“It’s a gift”; 2021–22 O’Brien Fellows aim to shed light on inequities
Get to know the 2021–22 O’Brien Fellows
By Rachel Ryan and Ziyang Fu
We chatted with our four new Fellows about their career paths and their ambitions for the Fellowship.
Here’s what they had to say:
Katherine Reynolds Lewis
Katherine Reynolds Lewis never imagined becoming a journalist. In her senior year at Harvard University studying physics, Lewis had doubts about becoming a research physicist.
So, when she graduated, she worked mornings at a coffee shop and spent her afternoons interviewing for jobs she found in the help wanted section of the newspaper.
It was by pure chance that she landed in journalism, starting as a reporter at The Bond Buyer in New York.
Later, she’d move to Washington, D.C., where she covered politics and business at Bloomberg News and Newhouse News Service. One of her more notable moments while there was getting to fly on Air Force Two while covering Democrat Al Gore’s presidential campaign.
Now, Lewis has placed her reporting focus on education, something she’s been passionate about since she was 13.
“When I was a teenager, my favorite reading material was nonfiction stories about disabled kids with emotional disabilities or physical disabilities, and there was this whole genre of stories by special education teachers,” she said. “I thought I wanted to be a special ed teacher at that time.”
But that dream never panned out for Lewis, who felt she didn’t have what it took to meet the demands of the job.
Instead, Lewis decided to make a difference through her reporting
“I get so outraged by injustice and the fact that kids with disabilities and Black and brown kids are disproportionately punished in this country,” she said. “If I can be a small part of bridging the gap from research…to the practice of what’s happening in the schools, I think there’s no more important thing that I see a need for.”
And Lewis hopes to continue this work through her role at the O’Brien Fellowship. She’ll be working on long-form stories that bring awareness to education practices and teacher training that focuses on social justice.
“I think of myself as someone who’s looking to educate and cast light on under-covered issues, and there’s not always a clear finger to point in those kinds of stories the way that there is with traditional investigative stories, so (O’Brien) really was a perfect fit,” Lewis said.
Sari Lesk
Sari Lesk still remembers the moment she walked into a homeless shelter in Racine County, WI, and met a struggling young mother.
Lesk was working with a team of journalists at The Journal Times on a story about the high eviction rates in Racine County at the time. As a part of that project, they interviewed people at a homeless shelter to understand their perspectives on the subject.
The mother Lesk talked to was in her early 20’s and was trying to find a job.
But, the woman couldn’t find or afford daycare for her young baby, meaning it was difficult for her to attend job interviews that would allow her to get back on her feet. The woman told Lesk that she felt like the system was set up against her.
“You feel for her and that adorable little baby because it’s not like people don’t want to take care of themselves, but sometimes they need resources that just aren’t there,” Lesk said.
After the stories were published, Lesk said local officials held a hearing to address the eviction issues taking place in the county.
“It’s a gift to be able to do those things,” Lesk said. “To bring attention to things that are affecting your neighbors, your community members and hopefully bring them closer to solutions.”
To Lesk, moments like these have helped solidify why her career in journalism is so important.
Even before beginning her career, Lesk knew she wanted to do something that served others. At first, she thought that was teaching, but after more consideration, she realized the impact she could make through journalism could be greater.
Throughout her career, Lesk has touched lives through her reporting at the Stevens Point Journal, The Journal Times, the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, and now, the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Through her work at O’Brien, Lesk said she hopes to continue her mission of serving others by shedding some light on underserved populations in the banking world, who may not have the same access to money and other resources as others do.
Sarah Carr
Last year, Sarah Carr worked on a story on struggling readers, and how the COVID-19 pandemic added to their educational challenges.Carr said she was moved to dig deeper on the topic, and touched to learn that the featured families got many offers of free tutoring because of her story published in The Boston Globe.
Shedding light and creating impact through reporting is what most motivates Carr.
Early experiences reporting in high school and college made her realize journalism is what she actually wanted to do for a living.
And her graduate school experience of covering the youth beat inspired her to become an education journalist.
After spending large chunks of the last decade as a freelancer and working remotely, Carr said she felt energized to work with Fellows of all experience levels in O’Brien’s newsroom, do extensive research and produce in-depth stories.
“I’ve done a mix of daily and longer stories over the years, and the in-depth investigative work is what I’m most proud of,” Carr said.
Carr said she is excited to continue her reporting on education and help shine a new light on racial disparities in educational opportunity through her project at O’Brien.
“Sometimes we write pieces that change laws and change policy and have these concrete, tangible (results),” Carr said. “That’s wonderful. Other stories don’t have tangible results yet promote broader understanding, and empathy, and that’s vitally important, too.”
Guy Boulton
While attending college in the 1970s, Boulton realized he was not interested in being a part of the business world.
Boulton’s experience of working at a boarding school and serving as a VISTA volunteer made him see the need for equity, social justice and fair reporting. Moreover, events like the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War further strengthened Boulton’s drive to become a reporter.
Although Boulton did not take any journalism classes in college, he decided to step into the news industry with his passion for journalism.
From Utah to Florida, Boulton has covered topics relating to business, technology, healthcare, transportation and more. He’s worked as a reporter for, among others, The Salt Lake Tribune, The Tampa Tribune, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Wichita Eagle, and now, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Boulton said one of his career goals is to help the public understand how the healthcare system works. He said he is proud of the broad range of stories that he has covered about this topic over the years.
Despite the changes of the news industry, Boulton believes investigative and explanatory journalism remains significant and has become more of a priority today.
In talking about the O’Brien Fellowship, Boulton said he is fascinated by the unique newsroom environment.
“Everyone has been remarkably friendly and helpful, and you also get a sense of the opportunity you have to draw on a lot of bright and accomplished people,” he said.
Boulton said it is valuable to have the chance to meet with other experienced journalists and get advice from them throughout the process of reporting.
Through his project at O’Brien, Boulton said he wants to help people understand the complexities of the healthcare system and how dollars are allocated in the industry.
