Chicago native Natalie Mendenhall ’17 relished working in the College’s audiovisual department during her first autumn at Wellesley, filming the variety of events that sprang up around campus. A sib had alerted her to the position during orientation, and a Wellesley alum would mentor her into a pivotal newspaper internship the next summer. Wellesley connections had nurtured a new journalist. Last fall, she came full circle, visiting Harambee House to talk about the field with current students.

A double major in political science and Spanish, Natalie participated in the Wellesley in Washington program, learning about television news on Capitol Hill. She credits that experience with preparing her to become the news producer she is today. She has reported on everything from Hurricane Irma to the Milwaukee Bucks winning the NBA championships.

Before graduating from the College, Natalie was a production intern for WCVB-TV Boston. In the time since, she has produced for television and radio across major markets. In October 2023, she joined the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as an audio producer. She stated in an article announcing her hire, “This is an important moment in our democracy, and I’m glad to have a front seat reporting on history.” At the newspaper, she helped the Politically Georgia podcast grow into a five-days-a-week radio show.

“I enjoy engaging in civil discourse and having real conversations about political issues,” Natalie says. “I feel like social media puts us in our own silos. But working in radio specifically, I’m allowed to break down those biases and have in-depth conversations.”

Her love for political discourse grew on Wellesley’s campus. During her senior year, Hillary Rodham Clinton ’69 ran for president and later delivered the commencement address at Natalie’s graduation. “The discussions we were having on campus at the time made me so much more politically aware,” Natalie says. “I feel really blessed to be working in journalism at this changing time. Despite the way the public takes in information, people will always need the news.”