05/20/2016

Ohio Newspapers Foundation 2016 scholarship winners

By Ann Riggs, Secretary and Scholarship Coordinator  

The Ohio Newspaper Association is pleased to announce the recipients of the Ohio Newspapers Foundation scholarships. Six scholarships of $1,500 each were awarded to college and high school students for their work in newspaper-related fields. Meet our winners.

University Journalism Scholarship:  Lillian van Wyngaarden, Otterbein University

Writing has impacted Lillian’s life significantly and she could not imagine life without it. She is pursuing a double major in journalism and media communication and creative writing. She also contributes as a staff member to Otterbein’s student-run media organizations such as WOBN, the radio station, OTV, the television station, and 0360, the online newspaper. She also writes for the Otterbein branch of The Odyssey and looks forward to applying to be a writer for the Tan & Cardinal. Lillian plans on further developing her portfolio with internships and articles from Otterbein media organizations to apply for an internship with the Boston Globe before she graduates in May 2019.

Lillian is involved with Otterbein’s Women’s Chorale, Christian Fellowship, Host and Tour Program, and is part of the Summer Orientation, Advising, and Registration team. Additionally, Lillian is the music director for the Otterbein radio station and has a weekly show called Campus Country. Her cumulative GPA is 4.0.

University Journalism Scholarship:  Jeffrey O’Rear, University of Cincinnati

Jeffrey’s passion for journalism began at a young age, retrieving the daily newspaper from the end of the driveway every morning before school. Soon enough, he was reading the stories on the pages, developing a sense of what news was and how it was formed. His interest became a full-fledged job his senior year of high school. He was hired part time by the Hattiesburg American in his Mississippi hometown where he learned from veterans of the business how to properly report the news.

 When Hurricane Katrina struck his town in 2005, the event cemented his dedication to reporting the news in the face of some of the biggest obstacles his community ever faced. Eventually his position as a copy editor and page designer was outsourced. Jeffrey relocated to Cincinnati where he is majoring in Journalism and Communication to obtain a proper academic education. He will become editor-in-chief of the News Record for the 2016-2017 school year. Currently he serves as staff reporter and copy editor of the News Record, is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists UC Chapter, and is a member of UC Online News Association. His cumulative GPA is 3.93.  

University Journalism Scholarship:  Fernanda Crescente, University of Cincinnati

Having grown up in São Paulo, Brazil, Fernanda understands firsthand the importance of freedom of information. This is the main reason why, when she was 18, she quit her part-time job as an English instructor, declined an acceptance letter to a prestigious law school and hopped on a plane to pursue a journalism career in the United States.  

Fernanda, a junior, is president of the University of Cincinnati chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and editor-in-chief of the print and digital media editors of The News Record, the student newspaper. She was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, an honor society that recognizes efforts in journalism, speech and mass media. More recently, USA Today offered Fernanda an intern position at its Washington, D.C., Bureau, where she will cover the elections and produce content. Her cumulative GPA is 3.91.

The Harold K. Douthit Scholarship: Alexandra Gesing, Kent State University

Alexandra is a dedicated journalism student and plans to graduate by spring 2017. Her goal is to pursue a career in the journalism field that allows her to write in-depth, human interest stories. Alexandra has worked as a copy editor for Kent State’s student-run newspaper The Kent Stater since fall 2015 as well as a general assignment reporter. Additionally, she copy edits for The Burr Magazine.

Alexandra also worked as a freelance community writer for Advance Ohio’s The Sun News, reporting on various events and figures in and around her hometown of Bay Village. She attended the 2014 National College Media Convention in Philadelphia and AP’s Newstrain workshop in Columbus and several events organized by the Society of Professional Journalist’s Cleveland Chapter to sharpen her skills. She has an exemplary work ethic and has consistently held off-campus, part-time jobs while attending school full time. Her cumulative GPA is 3.93

ONWA Annual Scholarship: Sarah Stubbs, University of Findlay

Even though Sarah always thirsted for a good story and swooned over creative language, the word journalist never crossed her mind until spring semester of Sarah’s freshman year when she sat in Chris Underation’s news writing class and quickly became bitten by the news bug. Sarah believes the journalism industry is exciting and necessary, and she is happy to have chosen a career that is integral to the democratic process in the United States.

Sarah is the editor of the award-winning, weekly campus newspaper The Pulse. She also serves as a reporter, leader and manager. In addition to writing a weekly editor’s column, Sarah runs all staff meetings, assigns story ideas, and reports breaking news. For five hours a week, she provides individual tutoring sessions. Along with a part-time job, Sarah also works as a marketing and communications intern at the Hancock County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board. Her cumulative GPA is 3.90.

Minority Journalism Scholarship: Paige Cordero, Grove City High School

Working on her high school yearbook was where Paige got her first taste of journalism and publication.   There was something about meeting people, writing interviews and articles that gave her a thrill. When deciding what to do with her future, Paige knew that she wanted her career to involve books, magazines or newspapers. Paige plans to attend Ohio University and major in English.

Paige serves as Concert Master of the symphonic orchestra, is a member of Youth in Government, Diversity Club, Dawgs of Christ, and serves as secretary of her Spanish Club. In her community, Paige has donated her time to several orchestral groups, performing for the public, and also helps out with 5Ks. Despite her busy schedule and maintaining a part-time job, she finds quality time for all of her activities. Her cumulative GPA is 3.50.