Monica Prelle is one of two visiting professors for the English Department at Northern Michigan University. This is her first teaching position, but she hopes her 15 years as a freelance journalist will give her credibility in emphasizing the importance of truth and ethics in the media to her students.
“It’s something we talk about daily,” she said. “Today’s media environment is volatile and so many of us are distrusting of media or have turned away from the new entirely, but truth in journalism is as important today as it ever was. I am hoping to instill good values in students—to understand what our own biases are and recognize that so we can make our best effort to report objectively.”
Prelle’s award-winning writing and photography have been published in numerous national outdoors, food and wine, and travel publications. Most notably, she received the Silver Prize for Travel Profile 2016 from the North American Travel Journalists Association and the 2014 Bodie McDowell Scholarship from the Outdoor Writers Association of America. She was also awarded Best Website and Best Feature Photography from the Outdoor Writers Association of California in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Prelle obtained a master’s degree in journalism from Harvard University in 2015. At Northern, she teaches Intro to Professional Writing.
“Teaching at Northern is rewarding and challenging,” she said. “I am most definitely learning as much as the students are and really enjoy interacting with bright young minds. It’s a beautiful campus and I love holding class outside when the weather permits. There is nothing like discussing books about nature under the canopy of trees. The fact that the students love and appreciate the outdoors so much is nice, too.”
Prelle is a competitive marathon runner and has coached Olympic development athletes. She also enjoys snowboarding and reading.