Moving on:

Sean Jensen (Summer 1996) has accepted a new position at the Chicago Sun-Times as the Chicago Bears/NFL writer and columnist. He says, “I’m very excited about the new opportunity.” Jensen was the Vikings writer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press for 10 years.

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Brenda Duran (Summer 2002) is the editor in chief of Long Beach Magazine in Southern California. The magazine is a full color, full-gloss monthly publication that celebrates the lifestyles of various communities within Long Beach and also includes fashion, dining and community features.

Lailani Upham (Summer 2004) is a reporter and photographer for the Char-Koosta News, a tribal paper on the Flathead reservation in Montana.

Simmi Aujla (Summer 2008) is a legislative reporter at The Associated Press in Boise, Idaho. Previously she was an intern for The Chronicle of Higher Education in Washington, D.C.

Vanessa Miranda (Summer 2008) is an assistant editor for PR Newswire in Washington, D.C.

Workshops:

Six Chipsters participated in The New York Times Student Journalism Institute in Tucson, Ariz., in January. They are Derrick Henry (Summer 1997), Dalina Castellanos (Spring 2009), Veronica Cruz (Spring 2010), Jamie Klein (Summer 2010), Elvia Malagon (Spring 2010) and Diego James Robles (Summer 2008). Henry, a senior Web news producer, The New York Times, was an instructor.

Other news:

Lisa Cawley (Summer 2004) is a communications specialist for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami. She writes, “I will be creating and managing content on the Sylvester Web site and launching a social media campaign.” Previously she was a page designer/copy editor for The Miami Herald.

Leah Caudle (Summer 2007) is a news bureau editor for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. Previously she was a reporter for The Tennessean in Nashville.

LaVondia Majors (Spring 2002) is a program coordinator for the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute in Nashville. Previously she was a photographer for The Tennessean.

Corinthia McCoy (Summer 2006) is a coordinator for AmeriCorps VISTA in Benton Harbor, Mich. She writes, “I am serving a year of service with Southwest Michigan Neighborhood Housing Services. Our goal is to help families remain in their homes by providing foreclosure prevention counseling, assisting in the loan modification process and providing financial education. My aspect is community outreach. The funny part about it is that I’m using the same skills I acquired in journalism. I am discovering that writing is still very much a part of me, and I can’t seem to escape it.” Previously she was reporter for the Green Bay (Wis.) Press-Gazette.

Yesenia Mojarro (Spring 2005) is teaching English at Hebei University of Economics and English in Shijiazhuang, China. She says, “I have been here for a year and a half and have committed to staying another one and a half (years) before returning to the United States. Journalism is still in my heart and I plan to pursue it further in the future.” Previously she was editor of Vision Latina, a Spanish publication in Lakeland, Fla.

Babies:

Jeremy Verdusco (Spring 2003) and wife Kisha welcomed Rachel Alyssa on Oct. 26, 2009. She weighed 7 pounds, 15 oz, and was 20 inches long. Writes Dad, “She’s over four months now, and Kisha and I are adjusting well to the joyous challenge of being parents. Rachel has a good appetite and is probably looking forward to her first spoon foods, and now sleeps through most nights.” Verdusco is a copy editor for The Detroit News.

Maria Montoya (Summer 1999) and her husband welcomed Press on Nov. 11, 2009. Montoya is a reporter for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans.

Engagements:

Mae Yousif-Bashi (Spring 2005), reporter and photographer for The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla., is to marry Jon Daniels on Oct. 16 in Michigan. Daniels is a home entertainment adviser with Best Buy. She says, “The plan is to incorporate a little bit from each of our backgrounds — he being Irish and me, Chaldean (Middle Eastern) — into one event. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and hopefully, we’ll be able to show each other’s families what our cultures and traditions are all about.”

Keep your news coming. Send updates to Michelle Hedenskoog.