Catching up with Leah Todd
Leah Todd graduated from Marquette University in 2012 with majors in Journalism and Philosophy and a minor in Political Science. Below is a brief conversation with Leah in which she updated us on her career, shared how the Center for Peacemaking has impacted her life, and offered some advice for current and future students.
What have you been up to since you graduated from Marquette?
Like many people in my generation, first I moved back in with my family. I stayed with my parents at their cabin in Wyoming for a few months while I worked an internship at a tiny weekly newspaper, the Saratoga Sun. I took a job as a reporter at a slightly bigger daily newspaper in Casper, Wyo., for a little over two years, then I went on to a much bigger paper, The Seattle Times, where I covered education. Now, for the past almost five years, I’ve worked in various roles for a startup nonprofit organization called the Solutions Journalism Network. I freelance a little on the side when I can.
What impact did the Center for Peacemaking have on your life trajectory?
The people I met through the Center for Peacemaking introduced me to mindfulness meditation, which has become a major practice in my daily life. That practice has informed my work in so many ways — making me a better listener (or at least I think so!), a fairer journalist and a more resilient professional. The Center also introduced me to people I look up to for their humble, no-nonsense commitment to practical peacemaking, an approach I hope to replicate in my life and work.
What is a favorite memory from your engagement with the Center for Peacemaking?
The most impactful experience by far was receiving a student peacemaking fellowship from the Center to support a six-week extension to my semester studying abroad in India so I could produce a multimedia storytelling project. In India, I lived with people of several different faith traditions to try to understand what social ingredients lead to nonviolence, instead of violence, between religions. I worked for a week in Mother Teresa’s homes for the sick and dying, lived for two weeks at a Christian monastery with heavy Hindu influence, and interviewed Hindu and Muslim neighbors to try to understand how they got along in peace. It was my earliest attempt at what we now call “solutions journalism” — reporting on what’s working to address a problem, in addition to reporting on the problems themselves. The experience of pitching, planning and then presenting this project made a profound impact on me.
On a more personal note, I also remember participating in many student-led meditation sessions at the Center and lots of good laughter coming from inside those walls!
Where is your career now and where do you see it headed?
I’ve worked as a daily journalist in newsrooms, as a freelancer and a yoga teacher and now, as a coach and grant-maker for other journalists and news organizations. One of the projects I’m most excited about right now is helping communities of journalists launch collaborative, solutions-focused news projects in 15 cities around the U.S. over the next three years. It’s a challenging time to be a journalist, with trust in news media at all-time lows and a global pandemic slaughtering revenue for local news organizations in so many places, but also an important time. I’m still obsessed with learning and love a well-reported story, so I hope my career in journalism can continue for the near future.
What advice do you have for current and future undergraduate students?
Get to know your professors outside of class and stay in touch with them after you graduate. Make a few good friends. These people will be your guides — both professionally and personally. Learn as much as you can, but also learn to have fun and relax. I learned so much from playing ultimate frisbee on Marquette’s club team about how to be myself, support and encourage others, and how to really let yourself go into an activity that brings you and the people around you joy, without any expectations.
