Houston Newsroom is a student-powered reporting project based at Rice University. Our mission is simple: listen carefully to Houston and tell stories about the people, places and ideas shaping the city.
The newsroom is part of a journalism course at Rice where students work as reporters covering beats across the Houston area. Rather than simulated assignments, students report real stories. They conduct interviews, gather sound in the field and produce audio journalism supported by web text and photography. All of it is produced to public radio standards.
Each student follows a particular area of coverage. Beats include topics such as neighborhoods and place, housing and cost of living, arts and culture, transportation, health and environment, education and youth, and community organizations. The goal is not just to produce individual stories but to build sustained understanding of how Houston works.
Our work is audio-first. Most stories start as short radio-style scripts or reported audio features before being adapted into web stories. This approach reflects the traditions of public-media journalism, where careful listening, clear explanation and strong reporting guide the storytelling.
Houston Newsroom is a collaboration among KTRU Rice Radio, Rice Student Media, and Rice’s Media Studies major. It launched in 2026. Stories produced by students are published here and broadcast on KTRU, connecting campus journalism with the broader Houston community.
The newsroom operates much like a small professional outlet. Students pitch ideas, revise scripts, collaborate with editors and work toward publication. The emphasis is on thoughtful reporting, accuracy and growth as journalists.
Houston Newsroom is directed by Dr. Chris Evans, executive director of student media at Rice University and founder of the award-winning Illinois Public Media Student Newsroom. The work we do in Houston Newsroom reflects Rice’s broader commitment to student journalism and public-interest storytelling.
Houston is one of the most dynamic and complex cities in the United States. Our reporters pay attention to that complexity. We’re excited to share what we discover with the wider community.
Stay tuned to this page for more about the reporters bringing you the news.
The Newsroom Team
Chris Evans, Ph.D.
Executive Producer, Houston Newsroom
Dr. Chris Evans is executive director of student media and a journalism professor at Rice University, where he leads the Houston Newsroom. He previously founded the Illinois Newsroom at Illinois Public Media, an audio-first student reporting initiative that serves as the model for the Houston project. A longtime student media adviser and journalist, Evans has worked with college newsrooms for more than two decades.
Steven Burgess
Houston Neighborhoods Reporter
Steven Burgess is a junior studying Media Studies at Rice University. His experience working as The Rice Thresher’s head video editor and KTRU-LP 96.1 FM’s music director has prepared him to explore Houston, centering on community-driven narratives.
Faith Choi
Arts and Culture Reporter
Faith Choi is a freshman majoring in Art History and Media Studies, with a minor in Asian Studies. Originally from New York City, she joined the Houston Newsroom in 2026 and focuses on issues related to art accessibility. Outside of the newsroom, she serves as director of marketing for the nonprofit organization Butterfly Books @ Rice and as media & outreach director for the Rice Undergraduate Law Review. In her free time, she enjoys café-and-museum-hopping, perfecting her matcha latte recipe, and discovering new artists on Spotify.
Emmanuella Desruisseaux
Civil Rights and Advocacy Reporter
Emmanuella Desruisseaux is a journalist whose work examines civil rights, advocacy, and the systems that shape people’s lives. She’s especially interested in how data and visual storytelling can illuminate issues that are often overlooked, making complex structures feel urgent and human. Her reporting focuses on clarity, accountability, and the voices of those most affected by policy decisions.
Mateo DeVries
Politics Reporter
Mateo DeVries is a sophomore political science student from Oakland, California. As a founding member of Houston Newsroom in 2026, his reporting focuses on politics in Texas. Outside of the newsroom, DeVries plays on the Rice club ultimate frisbee team and writes for the Rice Thresher. He also loves to cook and watch the Golden State Warriors play basketball. DeVries is excited to continue to develop his journalism skills and work to expand Houston Newsroom.
Paola Hoffman
Nonprofits and Community Response Reporter
Paola Hoffman is a Rice University Senior majoring in Sociocultural Anthropology with a minor in Environmental Studies. Her experiences as a climate activist with Youth Climate Strike Los Angeles and a crisis hotline volunteer with Teen Line have transformed into a passion for spotlighting community efforts through journalism. Outside of Rice, she is the social media executive at College Esports News and is writing an undergraduate thesis on marginalized gender spaces in esports.
Sophia Lannie
Education Reporter
Sophia Lannie is a junior at Rice University majoring in Biosciences and Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. From Baytown, Texas, she reports on local education and youth engagement stories. Apart from the newsroom, she is the executive of the Rice Owls Dance Team, the vice president of her residential college, and a huge fan of taking an outdoor walk with an iced coffee.
Lily Nguyen
Civil Rights & Advocacy Reporter
Lily Nguyen is an Economics major at Rice University, with a minor in Politics, Law, and Social Thought. Her reporting focuses on issues of civil rights as well as advocacy efforts within the Houston area. Outside of the newsroom, she writes for the Rice Thresher and plays classical piano.
Taylor Schultz
Houston Neighborhoods Reporter
Taylor Schultz is a Rice University senior who is passionate about telling stories that bring communities together. She joined the Houston Newsroom, where she focuses on highlighting neighborhood stories, in 2026. Outside of the newsroom, Taylor serves in residential college student government, illustrates merchandise for the Chemical Engineering department, and creates short-form videos for the Rice Thresher.
Hope Yang
Nonprofits and Community Response Reporter
Hope Yang is an undergraduate at Rice University and reporter for Houston Newsroom. She also covers campus stories for The Rice Thresher and serves as a student editor for The Rice Review.