Christa Gala

Bio

With an undergraduate degree in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MA in English from NC State, Gala spent two decades as a freelance journalist, writing about business, real estate, biotech, and the restaurant and medical industries. A columnist for the Cary News for 15 years, most recently she wrote the News & Observer’s Tar Heel of the Week column. Gala taught at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Media and Journalism for six years before coming back “home” to State. In addition to teaching, Gala works one-on-one as a creative writing therapy coach with Neuro Care Community, helping military veterans with TBI and PTSD express themselves through writing.

Website

http://christagala.com

Projects

Gala just returned from Prague, Czechia to lay the groundwork for her new Study Abroad class at NC State Prague: “The Struggle of the Free Press: Fake News and Conspiracy Theories,” funded in part by a grant from the university’s Global Engagement Supplement Fund. IPGK (International Perspectives and Global Knowledge) 295 is a special “Short Course,” worth 3 GEP credit hours. Students will tour Radio Free Europe and explore how Czechia’s history and rise to democracy affected its media industry.

In 2018, Gala served as a student writing coach for UNC-Chapel Hill’s “Aftermath” project in Puerto Rico, a 10-day trip that covered the after-effects of the 2017 landfall of Hurricane Maria. The project included 25 students and three other coaches who helped students create stories across multiple platforms for MEJO 584: Interactive Journalism. The project covered healthcare, electricity, biodiversity, coal ash and water, earning the Online News Association’s David Teeuwen Student Journalism Award. All five pieces were published in The Huffington Post.

Office Hours

• T/TH: 11:45-1:15

Professional Activities and Research

Grant recipient from NC State’s Global Engagement Center for press freedom research and study abroad in Prague, Czechia.