Two from BC will be America Media O'Hare Fellows

Will Martino and Molly Wysocki of the Class of 2026 will serve as 2026-2027 Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., Postgraduate Media Fellows with America Media, starting in August. They will work for 11 months at the company’s New York City offices to gain experience in Catholic media and other aspects of professional journalism.

America Media, which was founded in 1909, publishes America: The Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture, a leading Catholic journal of opinion in the United States. The O’Hare Fellowship is co-sponsored by Fordham University and named after Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., editor-in-chief of America from 1975-1984 and president of Fordham from 1984-2003.

O’Hare Fellows create content for mul­tiple platforms, such as web, print, digital, social media, and events, and gain profes­sional experience through mentoring and other opportunities. They meet regularly with America’s editorial staff and editor at large to expand their professional networks and build their journalism skills.

Martino and Wysocki reflected on key experiences at BC that crystallized their interest in storytelling, even though neither began their journey at BC thinking jour­nalism would be the career path for them.

“I joined The Heights [BC’s independent student newspaper] on a whim my fresh­man year and it totally changed my life. I fell fast in love with reporting, writing, and telling stories that the people around me cared enough to read,” said Martino, a political science major with minors in finance and journalism, who served as the newspaper’s managing editor in 2024 and editor-in-chief in 2025. “I care a lot about doing thorough reporting so that I can tell stories that go beyond the narrative that people—or I—expect.”

For Wysocki, despite her extensive cam­pus involvement as vice president of the Liturgy Arts Group and a committee mem­ber of The Church in the 21st Century Center, there wasn’t a single moment of discovery behind her interest in journalism: It was more an innate calling that combines storytelling with the complexity of indi­viduals and communities, she said, noting how a single person’s story reflects a greater, interconnected web of people.

“I’ve always considered myself a storytell­er, but the thought of going into media or journalism professionally never crossed my mind until this year,” said Wysocki, an eco­nomics and theology major with a minor in applied psychology and human behavior. “I am pursuing this fellowship primarily because of its connections to the world of Catholic theology, which is something I’ve grown to love during my time at BC.

“I am an endlessly curious person, par­ticularly about the people who shape peo­ple. We’re all influenced by friends, teachers, mentors, and ordinary folks we pass every day. This interconnectedness reminds me that telling an individual’s story is really tell­ing the story of an unthinkably large amal­gamation of people. That’s pretty incredible when you think about it.”

Although the fellows have nearly a year to explore and research various ideas and topics in Catholic media, Martino and Wysocki each have a particular focus that stands out to them. Martino will examine evolving trends and the relationship be­tween Gen Z and the “Catholic revival,” while Wysocki hopes to investigate the ethical, environmental, and social concerns related to artificial intelligence, following Pope Leo’s critical commentary on the tech­nology and centering her own work in the principles of Catholic social teaching.

Both fellows are looking forward to joining the America Media community and delving into current topics through a Catholic lens via writing and other forms of communication.

“I’m excited to work with the amazing team at America, and I’m looking forward to exploring different modes of communi­cation, particularly podcasts. I’m coming into the fellowship without any formal jour­nalism background, so that definitely makes me nervous, but I’m hopeful that having two other fellows beside me will help me navigate that barrier,” said Wysocki.

Martino quipped that he is “slightly wor­ried” about encountering large cockroaches in his apartment but is eager “to learn from the team of professionals at America Media and, of course, happy that I’ll be living in New York City.”