Graduate Assistants

Isaac Sarfo Adjei is a graduate instructional assistant with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University.

He received his undergraduate degree in Publishing Studies from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 2023. He worked as a personal assistant and promotional design and content creator for Davero Electrical Engineering Limited, a Ghanaian generator rental company.

He is passionate about the various applications of digital media communication in solving real-world problems, with particular interests in public relations, visual communication, and storytelling. After his graduate studies, he intends to pursue a career as a public relations officer, where he can leverage his skills to build strong relationships between institutions and their audiences.

Outside of academics, he enjoys live-action movies, anime, and writing short stories.

Sean is a graduate instructional assistant with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University. He received his BA in Film from the University of Central Florida and is pursuing his master's degree as part of his path toward becoming an instructor.

Sean's professional background is as a journalist and ghostwriter. He currently works as the Managing Editor of FandomWire, has had his opinion featured by prominent outlets such as BBC, The Wrap, and Business Insider, and has been quoted in trailers by film studios including A24, NEON, and 20th Century. As a ghostwriter, he has had the opportunity to work on campaigns for everyone from tech CEOs to a congresswoman.

As a graduate instructional assistant, Sean hopes to work with students to help them find and refine their voices as media professionals.

Praise Adaeze Chiedozie is a Graduate Instructional Assistant in the School of Journalism ad Mass Communication at Texas State University (TXST). Praise is a first-year graduate student in Mass Communication master’s program at Texas State University. In 2019 Praise received her bachelor’s degree in English and literature at the University of Benin.
 

Praise has conducted different researches such as A Survey of Nigerian English and Nigerian Pidgin Neologisms in Nigerian Afrobeats, Exploring Rhetorical strategies in selected south eastern Pentecostal church sermons, A comparative analysis of the headlines of the punch Newspaper and Insta-blog in Nigeria, Inter-gender Relations in Public Relation: A case study of PR Firms in Abuja, Nigeria which was presented at the Centre for Communication and Social Impact in (C.C.S.I) 2022, Abuja, Nigeria.Praise worked as a teaching Assistant in the Department of English, University of Benin and volunteered several Youth sensitization campaigns.

Joshua Colliluori is a graduate instructional assistant (GIA) with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) at Texas State University.  In 2018 Joshua received his undergraduate degree in Communications with a concentration in Media Production and criticism at George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, Virginia.

He proudly served as a member of the United States Air Force as an Avionics technician on the F-15 “Eagle” aircraft, based out of Okinawa, Japan. Through his efforts, he and his team worked to save the U.S. government roughly $200,000 in equipment repair and recovery, additionally he supported the mission to protect the diplomatic efforts of former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as she traveled through Asia. Additionally, he has private school teaching experience having been an educator at Manassas Christian School (MCS) in Virginia, and a 100% student approval rating as a tutor employed with Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC). With these experiences in mind, he hopes to draw on these tools to help Texas State students, from all backgrounds, to reach their full potential academically.

Joshua’s plan is to complete his graduate studies and teach at a collegiate level, and work professionally in PR.

Yelizaveta “Liza” Kalinina is a graduate teaching assistant and master’s student in Digital Media Communication in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University.

After leaving her position as a reporter for Russia’s leading national media outlet in 2022 amid a crackdown on independent journalists, she founded an educational studio to teach English and promote media literacy. The necessity to serve her students better prompted her to return to school.

Before teaching Media Writing at Texas State, she supported undergraduate courses in data journalism and capstone journalism projects. As a member of the local Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) chapter, she helped plan the 2025 Region 8 conference.

She also contributed to the Texas Tribune through Texas Community Health News, a data-driven project led by Kym Fox of SJMC.

Her research focuses on political communication and propaganda. Her master’s thesis compares the framing of the Russia-Ukraine war by Russian and American media.

She presented her research at major academic conferences, including the National Communication Association and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

She plans to pursue a Ph.D. and conduct media research while mentoring future journalists.

Joaquin Lara is a graduate instructional assistant with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University. Joaquin is a valedictorian and received his undergraduate degree in Communication from the University of Texas-Pan American/RGV with concentrations in Print & Broadcast Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations.

Joaquin has also completed several professional certificate programs with Harvard VPAL, Cornell University and the University of Texas at Austin. He has been a bilingual educator in the biopharmaceutical industry for over 20 years. Joaquin focused his career in helping end the HIV epidemic, with an emphasis on the Latinx and communities of color. He has presented on topics ranging from sexual wellness to HIV prevention strategies. His audiences from across the country and Caribbean have included patients, clergy, C-suite administrators, doctors and allied healthcare professionals.

With his master’s degree, Joaquin plans to seek an adjunct professorship and continue his work in digital healthcare messaging. In his free time, Joaquin has worked for the Obama Presidential Campaign, enjoys listening to alt-rock music, camping and hiking in National Parks and engaging in LGBTQ+ rights advocacy.

As a graduate teaching assistant, Mabel Mba is a classroom instructor for Social Media for Strategic Communication in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She also is the Social Media Coordinator for the McCoy College of Business and the Graduate Social Coordinator at SJMC.

Mabel holds dual bachelor’s degrees in English education and business education, as well as a postgraduate degree in English language. She is a second-year student in Digital Media Communication at Texas State and brings over nine years of teaching experience. Before moving to the U.S., she held leadership roles in education and communications in Nigeria, where she increased school enrollment by 41%, managed corporate communications, and mentored students to national recognition in competitions.

Mabel has taught more than 5,200 international students in British and Asian classrooms and on various platforms and served as Head of the only Reggio Emilia bilingual school in Lagos, Nigeria.

Passionate about education, Mabel volunteers to train educators, children, and youth through workshops on hard and soft skills. She has led classes on crisis communication and helped organize a Study in America course.

After completing her graduate degree, Mabel aims to become a communications manager while continuing to teach and lead educational technology initiatives worldwide

Chinaza Miracle Okechukwu is a global minded communicator, aviation professional, and advocate for education who bridges her career in the skies with her passion for storytelling and leadership. She is pursuing her master's in mass communication at Texas State University, where she is also a graduate instructional assistant in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

As a Senior Cabin Crew Member (Purser) with Fly ValueJet, one of Nigeria’s leading airlines, Chinaza built a reputation as a role model in aviation. In March 2025, she became the first Nigerian cabin crew member to attend the Women in Aviation International Conference in Denver, Colorado, where she volunteered, networked with global leaders, and engaged in inspiring masterclasses. She also completed Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education Emerging Leaders program, earning a professional development badge in leadership and communication.

Her mission is to harness the power of communication to transform industries and communities. Passionate about aviation safety, public relations, crisis management, and corporate storytelling, Chinaza aspires to return to Nigeria to establish a school of public speaking and create networks of women who dare to dream and lead change.

At Texas State, she looks forward to inspiring students with resilience, purpose, and a global outlook.

Musfika Sultana is a graduate instructional assistant with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University.

She earned her degree in Journalism and Media Studies from Jahangirnagar University in Bangladesh. Her research interests focus on digital media, artificial intelligence, public policy, and public diplomacy, with a particular emphasis on the cultural, ethical, and social questions they raise around communication and society.

Before joining Texas State, Musfika worked for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Bangladesh. In this role, she contributed to the development of several communication strategies, produced media content for local & global media along with UNOPS social media, strengthened public relations with diverse stakeholders, and coordinated outreach initiatives. She also led communications and PR during several mission visits by the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director of UNOPS, who also serves as the United Nations Under-Secretary-Generals.

Musfika aspires to build a career in public relations discourse within international organizations, where she can combine her academic expertise and professional experience to support meaningful global initiatives. She enjoys visual and creative storytelling, which inspires her passion for capturing human experiences in compelling and meaningful ways.

Matilda Svahn is a graduate instructional assistant in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University.

A native of Finland, Matilda moved to Texas at 19 to begin her academic and athletic career. She started her undergraduate degree in Electronic Media at Texas State University in 2021 and spent three years in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. While studying, she played for the women's golf team. For her senior year, she transferred to the University of Louisiana at Monroe where she received her undergraduate degree in Communications with a concentration in Integrated Media.

Matilda hopes to establish a career in the mass communication field in Texas, with a focus on sports. She dreams of working for a collegiate athletics program or a professional team, like the San Antonio Spurs.

In her free time, Matilda enjoys doing all different sports, such as biking, running, racquetball, golf, and tennis. She loves cooking and baking, especially if she is cooking for a crowd of friends or family.

Dejahnae Thompson is a Digital Media Communications graduate student with a deep passion for art and design. Her creative journey began at a young age, evolving from an early interest in art to an interest in graphic design during her undergraduate studies at Southwestern University. As she was studying studio arts during her undergraduate studies, she served as a Graphic Design and Communication Assistant for the Spiritual Life Department at the university, where she developed new skills such as web design and advertising. She quickly grew passionate about these fields.

After graduating from Southwestern University in spring 2024, Dejahnae joined the marketing team at Round Rock Parks and Recreation, where she contributed to the development of advertisements for the company's special events and various programs happening in the city of Round Rock. This experience grew her love for visual communication and problem-solving through design. Working on projects that blended creativity with functionality sparked her curiosity for how people interact with digital content. Over time, this curiosity transformed into a strong desire to pursue a career in UX/UI design, where she hopes to combine her artistic background with user-centered strategies to create meaningful digital experiences.

Angie Vasquez’s passion for media began in high school, where she gained hands-on experience in broadcast journalism by writing, editing, shooting, and producing weekly news packages for her elective. Her pivotal moment came when her teacher took her to cover San Antonio’s first Day of the Dead parade, solidifying her desire to pursue a career in media, whether on camera or behind the scenes.

In Fall 2022, Angie began her undergraduate studies at Texas State University, majoring in Electronic Media with a minor in International Studies. She participated in many diverse experiences, including serving on the production crew for In Conversation with Thomas Carter, participating in a Study in America program in Oregon, and working in Old Main’s equipment checkout room to build her technical expertise.

Certified in social media marketing, Hootsuite, digital marketing, digital advertising, and social listening, Angie is also an FAA-certified Drone Pilot under Part 107. She anchored numerous stories during her studies, including the 2024 Presidential election results.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in just two years, Angie entered the graduate program, where she now contributes as a Graduate Instructional Assistant while continuing to refine her expertise and guide others joining the field.