2026 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEE

Chioma Obianinwa is an award-winning international journalist, digital media professional, educator, and communications specialist whose career spans nearly two decades across broadcast, digital journalism, audience development, and research communication. 

Currently, Chioma serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at Mizzou, where she teaches research communication and helps students communicate nutrition research to diverse audiences. She guides students in transforming complex scientific findings into accessible formats, including podcasts, digital stories, and other audience-focused communication products. Chioma is pursuing her master’s degree in journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. Her graduate studies focus on social media, audience development, digital journalism, and strategic communication.

Chioma’s professional journey brought her to the University of Missouri, where she continued to expand her expertise in journalism, social media, audience development, and communication strategy. Between 2023 and 2025, she served as a Digital Producer for KOMU 8 TV, research scholar, reporter for the Columbia Missourian, a research assistant at the Reynolds Journalism Institute, and a representative on the Graduate Professional Council. 

Chioma worked with South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) to create an interactive map that allows readers to easily find information about candidates in state-level legislative races. She assisted in the research for the USA Press Freedom Index project. Obianinwa completed these projects as the student staffer for the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s Innovation Team.

 A graduate of the prestigious Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria, Chioma began her journalism career in Nigeria before joining the BBC World Service, where she served as a Senior Journalist with the BBC Igbo Service from 2017 to 2022. At the BBC, she worked across television, radio, digital and social media, covering major stories and producing innovative multimedia content for audiences around the world. She also supervised and mentored journalists, helping colleagues strengthen their digital storytelling, audience engagement, and journalism skills.

Among her career highlights was her contribution to the pioneering development of the BBC Igbo digital service. Her work on The Blind Mechanic was nominated in two categories of the 2020 BBC News Awards and received significant attention across Nigerian and international media. In 2019, Chioma and her team translated the Emmy-nominated BBC documentary Sweet Sweet Codeine into Igbo, helping make its powerful public-health investigation accessible to Igbo-speaking audiences. She also anchored major programs, including the Igbo edition of BBC Global Questions, covered elections in Nigeria, presented special live programs, and served as a BBC Share Your Story ambassador in 2022. In 2015 Chioma covered the United Kingdom general election for ABCi tv in Scotland, the 2015 presidential inauguration in Nigeria, and meetings at the UK Parliament focused on climate issues. These assignments gave her the opportunity to report on democratic processes, public policy, leadership, and issues shaping communities in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and beyond.

Her commitment to journalism has earned her several recognitions, including the Nigeria Newscaster of the Year Award in 2013. In 2015. Chioma is the author of two books, “Young and Useful and Standard Phonics for Beginners.”

Chioma’s academic and professional journey has now been recognized through her selection as a scholarship award winner by the Association of Foreign Correspondents in the United States (AFC-USA). This recognition represents not only an important milestone in her career, but also an investment in a journalist and educator committed to using communication to bridge the gap between knowledge and the communities that need it.

In addition to her academic and teaching responsibilities, Chioma contributes to the Mizzou community through her role in culinary performance with Mizzou Athletics, bringing her creativity, teamwork, and service to the university’s athletic community.

Chioma is the mother of four children and a beautiful wife to Mr. Ifeanyi Obianinwa. Both are volunteer farmers at the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, a non-profit urban farm in Columbia Missouri dedicated to growing fresh produce for families in need and teaching sustainable gardening skills.