Communities of Hope: Civic Media
Hope Pod Live is Communities of Hope Civic Media’s live radio show. We cover and share news about social justice issues both on the Roger Williams University campus and in Rhode Island. On episode 7 of Hope Pod LIVE, I conducted an interview with Mario Monterio and Emily Cotter of Garden Time on air to talk about the program and how it can help inmates both in and out of prison. Here is that episode on our Youtube Channel, where all other episodes can be found.
“The Capsized Tribune”
At ‘The Capsized Tribune’ we report on a variety of topics from campus updates to investigative pieces. As Editor in Chief, I work in a variety of roles, from administrative editing and finding leads to reporting on and photographing events like RWU Faculty Association pickets and RWU sporting events. You can find more ‘Capsized’ materials at our website
RWU Faculty Association Pickets (11/21 & 11/24)
The Roger Williams University Faculty Association took to the sidewalks on the outskirts of the RWU campus to picket the recently announced furlough program which would force faculty to chose one of the designated weeks to take without pay.
RWU Student Rally (12/11)
RWU students stood outside of the campus Administration Building to stand in solidarity with faculty and protest against the upcoming faculty and staff furlough program
Written Work
Journalist Feature Profile (December 2025)
Bill Koch: A Rock in the Rhode Island Sports Community
WARREN, R.I.- Sports reporter Bill Koch of The Providence Journal is a Warwick RI native. He grew up cheering on all of the local Boston sports teams, including the Boston Red Sox. Growing up, Koch always wanted to be just like Red Sox star pitcher Roger Clemons. He even wore Clemons' number (21) in little league
As a lifelong local sports fan, Koch keeps his writing simple. He found that the best way to go about his writing, without emotions interfering, is to just stick to the facts. “For me, it’s like cover the game, here’s what happened. And if you’re going to have a take, make it fair. Criticize performance, not people.”
“So I guess I’m more like on the conventional side. And I’m ok with that because it more suits who I am…”
The eleven years that Koch has spent at The Providence Journal have been nothing short of success and he certainly has the resume to back it up. As a decorated sports reporter, Koch is a jack of all trades, covering high school sports, college basketball, and on occasion professional sports too. He started at The Providence Journal covering the Red Sox full time in 2014 but his role has since changed because they want anyone in the sports department to be able to go out and report on anything going on both in the state and at the professional level. “We try not to specialize too much because you don’t want just one person to have it. You want the staff to have it.”
“I’ve said this to people before, a lot of this is just being part of the furniture.”
One of the biggest keys to Koch’s success is his ability to build strong relationships. Even just saying hi and asking the player how their day is going or how they’re feeling is a great way to begin. When dealing with high school and collegiate athletics in particular, reporters want to make these young athletes, who have little to no media training, as comfortable as possible. He does this by just being around them all the time. Just being present and talking to them, even off the record, is super important. The result of this is when you actually need to talk to the player for a story, not only is the athlete more comfortable with you because they know you a little bit, but just talking to them off the record also shows them that you don't just go to them when you need something from them. “The people you cover, you try and meet them on their level somehow. Figure out what their interests are. Talk to them a little bit about that, even if it’s not about the game. Even if it’s not about their profession and just try and get to a point where you’re in a comfortable place with them, somehow. Because then, they’re going to be a lot more comfortable talking to you when it is about business.”
Koch’s strong relationships don't start and end with student athletes. Equally as important as the students, if not more, are his relationships with athletic administrators and coaches. The staff at Providence College, like the athletic director and sports information director, are some of the ones that he knows pretty well. Additionally, the basketball general manager, also at Providence College, was college roommates with a good friend of his from high school and if he wanted to call him at any point, either just to talk sports or to ask for access to one of the athletes on the basketball team, he could. Not only does Koch take advantage of the connections that he’s made as a Little Rhody native, but he also takes advantage of being a part of the environment.
It’s not only the student athletes, coaches, or athletic administration that Koch has had such a positive impact on, but it's also the other reporters that he works with at The Providence Journal. One of Bill’s closest colleagues, sports reporter Jacob Rousseau, said, “Bill’s my man. He’s awesome. There’s no topic or conversation that he and I can’t have. It doesn’t always have to be about work. Part of what makes Bill so good at his job is that he’s such a great listener. He’ll let you go on and on for hours if you need to. And he’s just someone who’s reliable. He will always listen to whatever you need to talk about…He’s always accessible. I need to reach out to him and, you know, just feel out his thoughts on someone or something; he’s always there.”
Koch has won a handful of awards in his career. He’s won the won the National Sports Media Association’s RI Sports Writer of the Year Award as well as Rhode Island Press Association awards for sports feature stories and general sports stories that he’s written, most recently in 2025. Through all of Koch’s achievements and success as a reporter, he still remains humble and keeps perspective on what’s truly important. “I could win the next five [years]; I do not care. It’s nice to be recognized, it is…You can’t really look for that stuff, validation of your performance or whatever else. It’s gotta come from a tight circle that you keep. That’s more important than anything else.”
Between the relationships that he has built and the awards and accolades that he has achieved, Koch certainly has made a large impact in Little Rhody sports.
RWU Varsity Hockey Game Report (Nov. 7 2025)
Last Friday the Hawks took on the Suffolk University Rams at Driscoll Arena in Fall River. It was the team's first conference game of the season so there was much anticipation for a Roger win. Puck drop was at 5 o’clock following pre-game lineup announcements. The first five minutes of the game started with exciting back and forth possessions. The scoring opened up when the Rams scored the first goal of the game on a power play at 6:57. The Hawks responded quickly with extended possessions and applied pressure to the opposition tying the game 1-1 at 11:24. The tie however didn’t last long as the Rams tallied another goal in the final minutes of the first period. The game however remained a close one through the second period as the Hawks defense held strong against the Rams aggressive offensive line. The close game didn’t last much longer though as the Rams added on at 10:32 in the third period, making it 3-1. To cap off the scoring the Rams added their fourth goal on yet another power play late in the game to make it a final score of 4-1.
Following the game freshman center Jacob Kettwig spoke with us about the loss. He said that they need to put this game behind them and be ready for the next one.
Coach Chris Hall shared a similar message to the entire team in the locker room after the game. He says that they’re right there and each game they’re making more progress. Even though there were six penalties against the Hawks throughout the game, there were nine in the previous game. It’s the price of having a primarily freshman team, they’re young and exciting, but there are going to be mistakes and a learning curve. His hope, to take another step forward with each and every game and hopefully find their stride soon.
The Hawks next game was on Saturday November 8th where they fell to Nichols College with a final score of 7-1. Roger looks to snap the two game losing skid as they take on The University of New England in Biddeford Maine today, November 14. Puck drop is at 7 PM.