Madison Van Horn – Editor

Madison (Maddie) Van Horn is a Senior Communication major and is currently working as the Head Editor of Rising Rock Media and Editor in Chief at the University Echo. Maddie is a writer, editor, storyteller, leader, and a voice for those who need it most. Throughout her time at UTC, she has captured pockets of Chattanooga’s community, from rowing and dance to addiction and women’s rights. This summer, she will begin her master’s in Interactive Design Journalism at UNC Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media. Maddie can be reached at maddienvanhorn@gmail.com for any collaboration inquiries.

Seth Carpenter – Assistant Editor

Seth Carpenter is a photojournalist and the photo editor of UT Chattanooga’s student-run newspaper, the University Echo. Seth has covered stories on a nurse working through COVID-19, the life of a former prisoner, the backslide of LGBTQ rights, and much more. Seth hopes the stories they tell will make a difference in the lives of others, and they will be graduating with a B.A. in Communication at the end of this semester. If you have a story that needs to be told, reach out to Seth at Sethcarpenter101@gmail.com.

Taylor Carmody

Taylor Carmody is a Senior at UT Chattanooga majoring in Communication with a minor in Child and Family Studies. She has a passion for storytelling through still photos. She is a volunteer leader and is on Student Staff with Chattanooga Young Life. Taylor is a hard working and compassionate individual. She hopes to graduate and continue to share unheard stories of those in the community. To connect or collaborate with Taylor, email her at ccb729@mocs.utc.edu. 

Cassandra Castillo

Cassandra Castillo is a junior Communication and Humanities major with a minor in Spanish at UT Chattanooga. As a multimedia journalist, she hopes to give a voice to the voiceless through visual and written storytelling around the world. Cassandra works as a videographer for Rising Rock Media, video editor for Mocs News and feature writer for the University Echo. For questions or collaboration with Cassandra, contact xmx829@mocs.utc.edu.

Maddie Charnes

Maddie Charnes is a writer studying Communication as a junior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. With a passion for storytelling through her writing and photography, she aims to shed light on important social issues on both a large and local scale. Outside of storytelling, she works as a Research Assistant in the Psychology department, where she is currently working on an Advocacy and Activism project. Maddie hopes to combine her storytelling and research skills to properly gather information and share it in an eye-catching way. To connect, email her at dpn925@mocs.utc.edu

William Chen

William Chen is a Communication major at UTC studying to pursue a career in media while incorporating his creative skills. Chen has pursued a variety of avenues in both journalistic storytelling and entertainment-based student media. He hopes to utilize his personable character and unique background to help uplift and share marginalized, under-represented stories. For inquiries or to collaborate, contact William Chen at mvs154@mocs.utc.edu.

Sarah Chesek

Sarah Chesek is a senior Communication major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Currently, she holds the title of Head News Editor for The University Echo, UTC’s student newspaper; she also focuses on writing for Rising Rock Media. Sarah is a hard working and compassionate individual, who is passionate about civil rights issues and hopes to bring light to them through her writing. To contact her, email vxw726@mocs.utc.edu. 

Caroline Colvin

Caroline Colvin is a writer and the Assistant Features Editor for UTC’s student newspaper. She is a junior with a double major in communications and Spanish and hopes to use her Spanish major to expand whose stories she can tell. After all, her passion is finding and sharing the stories of the communities around her to promote compassion and humanity, even when it proves difficult. She can be reached at ypz664@mocs.utc.edu. 

Matt Cook

Matthew Cook always snaps the perfect moment as a photographer, and he’s recently tested his skills in audio and videography. A senior Communication major at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Matthew looks forward to working in Automotive Photography. To contact him, please reach out to matthewcook444@gmail.com.

Mason Edwards

Mason T. Edwards seeks unity and commonality through his writing. A junior Communication major, he’s known for his human-interest storytelling, investigative work, published creative writing and cheery personality. Mason writes for UTC’s student newspaper, interns with the Rhea County Herald-News and volunteers in two of his school’s student support programs. He’s always ready to schedule a meeting, so contact Mason at zsp239@mocs.utc.edu.

Allie English

Julia (Allie) English is an aspiring documentarian with a passion for visual storytelling. She currently studies both Communications and Environmental Science with the goal of bringing awareness to social and environmental injustices. Allie served as an Assistant Photo Editor with the University Echo and as an intern with Cypress Magazine. She believes in the power of visual narration to promote empathy and community. For collaboration, please reach out to skg937@mocs.utc.edu.

Noah Fernandez

Noah Fernandez is a visual storyteller through photojournalism. He is studying theatre and communications at UTC. He utilizes his skills learned through theatre to engage people in the real world in order to tell exciting stories. For any storytelling opportunities contact him at sdj293@mocs.utc.edu.

Jules Jackson

Jules Jackson is a passionate Chattanooga-based filmmaker who sees film and video as profoundly important, thought-provoking artistic mediums to share stories.When he isn’t out with a camera or in his painting studio, he serves local artists through his work as ArtsBuild’s Programs Assistant. If you have an idea for a story you would like to share through film, email Jules at julesjacksonartist@gmail.com.

Noah Keur

Noah Keur is a Junior Communications major, with a minor in Education, at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Noah is a writer, specializing in all things sports, with experience through publications such as The Chattanoogan and UTC’s student run newspaper, The Echo. He excels in finding stories that tend to go unnoticed by the naked eye, and he thoroughly enjoys expanding on these findings, bringing things to light that otherwise never would. He hopes to exist somewhere within the athletic media world following his graduation. For any questions or collaboration, Noah can be reached at crn443@mocs.utc.edu.

Ali Lemmons

Ali Lemmons is a junior communications major with a minor in computer science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Ali primarily calls herself a writer, but has a newfound passion for photojournalism. Professionally, Ali works as a content writer for Lemmtec, a website development company, and has done freelance writing for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. To contact Ali about her work, she can be reached at crr427@mocs.utc.edu.

Madelyn McCrary

Madelyn McCrary is a senior Communication major with a minor in Creative Writing at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, who is graduating in May of 2023. Madelyn is an audiographer and writer who enjoys multimedia storytelling that entertains her audience and sparks discourse within her community. She has a passion for podcasting, writing, and photojournalism. For questions and collaboration, you can contact her at gwg489@mocs.utc.edu.

Keslin Moore

Keslin Moore is social media savant, ready to bring your organization exposure and engagement. A senior at UT Chattanooga,  Moore studies business marketing and a minor in communication. She serves as UTC’s AMA President and works for UTC’s Campus Recreation’s social media team and UTC’s Marketing and Communications Department. Passionate for communication, her unique combination of creativity, storytelling and social media excels at bringing people together. For questions or collaboration ideas, contact her at vlz857@mocs.utc.edu 

Stephanie Shannon

Stephanie Shannon’s work as a writer, photographer and volunteer reflects her compassionate personality. A junior studying communication science with a minor in psychology, Stephanie desires to continue her education by seeking a master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology. She’s a student ministry leader and group photographer for Silverdale Baptist Church. Throughout her writing she hopes to inspire change as she illuminates on social issues in the community. To contact her, you may reach her at phc522@mocs.utc.edu.