The UConn Society of Professional Journalists chapter, led by President Sara Bedigian, Vice President Daniel Stark, Social Media Chair Katie Servas and Treasurer Mikayla Bunnell, hosted nine networking events across different fields of journalism.

Fall 2025 was focused on hosting events about different modes of storytelling. The chapter held a Radio Night in collaboration with UConn’s student radio station, WHUS, and guest speaker Robyn Doyon-Aitken from CT Public. Sports Night in October brought in Adam Giardino and Dom Amore, two prominent Connecticut sport journalists who talked about their respective careers in print and broadcast sports journalism. Sarah Gordon, a multimedia journalist and photographer at The Day in New London, conducted a photojournalism workshop.

The SPJ executive board also attended Media Fest ‘25 journalism conference n Washington, D.C. to represent the UConn Journalism department on a national stage with Kate Farrish, an assistant professor-in-residence.

Spring 2026 was focused on a UConn Journalism alumni speakers series with the UConn Journalism Department, where students enjoyed learning how someone who graduated with the same degree got to where they are today. In February, the chapter welcome foreign correspondent Diego Cupolo from Turkey, a 2006 UConn journalism graduate. The same month, the chapter hosted its annual resume workshop with department head Marie K. Shanahan. The chapter collaborated with Connecticut Foundation for Open Government and the UConn Journalism and Political Science departments to host Katie Sanders, the editor-in-chief of PolitiFact in April. This conversation was centered around fact checking, AI and what to expect in the upcoming election year. Prof. Amanda J. Crawford moderated the discussion.

The alumni speaker series final event featured multimedia editor and graphics journalist Charlie Smart, who discussed his career and experiences traveling globally to report stories at the New York Times. At the department’s annual scholarship night, the chapter co-hosted Jackie Wattles, a space and science reporter at CNN who talked about her career in science journalism after she graduated from UConn Journalism in 2014.