The first and most important mission of the White House
Correspondents Association is to promote journalism education. This
year, thanks to the money raised at this dinner, we will give $132,200
in scholarships to 16 worthy college students, while funding programs
for hundreds more in local DC high schools through our partnership with
Prime Movers Media.
THE DEBORAH ORIN SCHOLARSHIP
In 2007, the White House press corps lost a fiercely independent and
dedicated journalist: Deborah Orin. For nearly 20 years as the White House
correspondent and Washington bureau chief for the New York Post, Deborah
epitomized the very best in journalism. Always there with a tough question,
an insightful quote, and a hard-hitting story, she brought to her craft the
highest standards of excellence.
Deborah Orin began covering New York politics in 1977, and a decade later
moved to the nation's capital where she reported on four U. S. presidents.
She firmly believed that the media needed a wider political perspective,
that a diverse country needs a diverse press. Deb lost her valiant battle
with cancer, leaving behind her many friends, her husband, Neville, and
colleagues on the White House beat. When she died on January 28, 2007, the
New York Post wrote: "readers will miss her honesty and wisdom."
Thanks to a gift, the WHCA has established the Deborah Orin
Scholarship to benefit qualified students at her alma mater,
Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Two students will
each receive a $5,000 scholarship, allowing them to pursue the craft
Deborah Orin practiced every day. We will miss her voice. But this
scholarship will allow a new generation of journalists to strive for
Deb's very high standards.
The recipients of this year's Deborah Orin Scholarship are two current students from Medill School of Journalism.
Virginia "Jenna" Barnes, Norfolk, VA
Jenna came to Medill from Boston University, where she earned a
degree in Anthropology in 2010. While at BU, Jenna studied abroad in
London and interned at the ABC News bureau there. She also served as a
student journalist on an Operation Smile medical mission in Lanzhou,
China. In addition to working abroad, Jenna interned at WTKR-TV, her
hometown CBS affiliate in Norfolk, VA. She's looking forward to one day
putting her education and experience to work as a foreign correspondent.
Benjamin Kesling, Lexington, KY
Ben Kesling attended Wabash College as an undergraduate and went
on to earn a Master of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School. He then
served as an Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps for over
six years.During that time he deployed on combat tours to both Iraq and
Afghanistan. He is currently a graduate student in journalism at the
Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University.
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS
The White House Correspondents' Association supports a student at
the Medill School of Journalism through a $5,000 gift toward a
post-graduate degree for a student in the Government and Public Affairs
reporting track.
David Unger is a graduate student at Northwestern University's
Medill School of Journalism concentrating in public affairs reporting.
After receiving his bachelor's from Oberlin College in 2007, David wrote
for the Evanston RoundTable newspaper and taught English in a small
town in Spain. He spent the past two years working at Northwestern
University's Center for Civic Engagement where he did web development
and coordinated a fellowship program for undergraduates. A native of
Evanston, IL, David is now in Washington, DC, participating in Medill's
Washington Program.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK CITY
The White House Correspondents' Association awarded a $5,000 tuition grant in 2011-2012 to Namo Abdullah Azeez of New York.
Namo Abdullah Azeez (Namo Abdulla) is an Iraqi journalist and has
reported for top Iraqi and international media outlets. As a freelance
correspondent, he has written for The New York Times, Reuters, the
London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting, and IRIN, UN's
humanitarian news agency. He was most recently editor-in-chief of the
English version of Rudaw, a leading newspaper in Iraqi Kurdistan. Rudaw
publishes in three languages and has a Europe edition for the expatriate
Kurdish community. Although covering Iraq is difficult for
journalists, Abdulla has reported in some of the country's most volatile
places, such as Baghdad, Kirkuk and Diyala. He has chosen Columbia
Journalism School because he believes it will provide him with the best
opportunity to reachhis full potential and enable him to take part in
the burgeoning media movement in Iraq.
HOWARD UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, DC
The White House Correspondents' Association scholarship prize is a
one-time award of $7000. This year's recipients are three students
from Howard University.
Shaquille Brewster, a junior Broadcast Journalism major with a
minor in Political Science boasts a 4.0 G.P.A. The political landscape
of Washington, DC brought this honors graduate to Howard University from
Stratford, CT. His passion for politics sent him to Capitol Hill his
freshman year, where he interviewed Michelle Bachman and Ron Paul
regarding cuts to Pell grants.This experience led to the creation of
NavigatingPolitics.com; a blog that simplifies and contextualizes
politics to disengaged and confused youth.
While a student in high school in Athens, GA,
Christina Downs
recognized the importance of hands-on training in journalism. She got a
head start as Managing Editor of the school's magazine, Odyssey
Newsmagazine, managing over 30 staff members, handling copy editing and
layout, and managing pressconferences. At Howard University, this
junior print journalism major and photography minor is the production
managing editor of The Hilltop newspaper.
Los Angeles, CA native
Saraya Wintersmith always knew that she
wanted to use her writing skills across media platforms. Broadcast
Journalism serves as her major with a minor in Afro-American Studies.
She is currently a radio broadcast intern with C-SPAN. She has
successfully applied her journalism tools as a contributing writer for
The Hilltop and District Chronicle newspapers and as a News Intern for
WPFW 89.3 radio.
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, COLUMBIA, MO
The White House Correspondents' Association supported six graduate
students ($2,500 per student) to study in Washington for a semester, as
part of the University of Missouri's well-established program. Each
student received a grant of $2,500 and the university waived the balance of the tuition in return.
Ryann Grochowski, from Wilkes-Barre, PA, is a data reporter for
Investigative Newsource in San Diego, CA. She received her master's
degree from the Missouri School of Journalism in December 2011, and is a
former reporter for The Citizens' Voice, Wilkes-Barre, PA. She
completed her fall 2011 fellowship in the Washington Bureau of
Investigative Newsource.
Siyu Hu, from Anhui, China is a master's student in print and
digital news at the Missouri School of Journalism. She has worked as a
reporter, copy editor and information graphics designer for the Columbia
Missourian and is currently interning for the Washington Monthly as a
researcher and fact checker.
Jessica Pupovac, from Chicago, IL, is an investigative reporting
student in the master's program at the Missouri School of Journalism.
Jessica is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The
Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Reader, Illinois Issues and In These Times,
among other publications. She is currently an investigative reporting
interning with NPR's StateImpact project.
Jessica Stephens, from Waldorf, MD, is a copy editor and page
designer at the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette in Bluffton, SC. She
received her master's degree from the Missouri School of Journalism in
December 2011.This fall she interned at The American Prospect in DC.
Joseph Yerardi, from Newton, MA, is an investigative reporting
student in the master's program at the Missouri School of Journalism. He
is an investigative reporter and a computer-assisted reporting
specialist interning on the CAR desk at The Center for Public Integrity.
Yiqian Zhang, from Yangzhou, China, is a master's student in print
and digital news at the Missouri School of Journalism. She is interning
as a correspondent for the Spokane Spokesman Review in Washington.
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
The White House Correspondents' Association supports a student of
the University of California, Berkeley through a $ 5,000 gift toward a
post-graduate degree for a student in the Government and Public Affairs
reporting track.
Jamie Goldberg is a multimedia journalist studying at The Berkeley
Graduate School of Journalism. She graduated from Pomona College in
Claremont, California, and earned her political stripes last year
covering the San Francisco mayoral race that daunted even veteran
journalists. In covering the local scene of San Francisco, Jamie has
helped readers gain a better understanding of the obtuse politics of the
city. This summer, Jamie will cover national politics as an intern in
The Los Angeles Times' Washington Bureau.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
The following University of Maryland student will receive a
$17,000 scholarship as part of a four year UMD scholarship program by
the WHCA:
Christian (Chris) Trevino
THE JACK DONALDSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
In memory of Jack Donaldson, the White House Correspondents'
Association has established a onetime scholarship fund to subsidize the
college education of a student in the Washington, D.C. area with a
demonstrated interest in
pursuing a career in journalism. Donaldson, a 12 year-old actor,
baseball player and lover of Lego, passed away in September 2011 as the
result of a storm-related accident. He is the grandson of Julia
Whiston, the association's executive director. The recipient, chosen
from a talented pool of applicants with Prime Movers Media, is
Angel
Brock from McKinley Technology High School, Washington, D.C.
Additionally, an internship at Atlantic Media has been awarded to
Shante' Nia Hayes from Chapelgate Christian Academy, Columbia, MD.
Thanks to the generosity of the following donors;
Atlantic Media
Bloomberg LP
Caren Bohan and Jeffry Bartash
C-SPAN
Margaret Fogarty
Michael Griffin
Shirley and Edward Henry
Barbara and Norman Knopf
Nancy LeaMond
Mary Lou and Robert McGee
Melamed Foundation
Politico
Wall Street Journal
Barbara Whalen
Julia and David Whiston
Belinda Wilborn
Time, Inc.
Thomson Reuters
WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION PARTNERS WITH GW'S PRIME MOVERS MEDIA PROGRAM
Prime Movers is an intensive journalism mentoring program based at
George Washington University that sends interns from the School of
Media and Public Affairs and professional journalists into urban high
schools to start and support media programs. This year they are working
with 10 DC public high schools.
In 2012, WHCA dramatically expanded its Prime Movers partnership
role, increasing its financial support ($30,000) and more than
quadrupling the number of events and correspondent-volunteers.
The 2012 Presidential Election provided a unique opportunity to
give young journalists a real-time window into the election and to talk
about the journalist's role in political coverage.
Correspondent teams visited students and discussed the latest news
in the Republican primaries and White House reactions and campaign
plans. Students turned the tables on the reporters, peppering them with
questions about the
election and careers in journalism. Beyond these events, newsrooms
offered class tours and top Prime Movers' students were invited to four
White House Press Briefings.
Special thanks to
Michael Scherer of TIME,
chairman of the Scholarship Committee, who was the chief WHCA-volunteer
recruiter.
The mission of Prime Movers is to help students understand why
journalism is important and why it's imperative to increase diversity in
the industry and give voice to their communities.
2011 Prime Movers Media (PMM) students
Chelsea Green and Aaron Garvin visit the White House briefing room.
Photo by Drew Angerer