SJMC Students Apply Classroom Skills in the Field Covering Hill County Floods Aftermath
March 3, 2026
Eraldo “Dino” Chiecchi & Elizabeth Hayek
Students in the Journalism Project and Photojournalism courses recently toured the devastation left by the deadly Hill Country floods and completed a compelling series of news stories, applying their classroom skills in real-life conditions reporting about the impact on survivors.
Most of the stories were published in the Austin American-Statesman newspaper and its website.
The students wrote about the impact the July 4, 2025, floods had on the lives of people who survived the deluge where more than 135 people perished. Over two weekends in October, students traveled to Texas Hill Country to interview flood survivors, document recovery efforts and produce in-depth reporting.
Photo by Student Jennifer Merrill
Eraldo “Dino” Chiecchi, an associate professor of practice and coordinator of the reporting project, designed the project to move students beyond classroom exercises and into real reporting environments. Rather than assigning narrowly defined topics, Chiecchi outlined the broader mission: Cover the Hill Country floods and asked students to research to develop their own story angles.
"The national media focused on the numbers. We focused on the people."
-Eraldo “Dino” Chiecchi
The students who participated in the project were Lesdy Hernandez, Megan Weise, Gretchen Butwid, Sidney Orman, Abrielle Kate Maddison, Hope Monte, Florian Guillory, Zacalinh Elizondo and Jackie Vega. Graduate student Sean Boelman accompanied the students.
Students conducted interviews under emotionally challenging circumstances, speaking with residents who had lost homes, livelihoods and, in some cases, family members. The experience required preparation, empathy and professionalism.
Megan Weise wrote an absorbing story about Kerrville resident Ryan Logue, a member of the all-volunteer Cajun Navy, who quit his job to devote himself finding the two remaining victims whose bodies remain missing.
“We were able to see the devastation firsthand really made me feel like I was in the field, like a real journalist would be,” Weise said.
Weise appreciated the opportunity to go out into the field and report.
“It gave me the most real-life experience for journalistic reporting that I've ever gotten. Just the simple fact that we actually went out to the Hill Country,” she said.
Gretchen Butwid wrote about Lorena Guillen, co-owner of the Blue Oak RV Park that was devastated by the raging Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025.
Student Abrielle Kate Maddison with Dan Schoen
Chiecchi said students' reporting experiences should not be relegated to internships.
“We need to get them out in the field,” Chiecchi said. “I take them out into the field to do real work. And then I get them published."
He described the courses as a bridge between classroom instruction and newsroom expectations.
“I don’t believe that we should do stuff in the classroom and then wait for the internship to get real life experience,” he said. “We need a bridge and that’s what we’re doing”
Sean Boelman (from left) and Zacalinh Elizondo
Students were briefed at length about possible vicarious trauma, a condition where reporters become so empathetic to the grief their sources are feeling that they suffer similar grief.
“We talked a lot about the vicarious trauma of it all. I've never had to deal with anything that heavy before, you know, in my work, but I think it really prepared me for the future," Chiecchi said.
Chiecchi organized the two trips to Kerrville, Ingram and Hunt over two weeks in October.
Six stories and accompanying photos ran in the Austin American statesman in early February. One of the stories also ran in the Houston Chronicle.
