About the Class
Not pictured: Morgan Blanner.
Colorado State University’s Advanced Reporting class created this website to showcase the 1984 missing person case of Jonelle Matthews. During the semester, the class met with several journalists and law enforcement professionals to learn about investigative practices.
The students interviewed people close to the case, including Matthews’ sister, the last people to see Matthews, the lead detective, and the county’s district attorney. This website features the student’s final articles, videos, photos, podcasts, and designs.
WHO'S WHO
Celia Adams:
Celia is a third-year student at Colorado State University, studying journalism and media communication with a minor in ethnic studies. She's focusing on visual communication and layout design. She is currently working as a promotional materials intern with the Study Abroad Office.
Morgan Blanner:
Morgan is a sophomore at Colorado State University, majoring in journalism and media communication and minoring in business administration. She is pursuing a career in public relations, marketing, or social media management.
Forrest Czarnecki:
Forrest is a junior at Colorado State University studying journalism and media communication, with a second field of study in Western American environmental studies. He is currently the photo editor of the Rocky Mountain Collegian, where he has worked since August 2016. For the 2019-2020 school year, he will serve as the editor-in-chief of the publication. His career focus is on photojournalism, and he can usually be found covering stories related to agriculture, the environment and the West.
Fisher FitzRandolph:
Fisher is a sophomore at Colorado State University studying anthropology and journalism, minoring in Spanish. He hopes to work in a field that focuses on international long-form storytelling.
Austin Fleskes:
Austin is a junior at Colorado State University double majoring in journalism and media communications and history. Fleskes has worked as a reporter with The Rocky Mountain Collegian, the CSU student-run newspaper for three years. Fleskes is currently standing as the news director and will serve as the managing editor for the 2019-2020 school year. He hopes to go into a career of reporting, focusing on both investigative pieces as well as human interest features.
Sonni Hendrickson:
Sonni is a sophomore at Colorado State University, majoring in journalism and mass communications with a minor in Italian Studies with a focus in criminology and criminal justice. She's focusing on international reporting and correspondence.
Emma Iannacone:
While at Colorado State University, Emma was heavily involved in student media and reported on news and entertainment stories at both the newspaper and TV station. She majored in journalism and media communication and plans to work as a reporter for a local news station in her hometown, Pocatello, Idaho.
Randi Mattox:
Randi is a senior at Colorado State University, majoring in journalism and media communication with minors in legal studies, criminology and criminal justice. She will attend The University of Montana School of Law in the fall and pursue a career in criminal defense or civil rights law.
Claire Oliver:
Claire is a senior at Colorado State University double majoring in history and journalism and media communication. Oliver is the host of the true crime podcast called Killer Vibes that is broadcasted and recorded at 90.5 KCSU FM in Fort Collins, Colo. Oliver plans to graduate in May 2019 and pursue a legal studies minor at CSU before applying for law school. She will be pursuing a career in entertainment and intellectual property law.
Kim Spencer, course instructor:
Kim Spencer serves as a senior instructor in the Department of Journalism and Media Communication at Colorado State University. A former newspaper journalist, Spencer teaches courses in reporting, editing, layout and design and media in society. She also coordinates internships for students in the JMC program.
Lauren Thomas-Nehmy:
Lauren is an Australian exchange student at Colorado State University. She is a junior majoring in journalism and media communication with a specific interest in news and investigative reporting.