As protesters marched down Jackson Boulevard in Chicago during an anti-war protest, Monica Carter found herself in the center of the crowd pushing east. With a camera in hand and a press pass visible on her chest, Carter expected to be the next reporter shoved out of the crowd and dumped on to the sidewalk — an incident she had just witnessed firsthand.

“They let me stay in the crowd and no problems arose,” said Carter, speaking about the 2012 protests when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit was in Chicago. “My motivation wasn’t to sensationalize the protest, its people or seek controversy. I was simply trying to document what was happening, and I believe that created a trust that allowed me to stay. I knew the issues they were passionate about and simply wanted the outside world to ‘hear’ their concerns.”

Her life in Chicago writing for a music magazine ignited her interest in journalism. However, the industry she was working in took her to Los Angeles in pursuit of career in entertainment. After three years of interviewing artists, reviewing music and attending concerts, Carter decided to explore the impactful arm of journalism.

Carter’s desire for social impact motivated her to pursue a career in investigative journalism.

“It was a fun time but I wanted more,” said Carter. “I was always interested in politics, policy and the environment but had no background in those areas and no experience on how to write about them. I decided that if wanted to sound like I knew what I was talking about and really pursue it, I had to go back to school.”

The North Side native received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago. When her desire for social impact motivated her to pursue a career in investigative journalism, she left L.A. to return to Chicago to pursue a master’s degree in journalism at DePaul University.

“Monica is a go-getter,” said Jason Martin, assistant professor in the College of Communication. “I've had her in several classes and for an independent study which we co-designed to best serve her interest in politics and urban affairs journalism. She's thirsty for knowledge. She spends her free time on webinars on how to conduct digital journalism. She asks for leads on open government data hack-a-thons in her spare time. She's voracious.”

Her need for constant learning stems from the desire to understand different points of view and share them with audiences spread across various social and economic strata.

“For a long time, I felt some stories were reported with the assumption that everyone has access and awareness to everything that is going on in the news,” said Carter. “That is not always the case. Some issues are hard to grasp if they aren't happening in your neighborhood.”

Learning how to share other people’s stories laid the ground work for Carter’s mission to engage people in issues that did not directly affect them. She wanted to engage people living in areas with a high rate of crime in environmental issues — when their main concern is survival. She sought, for example, the best way to entice a young, childless professional into caring about the impact of school closures on a neighborhood.

“This is the type of reporting I want to do,” said Carter. “I want to give people a better understanding of what is going on in various segments of the population even if they have no direct tie to the topic. I’ve received great training at DePaul, and I’m excited to see what I can do.”

Written by Ximena N. Beltran Quan Kiu