Mandy Koskela

Mandy recently joined the TV6 team in the Spring of 2023. After graduating in May 2023 from the University of Rhode Island with a bachelor’s in journalism, she made the 22-hour road trip to the Upper Peninsula.

She spent most of her life in southern Rhode Island but was born in Tampa, Florida. Her family roots lay mostly in Cape Verde and Finland, as some may be able to tell from her last name, and greatly enjoys leaning into the Finnish side of her heritage in Marquette.

Her father and other family members on her dad’s side live in the upper & lower parts of Michigan. She has visited her family’s Upper Peninsula cabin a few times in her childhood and spent a lot of time in her youth chasing after frogs and kayaking on the nearby lake.

Mandy holds a deep respect for the environment and was the President and co-Founder of her University’s Entomology Club in 2023, leading the club to explore their surroundings and appreciate the world of insects. She also worked as a State Park Ranger during the summers from 2018-2021.

She was also involved in her college newspaper, The Good Five Cent Cigar, and was a contributing reporter on-and-off during her time at URI.

She spent her freshman year of college at Oakland University in Auburn Hills, MI, before transferring to URI during the COVID-19 pandemic. She loved living in Michigan and is ecstatic that she gets to move back and live in the beautiful Upper Peninsula.