The Midwest Newsroom, an investigative and in-depth reporting collaboration based at KCUR, is proud to welcome Naomi Delkamiller and Jessica Meza to the team starting June 9.
Delkamiller, a 2025 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is the first person to join The Midwest Newsroom’s fellowship program. The fellowship, which lasts for 12 months, is part of a grant from philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation.
While a student, Delkamiller completed an investigative reporting fellowship and a social media internship with the Flatwater Free Press, Nebraska’s first statewide nonprofit newsroom. In addition, she traveled to the Southwest and to upstate New York as a Carnegie-Knight News21 Reporting Fellow for America After Roe, a national project examining the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Delkamiller, an Omaha native, will work out of the Nebraska Public Media newsroom in Lincoln and travel around the region during the course of the fellowship.
“I can’t think of a better place to launch my post-grad journalism career than alongside the talented reporters and editors at the Midwest Newsroom,” said Delkamiller. “I’m excited to grow as a journalist across platforms and emerge as a stronger reporter dedicated to truth and accountability in the Midwest and beyond.”
“Naomi will be an excellent addition to the team for her 12 months as a fellow,” said Holly Edgell, The Midwest Newsroom’s managing editor. “She already knows many investigative reporting fundamentals and will bring her curiosity and zeal for journalism to our work with partners around the region.’
Meza joins The Midwest Newsroom through The Hortencia Zavala Foundation (HZF) summer internship program. This is the second year of the partnership that allows a student journalist to learn investigative and solutions journalism skills.
Meza, who just completed her junior year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will have the opportunity to see her work published by The Midwest Newsroom, Latino News Network (LNN) and the Fulcrum.
“I’m so honored to be selected for this opportunity. I’m proud to be able to use my bilingual skills to bring attention to the Midwest Latino community. With these skills, I want to bridge the gap between Spanish and English speakers,” said Meza. “I hope to bring more awareness on issues going on to the Latino community. As well as bringing local news to Latino’s through radio, social media, and online news.”
“We are very excited to work with Jessica Meza, who has already proven herself as a driven public service journalist,” Edgell said. “The opportunity to continue our partnership with HZF makes this all the more gratifying. Like HZF, The Midwest Newsroom is committed to helping student journalists do work that will expand their skills and inspire them to keep growing.”
The HZF was created in 2017 by Hugo Balta and his family to support young journalists while honoring the legacy of their maternal grandmother, “Abuelita,” Hortencia Zavala. Balta is the Publisher of LNN, Executive Editor of the Fulcrum, and twice president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ).
“I’m elated to be able to partner once again with the Midwest Newsroom, and expand the relationship this year to include the Fulcrum. Collaboration is key to success,” said Balta. “I am grateful to play a small role in Jessica’s successful journalism journey.”
Meza has worked with the Nebraska News Service in producing the podcast Inside the Writer’s Mind. She will be able to report her own audio and digital stories from Nebraska Public Media’s Lincoln newsroom and remotely. She earned the chance to attend the 2025 Investigative Reporters and Editors conference in New Orleans through IRE’s fellowship program.
The Midwest Newsroom is a partnership between Iowa Public Radio, KCUR, Nebraska Public Media News, STLPR and NPR to provide investigative journalism and in-depth reporting with a focus on Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
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