Jessica F. Sparks, MA

Jessica Sparks is a Ph.D. student in the College of Journalism and Communication at the University of Florida. As a political journalist-turned-academic, Sparks has about 10 years experience in journalism practice and 7 years experience in journalism pedagogy. 

   From the first day she set foot on the campus of Ball State University her freshman year, Jessica was an active participant in The Daily News, an award-winning student publication at the institution. She graduated from Ball State in 2007 with a bachelor's in journalism with an emphasis on news and editorial production. While in her undergraduate studies, Jessica was the only writer to take classes in digital media production. Her minor in digital media, along with her minor in political science, helped her gain full employment before graduation. 

   In 2008, Jessica was offered a graduate assistantship to teach students in the Department of Telecommunications about news writing. As the newspaper industry was suffering from the Great Recession, Jessica took the opportunity and completed her master's in digital storytelling in 2010. 

   After graduation, Jessica worked in various positions in both the journalism profession and in collegiate education. In 2013, she took a full-time role at Savannah State University as an assistant professor of journalism. In 2014, she was one of five scholars selected for the inaugural "Back to the Newsroom" Fellowship through the International Center for Journalists, which embedded her in the Wall Street Journal newsroom to better understand national media processes with multimedia production. During her time in the classroom, Jessica has maintained some reporting work for publications including The Washington Post. 

   In 2020, after years of working in news and academia, Sparks started her most recent adventure in earning a Ph.D. in mass communications at the University of Florida. In this position, she teaches courses in the Department of Journalism, including reporting, multimedia reporting and media law. Her research areas include news production, open records and media trust. 

   Outside of work and school, Jessica spends her free time with her husband, two daughters, and their dogs.