Annisa Charles (she/her/hers)

Annisa Charles has an associate degree in journalism from Fullerton College along with a bachelor's degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism and a minor in sociology from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF).

Charles received her master's degree in Mass Communications Research and Theory, May 2024. She passed her thesis defense on the first try with no notes, her graduating thesis, entitled "Body Dissatisfaction within Women of Color Based on Magazine Representation." 

She has an active cosmetology license in California, an editing certificate from Poynter and a certificate in fashion writing and photography from Teen Vogue x Parsons.

While a staff writer for Inside Fullerton at Fullerton College, she won two awards from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) in spring 2020. In the fall of the same year, she became the Culture Editor for the magazine.

In spring 2022, Charles became the Managing Editor of TUSK magazine at CSUF. 

That fall, she became a staff writer and photo editor assistant for the Daily Titan, CSUF's student-run school newspaper. January 2023, Charles became the Opinion Editor for the Daily Titan. 

Charles was the undergraduate and graduate communications and publicity manager for the Communications Department at CSUF from March 2022 to May 2024; she helped develop a system for future interns to promote the Communications Department and all it offers students. Charles went on to be the teaching assistant for CSUF's magazine, TUSK, where she helped assist in the 24th issue of the magazine. 

Charles was a copy editor and writer for the start-up company, The Inclusive AI, while she finished her master's degree and pursued the workforce. In August 2024, she began teaching multiple courses of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) as a lecturer at San Diego State University, along with being a VISTA (Valuing Incarcerated Scholars Through Academia) lecturer at Centinela State Prison in Imperial Valley. 

Today, she freelances as a journalist and paid media creative coordinator while also teaching 3-to-4 three-unit courses at San Diego State University.

Softwares: Adobe Premiere Pro, Illustrator & InDesign; Canva; Google Docs, Calendar, Chat, Sheets & PowerPoint; Omni Modern Campus CMS; Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint; Notion; Canvas; Instagram; TikTok; Twitter/X; YouTube; LinkedIn; Canvas

Skills: Photography; Videography; Video editing; AP Style; Proofreading; Copy editing; News reporting; Opinion writing; Research; Managing; SEO; Communication; AI research and copy editing; Beauty knowledge within hair, skin & nails; Social media content creation; UGC creation

Awards: CSUF Communications Department Chair Leadership Award (2024); CSUF Outstanding Graduate Student: Teaching Assistant (2024); CSUF Communications Department Chair Leadership Award (2023); NBCU Academy Fellowship Scholarship (2022); JACC 3rd in Opinion Writing & 2nd in Magazine News Feature Writing (2020)

Certifications:  Google Cloud Skills Boost Google Docs (2024); Google Cloud Skills Boost Google Chat (2024); Google Cloud Skills Boost Google Sheets (2024); Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing (2021); Teen Vogue x Parsons Fashion Writing and Photography (2019); Cosmetology certificate (2018)

Lecturer

Aug. 2024 - Present

• Teaches 3-to-4 three-unit media studies courses in the Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) department
• Develops and executes lesson plans for four sections of classes with weekly benchmarks to be met

Freelance

Aug. 2023 - Present

• Interviews and writes short and long-form articles in AP Style for organizations such as The Orange County Register, Behind the Badge and San Diego Magazine
• Coordinates with editors on storytelling and facts, along with quick turnaround edits and final submissions

Freelance

Nov. 2020 - Present

• Creates and edits slide decks with product information for companies such as Hexclad
• Coordinates with companies to create original script and video for UGC for brands such as Fab Fit Fun, Ellevest, HoneyLove, and Flex
• Researches customer data for companies to understand their market better

Lecturer

Aug. 2024 - Dec. 2024

• Revived Media and Culture (JMS 450) to be taught in a quarter system to two classes at Centinela Prison in Imperial Valley
• Taught JMS 450 twice a week for three-hour sessions in which students had introspective discussions about media shaping reality and how they see it has shaped their own experiences

Freelance Copyeditor

Mar. 2024 - Nov. 2024

• Copy-edited three stories a week for the website, being a lead editor for most of the articles
• Developed raw articles to read professionally about AI and AI inclusivity on tight deadlines
• Researched current AI developments and changes to be more concise in editing and writing

Copyeditor

Jul. 2024 - Aug. 2024

• Copy edited for one client, editing over ten prompts a day and checking for overall accuracy in both grammar and facts
• Edited and fact-checked an artificial intelligence (AI) machine daily to ensure accuracy
• Completed extensive training to stay up-to-date on current AI trends and editing

Teaching Assistant – COMM 434 Tusk Magazine

Jan. 2024 - May 2024

• Supervised and taught COMM 434 Tusk Magazine class alongside Dr. Chelsea Reynolds while also creating weekly lesson plans
• Oversaw communication between desk leads and the Creative Director and Managing Editor while also holding office hours to meet with other students
• Developed a timeline for the magazine to be finished in time of graduation, which the students met the deadlines consistently

Communications Publicity & Outreach Manager

Mar. 2022 - May 2024

• Photographed, recorded, wrote and edited 2-to-3 spotlight articles a week that highlight the Communications Department
• Supervised two interns in fall 2023 semester and three interns in spring 2024 by training and ensuring they meet deadlines for spotlight articles weekly
• Organized all material so it can be reused in future media and is able to be navigated by the next manager

Opinion Editor

Jan. 2023 - May 2023

• Published opinion stories daily and edited 1-to-2 stories for print every Sunday, along with helping design the page layout
• Mentored writers and assistants on opinion writing and how to improve future articles
• Researched and stayed up-to-date with the news to have changing opinions and perspectives

Reporter & Assistant Photo Editor

Aug. 2022 - Dec. 2022

• Wrote 2-to-3 news, opinion or lifestyle articles on deadlines weekly for print and digital publication
• Worked closely with Photo Editor on taking and editing pictures for news, lifestyle and sports stories
• Worked on a feature opinion article with a group about lack of Black faculty at CSU campuses, leading to more Black faculty being hired that summer at CSUF

Managing Editor

Jan. 2022 - May 2022

• Oversaw the production of TUSK’s 23rd print edition, ensuring production flowed seamlessly by making final editorial decisions 
• Managed Copy, Outreach and Multimedia desks by conducting weekly meetings outside of Thursday production meetings
• Ensured the launch party went according to plan, along with a philanthropy fund of 20 donated items to the local women's shelter

Staff Writer & Culture Editior

Jan. 2020 - Dec. 2020

• Wrote a total of six printed and digital long-form articles during the pandemic that included multimedia based on cultural aspects
• Supervised the culture section by editing 3-to-4 stories weekly for print and online production while working on and meeting deadlines
• Wrote a 2,000 word feature story about the fight for ethnic studies becoming a requirement for graduation for college students in California

Hair and Salon Assistant

Oct. 2018 - Feb. 2020

• Assisted two stylists at a time, helping shampoo, blow-dry, apply color and book appointments
• Helped around the salon by refilling shampoo and conditioner bottles, helped clients find and purchase products and answered phone calls to book overall appointments throughout the salon
• Accepted my own clients on days I was not scheduled to work with stylists and their clients