Nikki Usher

I grew up in Westchester County, New York and received an AB magna cum laude from Harvard University, where I majored in History. Following graduation, I worked as a sports reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. My journalism experience has taken me to some unlikely places and huge metropolitan spaces, as I have also held positions at the Boston Globe, the Dallas Morning News, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times.

I am currently a Ph.D. student at Annenberg with dual interests in journalism studies and gay and lesbian studies. Metamorphosis provides an opportunity for me to research the only form of print media that is actually growing—ethnic media. More significantly, the project enables me to ask questions about the connection between civic participation and the news media in diverse communities. I am interested in the production of news, but I am also invested in discovering how media representations are constructed around issues of race, ethnicity, and community, among others. The collaborative nature of the Metamorphosis research team has allowed me to further these interests, with an eye for bringing academics into the real world.

My non-academic passions include spending time with my partner and our puppy. I also play on a women’s rugby team in Santa Monica.