Junior Florida A&M University School of Journalism & Graphic Communication students Khalil-Lullah Ballentine and Krysten Hood have been named to the 2026-27 HBCU Science Journalism Fellowship class by the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT.
The 10-member cohort of outstanding undergraduate students represents the third year of the program, which develops storytellers by offering training, mentorship, and early-career support to explore reporting on science, health, and environmental issues. The fellowship includes a weeklong science journalism summer camp at MIT, offering hands-on workshops with some of the top journalists and publications in the industry. After the summer camp, cohort members are matched with a professional science journalist who mentors them for the next 10 months, providing ongoing training and support as students develop, pitch and publish impactful stories on important issues in science.
“I’m so happy to see this group of young journalists get introduced to science journalism and hopefully consider it as a career,” said Knight Science Journalism Program director Usha Lee McFarling. “Our field has not always been open or welcoming to people from all backgrounds, and it’s wonderful to see that changing.”
Ballentine, majoring in journalism, brings to the cohort his background in reporting and directing photojournalism, gained through his experience at The FAMUAN student newspaper, his contributions to FAMU TV-20, and his videography for the campus community. He is passionate about elevating community-driven stories and the intersections of history, culture, service, and social justice. In announcing his participation, he said he was ecstatic to learn alongside the incredible minds both participating in and facilitating the program.
“I’m most excited for the opportunity to visit Cambridge, Massachusetts, because I’ll be amongst some of the strongest minds in the field,” he said.
Hood, also majoring in journalism, will leverage her experience as a staff writer and perspectives editor for The FAMUAN, and as an assistant producer and promotions team member for the student radio station WANM-FM 90.5. She is passionate about amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities through multimedia journalism and the intersections of advocacy, social awareness, and education.
“This fellowship is very timely for me in my academic journey, especially as a student at FAMU, which is currently a Research 2 institution, climbing its way to becoming a Research 1 institution,” said Hood. “I am specifically interested in writing stories that explore artificial intelligence advancements in medical care and agriculture/food science.”
FAMU SJGC also had a presence in the inaugural HBCU Science Journalism Fellowship cohort in 2024. Senior journalism student Jonathan R.M. Charles’ success in the program led to his publishing a story focusing on the hidden health crisis of mold growth, which was published internationally by CBS News via KFF Health News. Skylar Rowley, who graduated in 2025, was recently named an inaugural fellow of the Before She Leads program, which prepares young women for careers in politics, policy, and public leadership.
The Knight Science Journalism Program works closely with journalism deans and faculty to identify rising storytellers. The fellowship is a component of the program’s efforts to sustain and improve science journalism, alongside its annual fellowship for mid-career journalists, the Sharon Begley Science Reporting Fellowship for early-career journalists, and the Fellowship for Advancing Science Journalism in Africa and the Middle East.
