Meet the Team
Roni Portzen
Roni Portzen is a double-major in Journalism and English from Jamestown, Tennessee. She has worked with Middle Tennessee News since 2021. Roni is currently the assignment manager and digital content manager for Middle Tennessee News. She has worked as a reporter, assignment manager, digital content manager, and a producer. She also helps with Middle Tennessee Sports live streams for the MTSU home tennis matches. When she is not working on homework or writing stories, she enjoys reading in her free time and spending time with her friends and family. In the future, Roni hopes to be a producer for a newscast or work in the book publishing field.
Reily Brazierl
Reily Brazier is a senior earning her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with minors in Psychology and Speech Pathology. She began her college career as most freshman students do - completely unsure where to find her footing. After moving through three majors and two different university departments, she found her home in the Middle Tennessee State University College of Journalism. Through hands-on class projects and local internships, she fell in love with creating publicity materials that help businesses succeed, and, more specifically, non-profit businesses. Her volunteer work with the Make-A-Wish Chapter of Middle Tennessee opened her eyes to the valuable work of non-profit PR and event planning. Following graduation in Spring 2022, Reily plans on working for other non-profit organizations in the Tennessee area.
Sarah Sparks
Sarah Sparks is a senior at Middle Tennessee State University with a major in Journalism and a concentration in Public Relations and Advertising, with a minor in Communications. Reading and writing have always been a passion of Sarah’s, and as she has gotten older, she has enjoyed working in industries that allow her to do both creatively. When Sarah isn’t at school, she is at her internship helping authors secure media coverage, or she is out trying the latest new restaurants in Nashville.
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Isaac Berry
I'm Isaac Berry and I am from Nashville, TN. I'm currently a sophomore here at MTSU. I'm a Journalism and Sports Media major with a minor in leisure and sports management. I've always had a passion for sports and the different stories that come along with them, so I want to cover talk about stories. My career goal is to be the most authentic and reliable sports writer and analyst to appear on ESPN.
Mary-Beth Mangrum
Mary-Beth Mangrum is a junior transfer student who is majoring in journalism with a minor in theatre. Despite her short time at MTSU, she currently serves as a student reporter for Middle Tennessee News and has also performed in the MTSU Theatre and Dance department's Student Success Series; she plans to return to the stage in their 6x10 performances coming March 2022. Her passion for news began in high school where she was a two-time competitor at the SkillsUSA National Conference in Broadcast News Production. Mary-Beth believes that a large part of effective mass communication comes from the art of storytelling and that an artistic eye only strengthens a reporter's work. She hopes to further her knowledge by doing what journalists do best: listening, learning, and asking questions.
Kathleen Caldwell
Kathleen Caldwell is a senior at MTSU, studying Media Communications, Political Science, and International Relations. She transferred to MTSU in 2020, after earning her Associate of Arts at Cumberland University, in Lebanon, Tennessee. After she graduates, Kathleen would like to work in the humanitarian sector. She is passionate about human rights, and the innate dignity of all humans and hopes to promote that in her work. This past summer, she interned in Washington, DC, with an organization called Physicians for Social Responsibility, in their Nuclear Weapons Abolition Program.
Kathleen has been involved in live theatre for most of her life and enjoys musicals. She loves to travel and her favorite place she has traveled to is London, England. She has been to 9 countries in all. Her interests include social studies, theology, watching movies, playing with her dog Lucy, and listening to music very loudly in her car.
Kiersten Man
Kiersten Man is a passionate creative from East Tennessee who specializes in visual storytelling. From magazine design to digital illustration, she aspires to connect with all viewers with her art and writing.
Tatiyana Muhammad
Tatiyana Muhammad is ajunior attending Middle Tennessee State University majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies in Media with a minor in public relations. Growing up in the beautiful land of Memphis, Tennessee Tatiyana was surrounded by artists, designers, writers, directors, models, etc. During her childhood she knew that she would be interested in any career that involved creativity as she infamously dressed as a mermaid for her yearly elementary school career day. Tatiyana aspires to be a Media and Entertainment television show host and a successful business branding specialist helping upcoming graphic artists build their names by giving them a space with the technology to build their brand. In Tatiyana’s free time she enjoys creating graphics for upcoming business owners with her branding business TatiyMadeIt and filming Instagram reels pertaining to fashion and entertainment for her personal account, telling stories though different forms of media.
Abby Schersand
Abby Schersand is a sophomore and Visual Communication major at MTSU. She is especially interested in Entertainment and Lifestyle Journalism, specifically Music Journalism. She hopes to work someday as a music journalist or social media manager. She is currently a Resident Assistant for the International House on campus.