College Park, MD (March 2, 2012) – The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is pleased to announce our newest scholarships, the NABJ Founders’ Scholarships. The awards are named in honor of NABJ Founders, Les Payne and DeWayne Wickham. The deadline for both scholarships is April 1, 2012.
Les Payne, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, is a columnist for Newsday. His scholarship is open to any NABJ student member who is currently attending an accredited four-year university and majoring in journalism.
DeWayne Wickham is a columnist for USA TODAY and the Gannett News Service. His scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior that has shown strong promise in overcoming personal obstacles and has a strong passion to pursue journalism in college.
“These scholarships are just another example of NABJ’s commitment to empowering our student members,” said NABJ President Gregory Lee, Jr. “Les Payne and DeWayne Wickham are trailblazers in the media industry and they want to continue NABJ’s rich legacy of helping aspiring journalists reach their full potential.”
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Les Payne Founders Scholarship
Amount of the Award: $2,500
Les Payne, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, is a columnist for Newsday. The paper’s recent associate editor was responsible for national/foreign and health & science news at the paper for a quarter century; he also served as Newsday’s New York Editor. His news staffs won every major award in journalism, including six Pulitzer Prizes.
The Les Payne Founder’s Scholarship is open to any NABJ student member who is currently attending an accredited four-year university. Students must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Plans to major in journalism or is pursuing a career in journalism
- Has a G.P.A. 2.5 – 3.0 (does not exceed 3.0)
- To be considered and to receive a scholarship, all applicants must be a member of NABJ
- Previous NABJ scholarship winners are not eligible
- All grants are awarded directly to the recipient’s college or university
- Scholarships will be awarded upon proof of enrollment. The winner will be formally recognized on the NABJ Web site and in the convention program book.
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DeWayne Wickham Founders High School Scholarship
Amount of the Award: $2,500
DeWayne Wickham is a columnist for USA TODAY and the Gannett News Service. His syndicated column is distributed to more than 130 daily newspapers in the United States. Wickham also serves as director of the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Wickham is a cofounder of The Trotter Group, an organization of black columnists, in addition to being a founding member, Wickham is also a former president of NABJ.
The DeWayne Wickham Founders High School Scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior that has shown strong promise in overcoming personal obstacles and has a strong passion to pursue journalism in college.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Plans to majors in journalism or is pursuing a career in journalism
- Has a G.P.A. 2.5 – 3.0 (does not exceed 3.0)
- To be considered and to receive a scholarship, all applicants must be a member of NABJ
- Previous NABJ scholarship winners are not eligible
- All grants are awarded directly to the recipient’s college or university
- Scholarships will be awarded upon proof of enrollment. The winner will be formally recognized on the NABJ Web site and in the convention program book.
