SoCJ Alumna Ivana Stolnik-Lourie ’16 Establishes Fund for Marie Colvin Center’s Journalism Without Walls Program 

Born in Croatia and raised during times of war, Ivana Stolnik-Lourie ’16 understands firsthand the importance of witnessing events directly and reporting on them. When she came to the United States 13 years ago, Stolnik-Lourie enrolled in the State University of New York at Stony Brook’s School of Communication and Journalism (SoCJ), where she fell in love with news literacy and all aspects of journalism. 

Now, Stolnik-Lourie is helping the next generation of international journalists within the Marie Colvin Center’s Journalism Without Walls program. In 2024, she created the Ivana Stolnik-Lourie Journalism Program Fund. This provides support for a course for juniors and seniors majoring in journalism that culminates with a trip abroad to delve deeper into international storytelling. “I believe strongly in the power of journalism and in giving students the opportunity to see the world beyond the classroom,” said Stolnik-Lourie. “It’s important for future journalists to step out of their comfort zone, see the world and report on it.”

Spearheading a Trip to Sweden

Offering students the opportunity to do boots-on-the-ground reporting is an important part of the Marie Colvin Center. According to center Director Sarah Baxter, while the university offers study abroad programs, the Journalism Without Walls program offers real-world experiences for foreign reporting rather than classroom learning. For the past few years, Baxter has been able to take a handful of students to Moldova and Nepal. “While those trips were quite successful, I always felt we should be able to take more students to really make a difference,” said Baxter. “However, many of our journalism students simply can’t afford this type of experience without philanthropy. When Ivana and I started talking about these trips, it was refreshing to see her passion for helping our future journalists gain the experience they need.” 

Stolnik-Lourie and Baxter got to work brainstorming where the students should travel and selecting a topic for the students to report on. “At the Colvin Center, we honor the work of Marie Colvin, who not only revolutionized foreign reporting but was a mentor for female reporters,” said Baxter. “When Ivana suggested gender equality as a theme for the trip, I thought it was such wonderful synergy with the center.” The topic is especially important for Stolnik-Lourie, a strong supporter of women and their passions. “Sweden seems to be ahead of [its] time with women’s rights and equality,” said Stolnik-Lourie. “It offered a chance for students to see a country that is paving the way for issues that other countries grapple with.”

Exploring a New Country

Once the location and topic were set, the students began developing ideas for their projects. Stolnik-Lourie visited with the students in class to hear their pitches. “It was so energizing to hear what they came up with and to help them flesh out their ideas,” said Stolnik-Lourie. “They were all so passionate, not just about the trip, but about digging deep into their stories.” The students worked both collaboratively and individually on a number of stories, which were then posted on the Journalism Without Walls Substack website. The topics ranged from the Swedish prison system and a midwifery birthing center to Stockholm Fashion Week and a women-owned, women-only gym. The students set up a few elements, such as interviews and site visits, ahead of the Sweden trip, which took place at the end of May. Still, Baxter notes that the program is designed to teach students to think on their feet in real-world reporting situations. “As with all journalists,” said Baxter, “the students learned to be flexible and adapt quickly to issues that came up on the ground.”

Stolnik-Lourie joined the group for dinner one night in Stockholm. “All of these aspiring journalists couldn’t wait to tell me about their adventures in reporting,” she recalled. “They all seemed more mature, some having traveled out of the country for the first time. It’s quite remarkable that I was able to contribute a little bit to that.”

For Lori Saxena ’25, the trip was a way for her to observe, listen, ask questions and immerse herself in another culture. “I learned how much deeper you can understand a place when you engage with it as a journalist,” Saxena said. She worked on three stories during the trip; one focused on the state of women’s soccer in Sweden. “As someone who used to play soccer, this story was close to my heart,” she explained. “It required a lot of legwork, but it reminded me of why I love combining my personal passions with journalism.”

The most significant thing that Melanie Karniewich ’25 learned was how to step out of her comfort zone. “A story’s progression can change at any point, so you need to be able to think on your feet and adjust the angle accordingly,” said Karniewich. She leaned on her classmates and Baxter to help her adapt and complete her two projects. “It was such a great experience finally getting to be on the ground and reporting,” she said. “All of the workshopping I did to prepare helped me put together not just a written piece but [also] a video about the women-only gym in Stockholm.”

As senior Kaan Ozcan was putting together the story of a midwife-run birth clinic, he learned it required a large amount of empathy and a willingness to actively listen to people’s experiences. “It was through the Journalism Without Walls program that I was actually able to develop these skills to put together a project like this,” said Ozcan. “All of the stories these parents told me about their birthing experiences changed the way I view maternal health.”

The students felt inspired and empowered knowing there are alumni and friends like Stolnik-Lourie who believe in the importance of journalism. “Her support didn’t just make the trip possible,” said Saxena. “It gave us the confidence to know that our work matters and that student voices have value in the world.”

Next Stop, Berlin

The Marie Colvin Center is hard at work planning the next Journalism Without Walls trip with Stolnik-Lourie, this time to Berlin, Germany, in May 2026. Stolnik-Lourie has already met some of the next cohort and looks forward to supporting their projects. “I love speaking with the students and hearing their ideas from the initial stages and then seeing how they turn out,” she said. “My hope for the program is that it continues to attract exceptional students and grow each year.” 

This support and confidence from Stolnik-Lourie motivates Baxter to continue creating these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for young journalists. “To have someone like Ivana, who understands the unique goals of our program and also cares so deeply about our students, is the real gift,” said Baxter. “She’s brought her vision to the Colvin Center, and together we’ve built something more powerful as a result.” 

-Christine McGrath