The Walrus Fellowship Program

The Walrus has an educational mandate and is invested in the idea that a healthy society relies on informed citizens. Every year, The Walrus Fellowship Program trains emerging journalists and media professionals in the art and science of fact checking, editing, and the production process as well as gaining a keen understanding of nonprofit management. This program exists to nurture and develop the next generation journalists, editors, and storytellers who have the skills to produce well-researched, trustworthy, and fact-based journalism.

The fellowship program is made possible by the generosity of individuals, foundations, and companies that are invested in training tomorrow’s reporters, editors, and storytellers. We thank the following philanthropists and companies for their investment in the future of journalism:

  • Adventure Canada
  • Birks Family Foundation
  • Cannonbury Foundation
  • CIBC Foundation
  • Chawkers Foundation
  • Justice Fund
  • Journalists for Human Rights
  • Power Corporation of Canada
  • McLean Foundation
  • TD Bank Group

Meet the Fellows

Filipa Pajevic

Power Corporation of Canada Senior Fellow

Filipa Pajevic is a journalist and fact checker based in Tkaronto/Toronto. Her work has appeared in the Toronto Star, The Guardian, CityLab, and other publications. She was a 2024 Fellow in Journalism and Health Impact at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Previously, she spent over 12 years in academic research and teaching as an economic geographer trained in urban studies. Filipa holds a PhD from McGill University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto. She has taught urban development theory and research methods, and mentored graduate students on research design and ethics. Passionate about sharing knowledge, she strives to inform the public through well-researched, factual and engaging journalism.
X: @filipouris

Arthur Dennyson Hamdani

Canadian Race Relations Fellow

Arthur Dennyson Hamdani is an early career journalist based in Toronto. Alongside writing, copy-editing, and fact-checking, he has experience as a photographer, illustrator, and graphic designer. His works have appeared in blogTO and Ricepaper Magazine. He was a mentee at a journalism mentorship program for BIPOC called Shared Bylines. Before The Walrus, he worked as a design editor at the University of Toronto’s student paper, The Varsity. He holds an honours bachelor’s of arts in journalism, English literature, and migration studies from U of T.

Hailey Choi

Chawkers Fellow

Hailey is a journalist and audio producer based in Toronto. She has worked on podcasts for the CBC, BBC, the Aga Khan Museum and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, among others. Her projects span a range of genres, including the historical show Exile, the true crime series Love, Janessa and the arts and culture podcast This Being Human.

Maya ElHawary

The Walrus Editorial Fellow

Maya is a young Egyptian editor and aspiring fact-checker based in Vancouver. A recent graduate from UBC, Maya studied English Literature and Political Science. She wrote her honours thesis on the Eurocentrism of Medieval Literature classes. Maya completed an editorial internship with Greystone Books, where she helped with proofreading, copy editing, reviewing manuscript submissions and soliciting blurbs. Before The Walrus, Maya got her start in journalism with the Institute of Palestine Studies. Maya can be found cooking, tango dancing, or travelling the world when she’s not writing, researching, or obsessing over comma placements.

Stephanie Watterson

TD Fellow on Disability and Inclusion

Stephanie is a newly published children’s book author and edits BIPOC stories at home on Vancouver Island. She has always had a love for literature, words and puns. She knows words matter but how we use them matters more. In her spare time, she volunteers with Editors BC on their executive board and as an editor/host of Blue Pencil sessions. When she’s not reading, writing or editing, you’ll find her smashing stereotypes or eating typos (read: vegetarian food) for breakfast. This fellowship will be building on her publications experience while showcasing her amazing skillset in a professional capacity.

Where Are They Now?

Many of our past fellows have gone on to work at esteemed publications in senior positions. Some have even published their first books. Since its founding in 2003, The Walrus has been privileged to have worked with over 100 emerging media professionals and has witnessed their careers flourish. Here is a selection of past fellows and their recent activity:

  • Tobin Ng, our 2023/24 Chawkers Fellow, is now the Associate Editor at Masionneuve Magazine
  • Julia-Simone Rutgers, our inaugural Justice Fund Writer in Residence (2021/22), is now the Manitoba reporter for The Narwhal
  • Lucy Uprichard, our 2020/21 Chawkers Fellow, is now Editor-in-Chief at Maisonneuve
  • Leila El Shennawy, our 2021/22 Cannonbury Fellow, is now the Digital Editor at The Public Policy Forum
  • Tajja Isen, former fellow at The Walrus (2018/19), published Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service in 2022
  • Aimee Louw, our 2020/21 TD Fellow on Disability and Inclusion, is currently CBC Montreal’s City Columnist

Tobin Ng, former Chawkers Editorial Fellow, 2023/24

“Having the opportunity to talk through editorial decisions and collaborate with seasoned editors has been a deeply valuable experience, and I’m excited to further develop my editing skills after the fellowship.”

Current Opportunities

There are currently no fellowship opportunities at The Walrus. Please check again in the future or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook to be notified of new job listings.