OGDEN, Utah — The syllabus in 18-year-old Madelynn Wells’ introductory film studies class assigned “Jaws” first, and then the Spanish dark comedy “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.” She said she watched those, and did the written assignments with no problem. This story also appeared in KUER Around the third week of the […]
Olivia Sanchez
What I do: I write feature stories about higher education across the country and a higher education newsletter every other week.
My background: Education played a transformative role for my family: Both my parents are first-generation college students, and both began their journeys at community colleges. I earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Portland and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. Before joining The Hechinger Report in 2021, I covered local and state government for the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. My Hechinger stories have been published by The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA TODAY and Teen Vogue, among others. I believe that providing readers with easy-to-understand stories about our complicated higher education system and the things that influence it can help them make better informed decisions about their education, and ultimately their lives.
Journalistic ethics: It’s my job to make sure my articles are fair, accurate and complete. I do not accept any gifts or special considerations from sources or potential sources. I am committed to following The Hechinger Report’s code of ethics, which means I do my best to be fair, honest and nonpartisan. We are also guided by the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics, which requires journalists to seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently and be accountable and transparent.
Phone: 212-678-8402
