Colorado Press WomenCollege Communications Scholarships
2010 CPW Scholarships
Two $500 scholarships will be awarded by Colorado Press Women in the spring of 2010. Undergraduate students majoring in journalism or mass communications at a Colorado university or college are eligible to apply. The applicants must complete an application form, provide a letter of recommendation from a mass communications/journalism faculty member at the college the student is attending, and provide a 300-to 500-word essay introducing the candidate and summarizing the candidate's college and community involvement.
Applications were mailed to each university and college offering a major in journalism/mass communications. They also are available by e-mail from Barbara Gigone, Colorado Press Women, at gigones@q.com The application deadline is April 12, 2010, and awards will be announced by May 1.
Family meets scholarship awardee
In late October CPW member Barbara Gigone hosted a small gathering at her Louisville home to bring together friends and family of the late Leah Flanders and the recipient of a scholarship awarded in the memory of the longtime Longmont journalist. Pictured here, left to right, are Eleanor Flanders, Leah's sister-in-law (and lifelong friend from college), scholarship recipient Maggie Schoonmaker (see more below), and Fred Flanders and Francea Flanders, son and daughter of Leah Flanders. Leah died in September 2007 at age 91, after a career at the Longmont Times-Call that spanned from the 1950s to 2003. Eleanor Flanders, now 93, earned a journalism degree in 1938 from the University of Colorado.
CPW awards three scholarships in 2009
CPW has awarded a $2,000 one-time scholarship in memory of longtime member Leah Flanders and two $500 scholarships.
Maggie Schoonmaker
Maggie Schoonmaker, a junior in the University of Colorado's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has won the Leah Flanders Scholarship by Colorado Press Women.
Schoonmaker, a graduate of Chatfield High School in south Jefferson County, is working toward a degree in news-editorial, with a certificate/minor in leadership and in technology, arts and media. She plans a career in journalism. Her work has been published in "Young Authors of Tomorrow" and she was one of 50 CU freshmen chosen for the President's Leadership Class.
She is an assistant editor in the CU Department of Publications and Creative Services, assistant director for PLC Publications, and an intern at the Boulder County YWCA, where she mentors in the Bolder (sic) Girls writing program.
The $2,000 scholarship honors Leah Flanders, a 1941 graduate of CU, who served as a leader and mentor for countless women journalists during her career. She was a staff writer, section editor and columnist for the Longmont Daily Times-Call for nearly 50 years. She lived in Longmont from 1945 until her death in 2007 and was involved in many civic and cultural endeavors in the community. She traveled to countries around the world, and in 1995 organized a delegation of 15 U.S. women journalists to attend the United Nations' Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.
Flanders was a longtime member and past president of CPW, and served as an adviser and member of several committees for NFPW. She was the first woman president of the Colorado chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. In addition to CPW and SPJ, contributors to the scholarship fund include Lehman Communications and the Flanders family.
Rebecca Howard
Colorado Press Women has awarded two $500 scholarships to Colorado college seniors majoring in journalism/communications.
Rebecca Howard of Englewood begins her senior year at Colorado State University this fall as a journalism and technical communications major. Howard will be features editor of College Avenue, CSU's student-run magazine. She and other staff members will expand the publication to incorporate new media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to reach readers.
Howard, who maintains a 3.85 grade point average, was also selected to participate in an independent study project to create and online resource that promotes diversity in the media. The group is building an interactive site that will enable CSU professors to upload and share articles, videos and other materials on the website.
Karolyn Pearson
Karolyn Pearson of Louisville has focused on broadcast journalism at Colorado State University, where she is news producer, news director and anchor of Campus Television station.
Pearson, a senior at CSU, is a self-supporting student with a 3.8 grade point average. She has worked full time in the summer and part time during the school year to help fund her college education. Last year, Pearson received the Rowene C. Danbom Scholarship from the CSU Department of Technical Journalism and a scholarship from the CSU honors program. Upon graduating from high school, she was chosen as one of 100 students who were awarded the Al Neuharth Scholarship.
CPW awards three scholarships in 2008
Colorado Press Women awarded three scholarships in 2008 —
Donnae Wahl
Donnae is a senior political science major, with a minor in women's studies and media studies. Currently she is a reporter for the UNC student newspaper, The Mirror, and formerly served as its arts and entertainment editor.
She came to UNC from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling where she majored in general studies and served on the newspaper staff for the college monthly, Plainsmen Pathways.
Upon graduation from UNC in May 2009, she intends to work for the Peace Corps. She is a staunch believer in service to country and believes "the Peace Corps is the best way for me to serve my country by promoting peace," she wrote in her scholarship essay.
After the Peace Corps, she wants to attend graduate school; her goal is to attend Columbia University and enroll in its joint JD/MS program to attain both her law degree and master's in new media journalism. Her ultimate goal is to start her own online news Web site and work as a civil rights attorney specializing in media law. She explained: "It is my belief that a free press is essential for the preservation of our great democracy, the pursuit of peace and the education of the citizens, and I intend on having a career and life that honors this deeply held belief."
Taylor Stonehouse
Taylor, originally from Cody, Wyo., recently earned a bachelor's degree in mass communication with an emphasis in public relations from Mesa State College. She intends to pursue a master's in journalism and technical communication from Colorado State University.
While at Mesa State Taylor was editor in chief for the college newspaper, the Criterion. The staff won the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award for the first time in the Criterion's existence, and she represented the college in accepting the award in Washington, D.C.
Taylor also completed internships with the Mesa County Valley School District 51 and the Grand Junction Symphony. She plans to complete another internship with School District 51, assisting the public relations director in promotional pieces and other communication efforts with the community. She also will assist the diversity and advocacy manager in creating and implementing a program to help students become successful.
Zeljka Borovic
Croatian photojournalism student Zeljka Borovic will be in Greeley as the host of the University of Northern Colorado to study U.S. journalism this summer. To help with Zeljka's costs, CPW donated a $900 scholarship.
CPW membership co-chair Lee Anne Peck met Zeljka last year when Lee Anne was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Dubrovnik in Croatia. Zeljka will graduate from the university in June 2008 and will arrive in Colorado in late June to attend UNC's second summer session as a "short-term scholar" at UNC.
She also will observe and research U.S. community journalism as a photojournalism intern at the Greeley Tribune. She will be here through Aug. 15, living with Lee Anne's sister and brother-in-law, who are Greeley residents. CPW members plan to host a summer social in mid-July to meet Zeljka and the other scholarship recipients.
Each year CPW awards a scholarship (or several) to a Colorado college communications student(s) to recognize and encourage a student who achieves excellence. The scholarship winner is chosen based on:
- GPA
- Professional achievements related to the communications profession
- Community service
- Financial need
Details about the scholarships and application process will be posted in early 2010.
ARCHIVES: Past Scholarship Winners > >