News Releases

The Top Ten scholars – chosen for their academic achievement, demonstrated interest in journalism, portfolio and an essay about their long-term career goals – are:

     Lauren Anne Belles, a senior from Brighton, Mich. , who is double-majoring in journalism and political science at Indiana University . A precinct worker since age 16, she is working this summer as a media intern for Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) on Capitol Hill. Lauren, who has had radio and television internships in Detroit, is this year's Indiana University Chancellor's Scholar from the School of Journalism.

     Shaylyn Cochran, a junior from Mansfield, Ohio, who is majoring in news-editorial journalism at Ohio University. She has a perfect 4.0 grade point average, has headed various communications and diversity organizations at OU, interned at the Mansfield News Journal and worked as a journalist for the Ohio Votes Coalition.

     Brittany-Blair Dedrick, a senior from Bartlett, Tenn., who is a newspaper magazine major in the journalism department at The University of Memphis. She has had internships at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis and at a television station in Mainz, Germany. In addition, she has worked as a reporter at several newspapers and magazines in Tennessee.

     Kathryn Hilbert, a senior from Akron, Ohio, who is majoring in magazine journalism at Kent State University. She is editor of the school’s student magazine, a perennial winner of national competitions, and is interning this summer at Family Circle magazine in New York.

     Parker Howell, a junior from Hillsboro, Ore., who has a 4.0 grade point average at the University of Oregon, where he is editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper. This spring, he was selected from a statewide pool of top journalism students for the Snowden Internship and a summer job at the Statesman (Ore.) Journal.

     Jeanine Poggi, a senior from Brooklyn, N.Y., who is editor-in-chief of Hofstra University’s student newspaper and previously was managing editor of a campus magazine. She has interned at Woman’s Wear Daily and is interning this summer at Glamour magazine in New York.

     Robert Samuels, a senior from Bronx, N.Y., who has served as editor-in-chief of Northwestern University’s daily newspaper and its black student magazine. He has worked at Foxnews.com, the weekly Bronx Times, The Roanoke (Va.) Times, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times and this summer is a Kaiser Fellow at the Detroit Free Press.

     Diego Sorbara, a senior from La Grange, Ill., who is in the journalism school’s editorial sequence at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has won national recognition in the Student Society for News Design competition and is at The Hartford (Conn.) Courant this summer as a Dow Jones intern.

     Josh Swartzlander, a junior from Lincoln, Neb., who carries a 4.0 grade point average at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he is a member of the school newspaper staff. A two-time intern at the Lincoln Journal Star, he plans to follow the footsteps of his parents, who are both newspaper reporters.

     Megan Williams, a senior from Maryville, Tenn., who is president of The University of Tennessee’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.  She has had two internships at the Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel and is interning this summer at Field & Stream magazine in New York. She’ll spend her senior year studying in the Netherlands and Denmark as part of a student exchange program in journalism.

Dedicated to excellence in journalism, the Scripps Howard Foundation is a leader in industry efforts in journalism education, scholarships, internships, literacy, minority recruitment/development and First Amendment causes. It is the philanthropic arm of The E.W. Scripps Company, a diverse media concern with interests in national lifestyle television networks, newspaper publishing, broadcast television, television retailing, interactive media and licensing and syndication.