News Creator Corps is excited to announce the 2025 class of the Trusted Creators training fellowship. The fellowship is an intensive program of skill sharing and community building, led by some of the top minds in digital media.
The applicant field was larger than anticipated and highly competitive, proving that programming for content creators is needed and desired. The creators selected for this program have demonstrated that they care deeply about serving their audience with factual, impactful information and are actively working to fight misinformation. These 20 creators come from 12 states and territories, providing information on everything from politics and local news to travel, food, and parenting. Many of the communities they reach have been underserved by traditional media.
In the course of the program, creators will hear from experts in fact checking, sourcing, AI, interviewing, and more, and they will work with NCC’s publishing partners on content collaborations that extend the reach and depth for both audiences. We know we will learn just as much from their expertise, too. Creators excel at audience engagement and earning trust, and we are more impactful when news organizations, community groups, and creators work together.
The 2025 fellowship begins on October 14.
Meet the class:
Amanda Informed
Florida
Amanda Informed is a digital news creator who delivers bold, accessible commentary on politics and current events, making complex issues clear and engaging for today’s audiences.
Angel Barragan
California
Angel Barragan is an immigrant and Dreamer whose passion for social justice fuels his dedication to uplifting historically underrepresented communities. A former Bay Area teacher and principal, he now works as a content creator focusing on education, anti-racism, and human rights to maximize his impact on equity and advocacy.
Becky Bullard
Texas
Becky Bullard is the founder and CEO of the creative civic engagement organization Democrasexy (making democracy sexy so more people do it). Democrasexy convenes purposeful communities and produces content and events that demystify Texas politics, infusing joy and optimism into the work of advocating for women and the LGBTQIA+ community. Becky was named one of the “Best Texans of 2024” by Progress Texas for her positive digital messaging work, but what her two daughters tell people is: “Our mom likes to wear sequins and help more people vote.”
James Cave
New York
James Cave is a journalist and documentary producer based in New York’s Hudson Valley. Through his project “The Jiffy,” he explores rural America through the lens of upstate New York. His work connects communities by sharing stories about the lives, cultures, and histories from across the region.
David Coe
California
David is a Los Angeles based creator, sharing the experience parenting his autistic son while learning about his own neurodiversity. He focuses on creating space for parents of autistic children, while advocating for a more just, equitable world, one TikTok at a time.
Mollie Daniela
California
Mollie Daniela is a content creator based in Los Angeles who focuses on romanticizing inclusivity. She is a first-generation plus-size Latina whose dream has always been to have a hand in making the world a more inclusive place, and doing the work while wearing a fanciful outfit.
Danielle Desir Corbett
Connecticut
Danielle Desir Corbett is a travel writer, storyteller, and podcast host with over a decade of experience creating content that inspires and empowers. She is the creator and host of The Thought Card Podcast, where she blends travel, money, and culture. She also created A Deeper Look, a cross-country heritage storytelling audio series that uncovers overlooked African American history and connects it to our present day through unique travel experiences.
Kahja Elliott
California
Kahja Elliott is a Bay Area transplant with a decade of experience exploring the region’s vibrant food scene, bringing a unique perspective to food media. As the producer and host of The As Told By podcast, now in its 6th season, she highlights the diverse stories of people across various intersections of the food industry, from award winners to local rising stars, emerging and legacy brands, organizations, and thought leaders in food media. With a commitment to intersectional storytelling, Kahja creates a platform that embraces the joy, wanderlust, and business of food, curating a thriving community in the Bay and beyond.
Adriana Goblirsch
Minnesota
Adriana Goblirsch is a motherhood and postpartum advocate raising voices, not just babies. She shares honest stories about birth, postpartum recovery, maternal health, and the realities of parenting, while pushing for stronger, more inclusive support systems and policies that uplift all parents and families.
Erika Harrison
Texas
An attorney who proudly calls Houston, Texas home, Erika has spent the bulk of her career working in diversity, equity and inclusion, supporting communities in higher education before joining Corporate America four years ago. In these spaces, Erika’s passion for law, history and supporting marginalized people converge. In her spare time, Erika created a blog, Black Girls Who Brunch. Originally intended to focus on food, Black Girls Who Brunch has expanded to focus on educating her community on political issues and how our government works.
Zackory Kirk
Georgia
Dr. Zackory Kirk, known online as The Zactivist, is an educator-turned-digital storyteller and political commentator who uses his platforms to break down the news that matters most to Black, Brown, and Queer communities. Through his YouTube series The Zactivist Speaks and Substack For the Culture and the Cause, he connects the dots between people, politics, and pop culture—fighting misinformation and amplifying marginalized voices with clarity, humor, and truth.
Haley Lickstein
Washington D.C.
Haley Lickstein is a political strategist, speaker, and content creator known for her work in democracy, women’s rights, digital advocacy, and reproductive justice. She is the creator and host of Haley on the Hill, a groundbreaking short-form series where she has interviewed more than 80 sitting members of Congress and has over 50 cultural and political trailblazers, including Gloria Steinem, Jen Psaki, and Stacey Abrams. Her work and activism has been featured on MSNBC, CNN, CBS News, ABC News, the Associated Press, and more.
Jen Ruiz
Florida
Jen Ruiz is a lawyer turned full-time travel writer and entrepreneur. She is a bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and award-winning journalist with bylines in outlets like Fodor’s Travel, AFAR Magazine, and Lonely Planet. Jen is the solo female traveler behind Jen on a Jet Plane and has been named a Top Latina Travel Influencer by The Points Guy and Mitu.
David Rushing
North Carolina
David Rushing, known online as “Rush,” is a part-time NBA creator and one of the leading community voices on Meta’s Threads – earning the nickname “Mayor of NBA Threads.” He’s collaborated with brands like the NBA and Meta, building his reputation by blending basketball analysis, humor, and conversation starters that drive debate. When he’s not creating, David enjoys life in Charlotte, NC with his wife and three daughters.
Nikki Sapiro Vinckier
Michigan
Nikki Sapiro Vinckier, PA-C is an OB/GYN Physician Assistant, content creator, and author. She is the founder of Take Back Trust, a digital platform equipping patients with tools to navigate reproductive healthcare with clarity and confidence. Her work blends over a decade of clinical experience with advocacy and storytelling to reshape the conversation around reproductive rights and care.
Stephanie Valdez
Nevada
Stephanie Valdez is a community advocate for the Las Vegas area and has lived there for the past 18 years. She engages her audience on social media to help them stay informed, speak up, and get involved.
Ali Van Fleet
Texas
Ali Van Fleet is a meteorologist and climate communicator with experience in local newsrooms in Texas and Oregon, as well as at The Weather Channel. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Texas Tech University, where her research focuses on making science more accessible and improving how weather and climate information is communicated.
Alandya Warren
North Carolina
Alandya Warren is the mind behind @Ebonyarchival on TikTok and Instagram, where she spotlights Black women and history with a voice that’s as chic as it is thoughtful. Her audience looks to her for stories that honor the past while speaking to the now.
Courtney J. White
Texas
Courtney J. White, known as Courthousecouture on-line, is a lawyer and content creator who mixes her love of fashion, law, politics, and education to create fun content that keeps her audience engaged and informed. She has been creating online content since 2014, but fully launched her blog in 2018. Blogging started as a fun outlet from her day job, and Courtney sees the importance of providing reliable and accurate information to her audience.
Malia Yoshioka
Hawaii
Malia Yoshioka is a freelance travel and food writer from Hawaii dedicated to sharing how food can foster empathy, curiosity, and understanding. Through her site ShoyuSugar.com and contributions to outlets like Lonely Planet, the Washington Post, and Matador Network, she writes about Hawaii’s food and culture as well as her experiences eating her way through 43 countries.