Mikenzie Hammel: “The Flexible Journalist” Who Came Home to Sheboygan
Mikenzie Hammel is an award-winning multimedia reporter who covers Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, for TMJ4 News in Milwaukee. Her route there ran through Arizona State University’s journalism school, national student awards, and a year in Tucson, and ended in the Lake Michigan town where she spent the first half of her childhood.
Growing Up in Sheboygan
Hammel spent the first half of her childhood in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, a city on Lake Michigan. In her station bio, she recalls chasing seagulls along the lake, going to the weekend farmers market, and eating donuts from Johnston’s Bakery. That personal connection to the community now shapes her job, since her beat is the same place she grew up.
Education at the Cronkite School
Hammel studied at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where she earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. She completed her master’s in mass communication in May 2023.
At Cronkite, she built a deep student portfolio. She was executive editor of Downtown Devil, a student publication, and interned with PHXTV. She also reported for Cronkite News, the school’s professional news operation, where her stories on immigration, state elections, and health disparities were published. Two examples from her Cronkite News archive: a September 2021 story on an overlooked cause of maternal mortality, deaths related to mental health, and a September 2022 report on organizations in Tapachula, Mexico, working to educate migrant children despite major barriers.
Student Awards
Hammel left college as a multi-award-winning journalist. She won a Hearst Award for her story on maternal mortality. At the 2023 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts, she took third place in the Graduate Film and Video Competition for her story on Indigenous rodeo, and she earned an Award of Excellence for a separate piece, “Soldier DNA.” More than 1,650 works were submitted to that year’s festival.
KGUN 9 in Tucson
In the summer of 2023, Hammel joined KGUN 9, the ABC affiliate in Tucson, Arizona, as a multimedia reporter. Her work there included localizing national stories and producing investigative and community-focused pieces. Hammel stories were also seen on KWBA-TV in Tucson, and she has appeared in coverage by outlets including ABC15 Arizona and Tucson Local Media. Her Tucson coverage included a story about an organization’s new CEO following controversy and a story about a woman’s recovery after years of sexual abuse. She spent about a year there.
Moving to TMJ4
In the summer of 2024, Hammel joined TMJ4 News in Milwaukee, part of the Scripps company, as the station’s Sheboygan County reporter. TMJ4 calls her the neighborhood reporter for the Lakeshore area. Her station bio says she’s honored to be back in Sheboygan sharing the stories that matter most to the community, and her recent coverage reflects a focus on health and wellness, arts and entertainment, and regional interest.
Stories From Sheboygan County
Hammel’s work for TMJ4 covers a mix of community and civic subjects. Recent examples include:
- A feature on the Sheboygan Santa who has spread holiday cheer for more than 30 years.
- A report on whether power lines could displace homeowners in Sheboygan County and whether the power company would be responsible for relocation.
- A look at MLK Day events in Sheboygan, published in January 2025.
- Coverage of the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra and Chorus’s memorial concert honoring Peter Tiboris.
- A story on a 17-year-old, Flinn Opel, whose new exhibits debuted at the Above and Beyond Children’s Museum.
- Coverage of a new state program bringing free 4K education to Sheboygan County childcare centers.
- A report on the community petition opposing any potential data centers in Sheboygan.
Her stories also appear on partner outlets, including WGBA-TV in Green Bay, WISC-TV in Madison, and NewsBreak.
“The Flexible Journalist”
Hammel markets herself as “The Flexible Journalist.” She’s a certified yoga instructor, and she says she’s flexible physically as well as in her ability to cover any news story that will educate the public, encourage civil discourse, and impact communities. She describes a passion for human connection and visual storytelling.
Personal Life
Beyond her work and her yoga certification, Hammel shares little about her private life, and no reliable source lists family or relationship details, so none are included here.
Net Worth and Salary
Hammel has not publicly disclosed her net worth or salary. Local television stations don’t publish individual reporter pay, and no reliable source lists a figure for her. Because she is early in her career, any specific amount cited online should be treated as an unverified guess.
Quick Facts
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Mikenzie Hammel |
| Hometown | Sheboygan, Wisconsin (first half of childhood) |
| Education | Arizona State University, Walter Cronkite School (BA and MA, mass communication; master’s completed May 2023) |
| Employer | TMJ4 News (Milwaukee, Scripps) |
| Role | Sheboygan County reporter / Lakeshore neighborhood reporter |
| Joined TMJ4 | Summer 2024 |
| Previously | KGUN 9, Tucson, Arizona (summer 2023–2024); Cronkite News |
| Awards | Hearst Award (maternal mortality story); BEA 2023, 3rd place, Graduate Film and Video (Indigenous rodeo story) |
| Also | Certified yoga instructor; “The Flexible Journalist” |
FAQ
What does Mikenzie Hammel cover?
She’s TMJ4’s Sheboygan County reporter, covering community, health and wellness, arts and entertainment, and regional news in the Lakeshore area.
Where did Mikenzie Hammel work before TMJ4?
She worked at KGUN 9 in Tucson, Arizona, as a multimedia reporter from summer 2023 until she joined TMJ4 in summer 2024.
What awards has Mikenzie Hammel won?
She won a Hearst Award for her story on maternal mortality and placed third in the BEA Festival of Media Arts Graduate Film and Video Competition for her Indigenous rodeo story, plus an Award of Excellence for “Soldier DNA.”
Why is she called “The Flexible Journalist”?
It’s her personal brand, a nod to her certified yoga instruction and her willingness to cover any story that serves the public.
A Reporter Back Where She Started
Mikenzie Hammel’s career so far runs from a student newsroom in Arizona to a Tucson TV station and back to her childhood hometown, with national student awards along the way. Reporting on Sheboygan for the community she grew up in gives her work a personal connection that few local reporters get.
