Dominique Maria Bonessi
@dbonessi Washington, DC
(508) 488-9463

Work Experience

City Hall Reporter, WYPR 88.1FM, Baltimore, MD, May 2017 to Present
-Covering Baltimore City Hall, local governance issues, mental health, and immigration.
-Pitching, reporting, producing, editing, voicing breaking news reports.
-Appearing live with Tom Hall’s Midday show and other WYPR hosts to answer questions and translate on-air from Spanish to English.

Freelance Reporter, Istanbul, Turkey, September 2016 to December 2016
-Covering assistance for Syrian refugees in Istanbul and major cities in Turkey, religion, culture, and breaking news.
-Pitching, editing, and voicing breaking news segments for NPR’s hourly newscast.
-To publish with The Atlantic, US News & World Report, PRI’s The World, Religion News, and New Deeply.

Fellow, International Center for Journalists’s 2016 Bringing Home the World for Minorities
-One-month reporting project about education for Syrian children, especially girls.
-Freelancing for The Atlantic, News Deeply: Girls’ and Women’s Hub, and US News & World Report.

Broadcast News Assistant, PBS Newshour, Shirlington, VA
-Pre-interviewed, researched, and produced guests and segments for foreign affairs beat.
-Contributed to Newshour news blog weekly.
-Managed scripts, control room, and studio for nightly news program.

Social Media and Multimedia Intern, NPR Generation Listen,       Washington, D.C. Summer 2015
-Developing video strategy, and improving social media presence and engagement.
-Creating promotional videos and other original content for blog and YouTube page.

Breaking News/ Homefront Team Intern, USA TODAY, McLean, VA,
  Spring 2015
-Producing breaking news, picture galleries, podcasts, and original online content.
-Interviewing in Spanish, translating Spanish to English, and translating documents from Arabic to English
-Managing online site, rewriting headlines, fact checking, and researching

Social Media Strategist, Viviana Hurtado, Ph.D.’s The Wise Latina Club,
  Washington, D.C., Summer 2014-Present
-Developing and implementing social media strategy, including Twitter, Google Plus, and Facebook.
-Working on re-branding and marketing of website to reach and engage new audiences such as Hispanics and Millennials, mastering SEO.
-Developing key stakeholder relationships with sources including the White House.                  

Production Intern, Al Jazeera America’s America Tonight, Washington D.C.
Summer 2014
-Assisting producers and correspondents by researching and pitching story ideas and booking guests.
-Fact checking, searching video archive, and transcribing and translating videos from Arabic to English.
-Working as a team player to produce show segments including video editing.

Video Intern, Epic PR Group, Alexandria,VA
Fall 2013                                                                                                
-Producing video content for clients.
-Pitching video content to client.
-Shooting and editing footage
-Interviewing for client opinions
-Administrative tasks

Editorial Intern, The Fiscal Times, New York, New York
   Summer 2013                                                                   
-Researched partner stories to post on website
-Used company personalized content management system, Sitecore
-Proposed and produced original content
-Assisted editorial staff in their duties and helped increase social media outreach

Multimedia Coordinator, GW Catholics at the Newman Center
Fall 2012-Fall 2013                                                                    
-Create promotional videos and slideshows utilizing Adobe Premiere
-Connect students to the Newman Center through publicizing events on YouTube to hundreds of students

Senior Staff Videographer, GW Hatchet Independent Student Newspaper
  Fall 2011-Spring 2013
-Record video footage and edit the product utilizing Final Cut Pro
-Interview and check facts for newspaper content
-Receive about 1000 hits per video published

Intern for Nadia Bilbassy-Charter, Middle East Broadcasting
   Spring 2013                                                                   
-Proposed ideas and stories
-Checked facts and wrote transcripts
-Conducted interviews on camera

House Staff 1^st Year Experience, GWU Center for Student Engagement
  August 2012-May 2013
-Mentored about 75 freshmen residents in Thurston Hall
-Created weekly reports and other documents
-Planned programs for freshmen residents in Thurston Hall
-Facilitated roommate agreements and mediated roommate conflicts

Service Experience

West Virginia Service Trip Participant, GW Catholics
  Spring Break 2012, 2013, and 2015
-Completed construction houses on Vietnam War veteran’s home
-Worked in a team on small construction projects

Volunteer at Reclaiming Childhood, Amman, Jordan 
  Spring 2014 
-Assisted basketball coaching underprivileged and unserved 60 refugee girls
-Connected with girls on a one-to-one basis
-Created informative video for promotional use

Contributing Writer, Taayosh: Muslim-Christian Research Center,
  Amman, Jordan, Spring 2014
-Covering Pope Francis’s visit to Jordan
-Writing content for website on a tight deadline
-Establishing and producing social media platforms

Volunteer at Mission of Charity for AIDs Patients
Fall 2013, 2014, and 2015
-Assisted Sisters of Charity Cleaning Bedrooms and daily chores
-Led Rosary and attended mass with AIDs Patients

Service Leader, GW Freshman Day of Service 2012
Fall 2012
-Lead a group of 1st year students in community service project at a DC public school
-Organized materials and distributed students to various tasks that needed to be completed

Kitchen Volunteer, Milford Senior Center
   Holiday Season 2012
-Worked 300+ Hours
-Caroled during the holidays

Volunteer, Devon Division of Rotary International
  Summer 2012
-Worked 100+ Hours
-Exchange student host and volunteer at fundraising events

Education

The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Graduated December 2016
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications
Bachelor of Arts in Arab Language and Culture

Middlebury College Program, University of Jordan
Spring 2014  
Intensive Arabic Language and Culture Courses
Amman, Jordan

Al-Akhawayn University Ifrane, Morocco
Summer 2012
Four week Intensive Arabic Course, traveling, and blogging
http://dominiquebonessi.blogspot.com/

Accolades

Association of Healthcare Journalist Regional Mid-Atlantic Fellow
Summer 2017-2018

Huffington Post’s List of 15 Top Young Latinas in American Newsrooms 
   February 2017

Bringing Home the World Fellowship
   Summer-Fall 2016
From the International Center for Journalists
Awarded to produce radio stories about education for Syrian refugee girls in Turkey

Dorothy and Will Roberts Prize
  Spring 2015
From GW School of Media and Public Affairs
Awarded for academic excellence, professional promise, and community service.

American News Women’s Club Scholarship
   Spring 2014
From the American News Women’s Club
Scholarship for women in journalism or communications degree programs
For outstanding work and achievement in the field

Larry King Award
   Spring 2014
From the GW School of Media and Public Affairs
Awarded for academic excellence and financial need

Manheim-Sterling Research Grant
  Spring 2014
From the GW School of Media and Public Affairs
Research Topic: How does social media plays a role in the conversation about women in Jordan?
Research for study abroad in Amman, Jordan

GW Blog Abroad Scholarship
  Spring 2014
From the GW Office of Study Abroad
Study Abroad Amman, Jordan

Skills

 -Computer Proficiency: Wordpress, Blogging, Content Management Systems, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Publish, HTML, Adobe, Premiere, Presto, Merlin, and Final Cut Pro

-Social Media: Facebook, Linked-In, Instagram, Twitter, and social media strategy

-Languages: Fluent in Spanish, Proficient in Media Arabic

-Editorial: Fact checking, editing, writing on tight deadline, blogging, and interviewing