Belize, where she reported for four years before coming to the School of Journalism in 2023, in addition to a brief stint as a consultant for CBS News. Now, she will head to Washington to further develop her skills in the nerve center of America’s political journalism ecosystem.
“Cherisse has demonstrated a wide skillset — here at KOMU-TV and prior to her graduate studies at 7News in Belize — that will serve her well at ABC News,” said Professor Amy Simons. “She’s quick to find the story that needs telling and does so in a way that delivers context for the audience.”
“I find it refreshing to bring Cherisse into our newsroom, to have someone joining us who isn’t already enmeshed in our political system covering our government here in D.C.,” added Audrey Taylor, director of bureau planning and strategy for ABC News.
Halsall’s goal is to build on her experience as a national correspondent in Belize on a larger scale.
“I want to be a national correspondent for network news,” Halsall said. “Right now, I’m going behind the scenes in order to learn how network news works from many different perspectives. I want to make myself indispensable.”
Her on-the-job experience has made her a natural fit not only for the fellowship, but for the School of Journalism’s Missouri Method of learning by doing. In roles as an anchor, reporter and producer at the School’s NBC affiliate, KOMU-TV, she has brought with her a mature sensibility forged from experiences that can only happen outside a classroom.
I want to be a national correspondent for network news. Right now, I’m going behind the scenes in order to learn how network news works from many different perspectives. I want to make myself indispensable.
Cherisse Halsall
“In late October of my first year as a journalist, I covered one of the worst car accidents that Belize City had ever seen,” Halsall said. “The man I ended up interviewing on the scene was someone I had seen growing up in my hometown. He was traumatized because his daughter-in-law had just died, and he had to communicate that to his son over the phone. I learned a lot about journalism that day — how impactful it can be in both informing and comforting.”
That rounded view of journalism — and the ability to draw important lessons from time in the field — indicate to Simons that while Halsall already has impressive accomplishments under her belt, there is room to grow even further from an opportunity like the Kaplan Fellowship.
“Cherisse is a lifelong learner who has shown she’s not satisfied sitting still,” Simons said. “She has the drive to push for the big stories from behind the camera and to make important connections through her reporting.”
Indeed, “lifelong” is an apt description of Halsall’s passion for visual storytelling, which first manifested as a desire to start a YouTube channel. In developing the skills necessary to perform in front of a camera, she discovered that reporting a story she could be proud of was a fulfilling experience. Now, she has reached yet another turning point, as Associate Professor and KOMU Producing Supervisor Kellie Stanfield reminded her in a celebratory text when the news about the fellowship came in.
“The beginning of something magical and big,” Stanfield wrote.
About the David Kaplan Fellowship
The David Kaplan Memorial Fellowship honors the memory of David Kaplan, who was a producer for ABC’s Sam Donaldson. Kaplan was killed while on assignment for ABC News in 1992 in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Donaldson, a 40-year veteran reporter, correspondent and anchor for ABC News, created the program with funds that he and his colleagues donated to honor Kaplan.
The Missouri School of Journalism was chosen to award the fellowship due to its renowned reputation for hands-on training of both reporters and producers.
Updated: November 19, 2024