Meet The Team

Rachel is a Radio Convergence Media major, at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism. She is very excited to be a part of this team, doing her 2nd internship with NxGen Media Internship Program. She is looking forward to being able to create and produce stories for The Justice Beat Talk Show.

Vito joins us from Adler University where he is a masters student in the Couples and Family Therapy department. Hailing from Washington, DC, Vito has been interested in social justice from a young age. After working for the Maryland State’s Attorney’s office in the Domestic Violence Unit throughout High School, Vito continued cultivating his passion for criminal justice reform in Chicago, during and after college. Having done community-organizing work across the city in various non-profits, this will be his first role focusing on using social media to cultivate criminal justice reform. He is excited to expand his horizons at the Justice Beat Talk Show!

Natalie Jones is a graduate student at Adler University, currently pursuing
two master’s degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Sport and Human Performance. She
recently joined the Legal Hour Show as an Associate Producer, as well as the Just-US YOUth
team as a junior associate producer/research assistant. She works as an office manager at a
private practice, and works with young athletes as well. This has expanded her experience on mental health, and relevant issues of diverse youth, especially athletes. She believes that working in
these positions will expand her knowledge of incarcerated individuals and youth. This experience can also help her to be a multi-faceted and multi-cultural counselor, equipped to work with different populations.

Nik Wicks is a nonbinary Chicagoland Native and a decade-long Chicago Transplant. They studied Illustration at Columbia College Chicago, and work as a freelance illustrator while pursuing their Masters in Counseling & Art Therapy at Adler University. They are the proud parent of two cats (Alice & Dorian Grey), love to take long walks on Chicago's lakefront trails and through the various city parks, and are very passionate about art history and art accessibility.
They came to The Justice Beat as part of Adler's Social Justice Practicum, hoping to address and educate themselves and others on the various issues that face our incarcerated siblings and their families. They believe by understanding the experiences facing those who have been processed through the criminal justice system and their loved ones, we can begin to address inequalities in these systems and move towards equitable change.

Melissa is a Masters-level student majoring in Arts Therapy/Counseling at Adler University. in Chicago, IL. As a NxGen Media Intern, Melissa is part of the production team and is dedicated to a special leadership project within the program, 'Leading From The Rear" that will focus on ways to effectively lead a team remotely in today's environment.

Alisha Bolin is a recent graduate of the BC Skills Web Development Academy in Kentucky. She is working on the Webmaster Team as the lead. Alisha has a passion for social justice and advocacy and is excited to bring her love for 'creating' into the social/criminal justice arena. She is eager to see where this opportunity and her new skills in coding/web development will take her; as she knows big things will come! She was excited to be able to participate in this internship, not just for the experience and leadership. but also to help increase digital presence of the show, and to help grow the Show's audience! She hopes to take the knowledge and experience gained from this internship, as she moves through the tech field. Here is her personal website, along with some of the projects she has done: https://alishaj0.github.io/

Bryant Garcia is from SouthCentral Kentucky. He recently graduated from Russellville High School and BCSkills Web Development Academy, and is currently studying computer science. As an intern for the Justice Beat Talk Show Bryant hopes to gain experience on updating and maintaining a website, improving his web development skills and increase project management, marketing, and social media skillsets. Bryant hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the justice system from the guests that attend the show.

Andrew Lindsey is a graduate student at Adler University and currently pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Andrew has recently joined the Just-US YOUth team here as an associate producer / research assistant. In past work experiences, Andrew has worked with middle school aged youth who were contending with trauma, a range of diagnoses, and challenging situations at home. Due to the converging of these factors, this frequently led youth to entanglements in the justice system. Andrew believes the upcoming Just Us Youth program will give a powerful voice to the challenges youth face in this system and how to effectively implement positive and necessary changes.

Taylor Dalton is a mixed, queer performance artist from Chicago. She obtained her BA in Drama and English from Vassar College in New York and is currently pursuing her MA in Public Policy with a concentration in Human Rights Advocacy at Adler University here in the city. She is excited to join The Justice Beat via Adler’s Social Justice Practicum and learn more about the legal and criminal justice systems, media production, and what tangible actions can be taken to aid incarcerated individuals and their families. She is also interested in learning how new policies can be created and/or existing ones dismantled to further protect and support people of color and other marginalized communities long before engaging with the criminal justice system, if at all.

Brennan is currently attending the University of Missouri, where he is majoring in Communication (with an emphasis in Mediated Communication) and Political Science. Brennan is also working towards earning certificates in American Constitutional Democracy and Multicultural Studies.

Thandolwethu is a South African isiXhosa mother tongue speaker. She graduated from Rhodes University with a Humanities degree. Currently, she holds a Bachelor of Journalism and Media Studies degree, double-majoring in Writing and Editing, and German Studies, minor subjects included Legal Theory, Philosophy, and Politics.
Thandolwethu is a flexible writer in form, length, style, language, tone, and point-of-view.
Thandolwethu is multilingual, speaking five South African languages. She is a strategic communicator with public speaking skills and also a published poet in South Africa and international anthologies.

Danielle Logan is a Culinary graduate, as well as a recent graduate from BC Skills Web Development Academy. Danielle is leading the E-commerce site development and digital communications. She was responsible for multiple things; such as web-site design, e-mail blast, and etc. She was very excited to be a part of a team, whose main focus is to educate and support others, not only in law, but in so many other important topics as well.

Stephanie Miller recently graduated BC Skills Web Development Academy. Stephanie wants to be able to help make a difference in the world we live in. She is continuing to grow as a web developer, as she continues her role on the Webmaster Team on the show. As a single mother, she a very family oriented person; who values and cherishes family time! She enjoys learning, spending time with her family and friends, and making the best out of life!