Rachel Lopera, a rising junior journalism major in the Diederich College of Communication, has been selected as the 2026-27 James Foley Fellow by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation.
“I’m honored to be a part of the Foley Foundation and helping to promote safety for journalists at all levels, because that includes me and all of my peers,” Lopera says. “The work the Foley Foundation does is extremely valuable.”
“I look forward to working with Rachel in supporting journalists who confront many risks and challenges when reporting locally, nationally and internationally,” said Dr. Tom Durkin, director of safety education for the Foley Foundation and research and grant coordinator at Marquette’s Center for Peacemaking. “My friend and fellow Marquette alum, Jim Foley, believed moral courage was foundational to his work as a journalist. I’m confident Rachel will proudly carry on Jim’s legacy.”
In addition to journalist safety curricula and participation in journalism conferences, the Foley Foundation is currently developing a web-based toolkit, Reporting with Resilience. The toolkit, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, is led by Durkin and Dr. Lauren Walsh. As a Foley Fellow, Lopera will work directly with the two of them on the development and implementation of this toolkit.
The Foley Fellowship is funded by the generosity of the James P. Ruder Foundation. The Ruder family, including Suzy and her children, Matt (MU ’94), Megan (MU ’97), and Chris (MU ’97), are proud supporters of the Foley Foundation and Marquette University’s Center for Peacemaking.
The Foley Foundation was created in 2014 to honor the legacy of Marquette alum James “Jim” Foley, a freelance journalist who was captured and beheaded by ISIS in Syria in 2014. The Foundation advocates for the release of all Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad and promotes journalist safety.
