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By Iris Serrano
Photo by Jack Moody (StratComm’24)

For Celia Frazier, being a journalist isn’t just a job. It’s a responsibility to serve the public.

It’s a passion she first discovered while watching Spotlight, which showed a team of Boston Globe reporters uncovering a sex abuse scandal, as a high school student. But it’s the skills she developed in her classes at the College of Media, Communication and Information and as a reporter that have prepared her for a career in the newsroom.

“From my first meeting of the , I was surrounded by so many people who were really passionate about journalism,” Frazier said. “I got really excited about journalism in a way that I hadn't before.”

In May, Frazier will graduate as the William W. White Outstanding Senior for the Department of Journalism. These awards are chosen by CMCI faculty to honor students for their academic accomplishments, professional achievements and service to the college.

Frazier got to work from her first year at CU 51��ý. She joined the student-run Independent and interned at the Daily Camera the following summer.

“The work I did made me realize how much I love this,” Frazier said. “It just reaffirmed to me that journalism was what I wanted to do.”

Chuck Plunkett, who taught Frazier in her capstone News Corps class, has witnessed her dedication to journalism firsthand.

“Celia is a joy to work with, and she’ll be a real benefit to any newsroom that’s smart enough to bring her on,” said Plunkett, an assistant teaching professor at CMCI.

Improving the Independent

Over the past two years, she’s served as a managing editor for the CUI, leading the newsroom and leaving an impression on new members.

“Celia is very determined to make CUI a better place,” said Vanessa Arambula, a sophomore majoring in journalism and a reporter at the Independent. “She creates such a welcoming space. She’s helped me become not only a better writer, but also a better person.”

Her big break came last summer, when she was selected as a reporting fellow for Carnegie-Knight News 21, a prestigious national reporting initiative out of Arizona State University that brings promising journalism students together to create investigative projects.

“The project was about language access in voting ahead of the 2024 general election,” Frazier said. “I traveled to Las Vegas to talk to members of the Asian American community about how they had advocated for themselves to get ballots, election resources and information in Mandarin.”

was picked up by The Associated Press—an exciting accomplishment for a student—but more meaningful to her was the message she received from her boyfriend’s grandmother, who shared her experience growing up as a first-generation American.

“It's not about where you get published, or what awards you win or how many views your work gets,” she said. “It's about the impact it makes on the community.”

Her commitment to the public is what continues to guide her. She is a finalist for Report for America, a national service program that pairs journalists with local news organizations throughout the United States.

“That’s the kind of journalism I like to do,” Frazier said. “It’s important to know what's happening around you, beyond just the national headlines.”