Amani Bayo
Amani Bayo ‘24 (Journalism) served as the John R. Oller 2023-2024 special projects editor for The Lantern, where she produced three project-length stories: “The Tragedy of Bill and Mary,” “Reinventing the Meaning of ‘Merit’ in Higher Education” and “The Legacies Ohio State is Built Upon.”
During her time as a student, Bayo also interned as a production assistant at WOSU and with The Columbus Dispatch, and she will start a full-time position with the Dispatch when she graduates in December.
“Communicating through words has always been a major passion of mine and has always had a special place in my heart,” she said.
During her time as the special projects editor at The Lantern, Bayo worked roughly five hours a week on investigative and interpretative projects.
Her first piece as special projects editor was about the 1970 Bill and Mary cold case on Ohio State’s campus. Although the case is still cold, Bayo brought awareness to the case as detectives work to potentially still solve it.
Bayo also wrote a piece on the strikedown of affirmative action at Ohio State.
“I wrote about how affirmative action impacts admissions, especially since Ohio State used affirmative action practices in the past.”
Her third piece as the special projects editor on legacies at Ohio State focused on students’ failed efforts to remove the names of people from Ohio State buildings that supported discriminatory policies.
In her internship with The Dispatch, Bayo pitched stories and wrote articles on topics like crime and trending news that impact local residents.
“The Dispatch has allowed me to look into my ideas, workshop with editors and experienced reporters, and then grow from there,” she said.
Bayo pitched and wrote about an art program for incarcerated women at the Ohio Reformatory For Women in Marysville. She went into the prison to talk to the women and hear about how the program was helping them.
“I thought it was a cool idea to look at how this art program is working to change the narratives of incarcerated women,” she said.
Bayo credits the School of Communication with preparing her for these internship experiences.
“My first class with Nicole Kraft and then my practicum with Spencer Hunt helped instill confidence in me and helped me grow as a reporter.”
In recognition of her work, in April, Bayo was awarded the Frank J. Tate Scholarship in Journalism in Journalism from the School of Communication for outstanding achievement in news writing for a magazine.
Bayo is involved in other clubs such as the Black x Bold magazine, the only Black-run publication that highlights underrepresented groups on Ohio State’s campus. She is also a member of the Western Sahel Student Association, which is a cultural organization that raises awareness of the five countries in the region: Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea and Gambia.
In addition, she is in the Exchange Partner Program through the Office of International Affairs, which helps international students become acclimated to the Ohio State campus.
“I hope to inspire Muslim women who are interested in becoming a journalist to believe in yourself, take up space and know you are worthy of all the opportunities and successes that come your way.”
The Special Projects Editor position is funded by a generous alumni donation from John R. Oller, which created a fund for this annual position. Learn more about ways to financially support the School of Communication and students.
Emma Wozniak
Emma Wozniak ‘25 (Journalism, Political Science) is the editor-in-chief of The Lantern and was awarded the School of Communication’s Top Scholar Award in Spring 2024.
Wozniak began as editor-in-chief at The Lantern in May and had a hectic start to her role.
Her first project as editor was working with her team to report on the 2024 spring commencement ceremony, where a tragic suicide occurred.
“We also had everything with national politics; it felt like it was breaking news after breaking news,” Wozniak said.
This fall, Wozniak covered the Presidential Debate in Philadelphia, Penn. She regarded this experience as one of her defining moments.
"We found out [that our press credentials were approved] less than a week before we would need to leave,” she said.
While Wozniak was at the debate, she was surrounded by other reporters and even mentors.
“Sheridan Hendrix from The Columbus Dispatch has been an appreciated and wonderful mentor to me and everyone at The Lantern.”
Wozniak said her political science major is where she wants to specialize in journalism, and the School of Communication helped her find success as a student journalist.
“I’ve learned the basics of journalistic writing, I’ve taken a television production class where I learned to speak in front of a camera, and the fact that there is a freelancing course to dip your toes in is important and special,” she said.
Wozniak is proud of her accomplishments as editor-in-chief thus far.
“I feel a lot of personal fulfillment from knowing that whatever kind of work I’m doing is educating or fulfilling somebody in some way.”
She looks forward to finishing this year strong before she graduates in May 2025.
“It’s just a matter of finding the right opportunity. And right now I just enjoy where I’m at, and I really enjoy the role that I’m in. I love my staff and I love doing what I do every day,” she said.
Article by student Alexis Cash
