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North Central College graduate Cheyanne Daniels poses outside The Washington Post office, where she is working in a 1-year master's program specializing in political and foreign affairs at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. (Photo by Madison Muller)
By CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN For Illinois Press Association
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In any other year, Cheyanne Daniels would have been all over a chance to work in the Washington Post newsroom like ink on paper.
The 23-year-old North Central College graduate was accepted into a 1-year master’s program specializing in political and foreign affairs at Northwestern University’s stalwart Medill School of Journalism, through which she’d cover federal government in the nation’s capital. But as late as August, it was still uncertain whether the cohort would work remotely, or in the hallowed – albeit hollowed – Post newsroom.
“It was hard because on one hand, you understand that professors had a hard decision and that it was hard to keep following what was happening with the virus,” Daniels said. “But as a student, you also want to know where you’re going to live.”
When the professors gave the green light, Daniels, who’d been looking into housing since May, began packing. She said she was prepared to opt out if the cohort would have been remote.
“I wanted to be in person,” she said. “I felt like it might be a little bit difficult to do it remotely. I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to be in DC during an election year, and during all the political divisiveness.”
Daniels also took a poignantly pragmatic perspective. Yes, she’s homesick. But in a twist, she’s grateful that it isn’t easy to drop everything on a whim and visit her family in Palos Heights. Her father, David Fronius, had a stroke 2 years ago, and her grandfather, who’s in his 80s, lives with her parents.
“Over the summer, I’d come back and be terrified I was bringing something home to my family,” Daniels said.
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are long gone from the office at the Post – and so is everyone else.
Daniels’ cohort of 13 and security are the only people in the building.
Naturally, they’re required to wear masks. Desks are taped off, and the students must sit in only their seat in the lab room. The interview room must be sanitized after each chat. The kitchen is off limits. Pack your own lunch. And when you’re done eating, mask back up.
“It’s really cool being able to be there, but it is a little restrictive,” Daniels said.
It isn’t your 1970s Post newsroom anyway – literally. The cohort is in the newly established newsroom space. To get there, they walk a hall lined with TV screens running down the stories on the docket for that day. Then they have a meeting that runs at least an hour during which they pitch stories and discuss the day’s rundown – who’s filing what, who will be running social media and posting stories.
“If you’re not filing a story that day, you’re looking forward and brainstorming more stories and lining up and doing interviews for the next day’s stories,” she said.
The work is hardly confined to the newsroom. Outside its walls, reporters are getting a baptism by fire. The team dug in on white supremacists and their impact at polling sites, and how they were turning out people to vote.
“I reached out to the KKK, which was a fun time,” Daniels joked. “You guys now have my name and phone number. That’s great.”
Daniels’ mother made sure she developed an appreciation for government and current events at a young age. Amy Daniels sat her little girl down in front of the TV to watch the news when she was 6 and urged her to pay attention to what was happening.
As is the case for many young journalists on the rise, Daniels’ career path began with a passion for writing in general.
“I thought I was going to publish a book in fifth grade,” she said. “Obviously, that didn’t happen.”
A tragedy shook her community when a teacher at Stagg High School lost her battle with cancer leading up to Daniels’ senior year.
Two teachers began an oral history project, and Daniels was one of 60 seniors who over the course of half the school year interviewed their fellow students, their parents and the faculty, and then put together a narrative that became a hardcover book.
“The whole community came together,” she said. “Stagg was a great place and everything, but there was a lot of racism and privilege. It was one of the most powerful experiences I had in high school, and that was my journalistic awakening. I wanted to amplify those voices that aren’t heard in the community.”
The project’s mission was to promote empathy in the community.
“That wasn’t really something we saw at our high school,” she said. “It shouldn’t take someone dying to bring us together.”
She said the project brought to light how much community members had in common – while also illuminating their differences. Everyone stood to benefit from that education, Daniels said.
“We need to remember that just because you have privilege doesn’t mean you’re not struggling,” she said. “But if you are privileged, you might not have any experience with something someone less privileged is going through.”
Kay O’Donnell, adviser of The Chronicle student newspaper and associate professor at North Central College, said when she sees her editors taking the time to coach and support reporters via Zoom, she sees reasons for optimism for the industry.
She also sees Cheyanne Daniels.
“You’d see her able to coach some of the most inexperienced content-creators,” O’Donnell said of the way Daniels managed her staff before and after the pandemic hit and relegated journalists to their dorms and apartments. “She’d spend an amount of time that, I don’t think I’d ever had an editor who spent that sort of time before. Now, I’ve started to see a similar pattern. I hope that becomes their legacy, and one she started.”
Daniels said she’s simply paying forward lessons she learned from O’Donnell, as well as from Peter Kreten, director of student media at St. Xavier University, the liberal college in Chicago which Daniels attended before transferring to North Central.
“We editors are here for you. That’s how editors should be,” she said. “I just wanted them to know I’m reading their stuff, and that I knew other people should be reading this. It gives a boost of confidence. … If you don’t feel like your editor cares about what you’re writing, or just reading it to fact-check it, you’re not going to be passionate about what you’re writing – whether it’s investigative journalism, the environment.
“And if you don’t care, your readers aren’t going to care.”
What O’Donnell might miss most is watching news conferences and Congressional hearings in her office, with Daniels sitting nearby, her attention rapt.
“She was one of the few who would be up-to-date and sit and watch a White House press conference,” O’Donnell said. “We’d both of us have blood pressure-rising conversations, and then we’d be making plans on how to make people care about it.”
Daniels has had to keep her blood pressure in check while dealing with leadership, as well. A professor refused to let her cover a Black Lives Matter protest because she felt Daniels couldn’t report objectively and get comment from the hate group.
Daniels maintains that while reporting with context is necessary, a reporter should not amplify hate speech.
“There’s a difference between saying no comment was given and painting them in a bad light,” she said. “I don’t want to give [them] that air time that [they’re] so desperate for,” she said.
Despite such conflicts, O’Donnell said she’s never seen Daniels in a genuinely bad mood.
“She has an exuberance and a joy about her,” she said. “I’ve seen her passionately enraged, yet she’d turn her head and be very polite when somebody walked in the room.”
Daniels says she’s glad to be a journalist, not an elected official. In her blog description, she states the divisiveness of America “starts with our leaders, who find themselves in impossible situations, unable to agree with one another and thus unable to consider what is in the people's best interest.”
She leans liberal, and says political tensions are not limited to a chasm-like aisle between the parties.
“I see on one hand, on the Democratic side, some of them are super-progressive and saying the establishment isn’t doing enough,” Daniels said.
She then pointed out that when Utah Sen. Mitt Romney broke the party line during President Donald Trump’s impeachment, he was banned from the party’s convention.
“It’s the same fight in the GOP,” Daniels said. “It’s this total whirlwind of complete and utter chaos and infighting. How are you to work through that division with the parties themselves and then the communities they serve? I don’t know what the answer is. This is why I’m not in politics. I just talk about what they’re doing.
“It’s not possible to make the right decisions when things are so polarized.”
Just writing about it can be exhausting, and Daniels is aware of the threat journalists pose to themselves when they don’t take opportunities to disconnect from the job.
So she sometimes turns off the news, mutes her social media, and takes regular trips to Pittsburgh to see her boyfriend, Nick Graves, who studies public policy at Carnegie Mellon after getting his bachelor’s degree in social work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“I think it’s good sometimes to just step away,” she said. “I just stop and let myself binge a Netflix a show for the day or read Harry Potter for the twenty-millionth time. It’s such a cliche to unplug for a short amount of time, but it’s important. I like to eat ice cream.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 26, 2026 Media Contact Information: Cartwheel Emily Paisner (888) 500-2067 emily.paisner@cartwheelcare.org
$1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois will help Cartwheel scale access to care in rural and underserved communities through 2028
CHICAGO — August 26, 2026 — Cartwheel Care, a telehealth mental health provider for K-12 schools, today announced plans to expand access to care for up to 100,000 students across Illinois, supported by a $1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL). The additional funding builds on an existing partnership between Cartwheel and BCBSIL, following a year of strong engagement and clinical outcomes. Cartwheel currently serves 40 Illinois school districts, and the grant will help expand services further into rural and underserved communities across the state through 2028. Mental health needs among Illinois students remain high. According to data from Lurie Children’s Hospital, approximately 50% of Illinois youth (ages 2–17) have experienced worsening mental health symptoms in recent years. At the same time, access to care has not kept pace: more than 80 of Illinois’ 102 counties have no practicing child psychiatrist, and the shortage is most acute in rural areas, where families often wait months for an appointment or travel significant distances for care. Cartwheel’s telehealth model is designed to remove the access barriers rural families face, like long waitlists and the need to travel to see a provider. By partnering with schools, Cartwheel provides licensed, Illinois-based clinicians with no waitlist, accepts all major insurance plans including Medicaid, and reaches kids and families where they already are, without requiring them to find or travel to an outside provider. “Every student experiences mental health challenges differently, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting them,” said Dr. Juliana Chen, chief medical officer at Cartwheel. “Our goal is to meet students and families where they are, with practical support that helps them build skills, strengthen relationships, and feel more confident navigating challenges at school and at home. BCBSIL’s support is what allows us to bring that care to more Illinois communities.” “Supporting the health and well-being of Illinois youth is critical to building stronger communities,” said Brian Snell, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. “The results we’ve seen through our partnership with Cartwheel demonstrate the impact that timely, accessible mental health services can have for students and families. This investment will help bring those services to even more communities across our state.” To date, four Illinois districts have received Cartwheel’s services through this grant: Steger SD 194 in Cook County and Will County, Troy CCSD 30-C in Will County, Mattoon CUSD 2 in Coles County, and Wolf Branch SD #113 in St. Clair County. In the first year of the program, more than 200 students were referred for care and completed more than 1,000 telehealth sessions. Appointments were scheduled in the same week with no waitlist. Sixty-eight percent of students served were covered by Medicaid or uninsured. Overall, 73% of students showed meaningful improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms on standard clinical screeners (GAD-7/PHQ-9). Additional districts where Cartwheel services are launching this fall include Litchfield CUSD #12, Panhandle CUSD #2, Leyden High School District #212, and Regional Office of Education #40. With the support of this grant, Cartwheel expects to expand into another 30 to 50 school districts, bringing access to care to a total of 100,000 students across Illinois. “Before this partnership, getting a student connected to care could take months,” said Jeffrey Peterson, director of student services & records at Troy CCSD 30-C. “Now our counselors can refer a student, know they’ll be seen within days, and are seeing real improvements as a result.” Through the grant, Cartwheel provides individual and family therapy, parent guidance, psychiatric evaluation and medication management, and specialized care programs for challenges like school avoidance, social media use, and intense emotions and behavior challenges. As reported in Illinois Policy, in 2025 about 25% of Illinois students missed at least 10% of the school year and this was more severe among low-income students, with 35.1% in that group chronically absent. Cartwheel’s school avoidance program delivers evidence-based care designed specifically for students struggling with school avoidance. In partnership with Cartwheel, Peoria Public Schools saw a 62% reduction in absences per student, along with decreases in suspensions and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Illinois school districts that want to learn more about this opportunity for the upcoming school year should visit: www.cartwheel.org/illinois. About Cartwheel Cartwheel is the nation’s largest and most trusted telehealth provider for K-12 schools, students, and families. Cartwheel partners with 350 school districts across 15 states to deliver comprehensive mental health services to students, families, and school staff. Founded in 2022 by educators and clinicians, Cartwheel combines evidence-based clinical care with technology to ensure every child has access to high-quality mental health support. Cartwheel accepts all major insurance plans including Medicaid and provides care at no cost to uninsured families. For more information visit: www.cartwheel.org. About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is the largest health insurer in Illinois, serving nine million members and operating in all 102 Illinois counties. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Learn more at bcbsil.com and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 24, 2026 Media Contact Information: Mather Institute Cindy Droog, president, Sabo PR (616) 717-8654 cindy@sabo-pr.com
Free online tool by Mather Institute supports local planning, partnership and investments
EVANSTON, Illinois – Chicago has a new tool to help understand where neighborhood conditions support social wellness among older adults – and where thoughtful investment and partnership may expand opportunities. Mather Institute launched a first-of-its-kind free Social Wellness Map, which scores the 77 community areas in Chicago on social wellness – a measure of feeling connected with others and with a community – for adults 55 and better. Previous research shows strong social ties are one of the most important predictors of a happy and long life, and that neighborhoods and communities shape how people interact, support one another and build shared identity. Mather Institute developed the map in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago. Designed as a planning and advocacy resource, the interactive map can help policymakers, community organizations, funders, planners and service providers explore local patterns, identify assets and consider where new investments may have the greatest benefit for older adults. “Social wellness is a crucial, yet often overlooked, part of healthy aging,” said Cate O’Brien, MPH, Ph.D., chief transformation officer at Mather Institute. “Because every community contains diverse histories, people and experiences, the map is intended to inform – not replace – local knowledge. The most useful next step is conversation. When organizations bring this data together with resident voices, they can better understand what is already working and what could be most beneficial to older adults and their communities.” The map is based on a new survey of more than 4,000 Chicago residents age 55 and better, combined with public data on community conditions, including walkability, economic factors and access to gathering places such as libraries, churches and community centers. Factors such as crime, lack of local businesses and poverty can hinder social wellness, but don’t tell the whole story. Users can view a side-by-side comparison of communities to explore how social wellness relates to health, happiness, income and other factors. Key findings include:
“Community leaders often have deep local knowledge, but need data to support the case for programs, funding and partnerships,” said Jennifer L. Smith, Ph.D., vice president of Mather Institute. “The Social Wellness Map offers another lens for understanding older adults’ experiences and for turning local insight into action.” High social wellness scores were not confined to one part of Chicago or to its wealthiest areas, suggesting that other factors such as neighborhood identity, belonging and longstanding social ties are also important to connection. Chatham emerged as a notable example, with a social wellness score of 8.14 out of 10, illustrating social wellness reflects aspects of community life beyond economic and safety indicators alone. Beverly received the highest community connectability score: 100 out of 100. Beverly is notable for its low crime rates, a strong family culture and several longstanding community gathering places. Jefferson Park stood out for having community conditions that support connection such as accessible transit, retail activity and established cultural gathering places. The map is free to use and does not require user registration. It can be explored at: https://www.matherinstitute.com/social-wellness-map/
About Mather and Mather Institute
Based in Evanston, Illinois, Mather is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1941 that is dedicated to a vision of changing the way society views aging. Mather creates Ways to Age Well℠ through programs, places and residences for today’s older adults. These include developing and operating communities that support older adults in pursuing wellness and fulfillment; sparking creativity and connections for older adults in Chicagoland and beyond; and through Mather Institute, conducting research and incubating innovation to help all live and age well.
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