After earning her bachelor’s degree from the Ghana Institute of Journalism and working as a social media manager, Mary Kate Atiglo arrived in Reno from Ghana to begin her master’s degree at the Reynolds School of Journalism in 2024. With a passion for public relations, social media and photography, Atiglo has developed her skills as a communications expert throughout the first year of her degree program.  

In addition to her coursework, she has worked with the Honors College, Nevada Athletics, Nevada Online and as a graduate research assistant at the Reynolds School. But this summer, Atiglo had an internship experience that was extraordinarily meaningful.

Northern Nevada HOPES, a local nonprofit community health center, established the Dr. Todd Felts Healthcare Marketing and Communications Internship to honor the legacy of Professor Felts’ as a longstanding board member at the organization. The internship supports a summer intern on HOPES’ marketing and communication team, carrying out the ongoing mentorship Felts’ provided in the community and to students at the journalism school.

Atiglo came across a communications intern position for Northern Nevada HOPES last spring but didn’t know the job was being funded in honor of her late Professor.

Once she began the internship, Atiglo was honored to be able to learn and grow in an environment that was such an important part of Felts’ life. “I thought, Todd is still working. He's still working. Even though Todd's not here, he's still doing what he's supposed to do. It seems like [the internship] was meant for me,” said Atiglo.

During her summer at HOPES, Atiglo helped to produce videos, plan photoshoots and engage with the community through promotional storytelling on their website and social media channels.

“The past three months with HOPES have been so good. They've taught me a lot and I've experienced everything I wished to do,” she said. “They made me feel included.”

“Mary Kate was an absolute joy to collaborate with this summer at Northern Nevada HOPES through The Dr. Todd Felts Marketing & Communications Scholarship Fund. Her photography talents helped us refresh staff portraits and create a beautiful photoshoot for our website. She brought positivity and professionalism to every event she supported,” said Geeve Iverson (’22), digital media and communications specialist at HOPES. “Working alongside someone who also learned from Dr. Todd Felts was deeply meaningful. This scholarship is a powerful way to carry forward his legacy, and I’m truly excited to see where Mary Kate’s journey takes her next.”

After graduating next spring, Atiglo plans to pursue an MBA in Sports Administration and hopes to build her career in sports marketing, branding and fundraising at the collegiate or professional sports level.