FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 30, 2024
PRESS CONTACT: Clare Lefebure
press@nlgja.org or 202-588-9888
WASHINGTON, DC (July 30, 2024)– Today, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists announced the recipients of the Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship and the Kay Longcope Scholarship. Desmond Meagley is the recipient of the Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship and Edward Franco is the recipient of the Kay Longcope Scholarship.
“We are thrilled to announce this year’s scholarship recipients,” said Adam Pawlus, Executive Director of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists. “Supporting young LGBTQ+ journalists is vital for ensuring diverse and inclusive storytelling in our media. Both Meagley and Franco have shown exceptional dedication to fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ communities, and we are proud to celebrate their achievements and potential. Their work embodies the spirit of our mission, and we look forward to seeing their future contributions to the field.”
About the Recipients
Desmond Meagley (any/all) is the recipient of the 2024 Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship. They got their start writing professionally at YR Media (formerly Youth Radio) a non-profit multimedia news network based in Oakland, California. Today, Desmond is a staff writer and lead photo editor at The Citizen, the Peralta Community College District’s award winning student-run news publication, and is part of the 2024-2025 CalMatters College Journalism Fellowship cohort.
Edward Franco (he/him) is the recipient of the 2024 Kay Longcope Scholarship. Franco is a rising senior at New York University where he is pursuing a double major in Journalism and Social and Cultural Analysis with a focus on broadcasting. He has been working at NBC News for over a year as a production assistant intern reporting on national stories. As an Emma Bowen Foundation Fellow, he interned at WKMG CBS News 6 Orlando during his summers where he covered the failure of the onePULSE foundation. Franco was also the video director for Washington Square News, NYU’s independent newspaper. He is proud to be a Colombian American who hopes to continue in a career as a television reporter covering the intersection of politics, public policy, education, and transportation.
About the Awards
Each year, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists offers scholarship awards and tuition assistance to student journalists with a demonstrated commitment to the association’s mission of furthering fair and accurate coverage of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship, named for the original founder of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, awards up to $5,000 in tuition assistance to an LGBTQ+ student who plans a career in journalism and is committed to furthering NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists’ mission of fair and accurate coverage of the LGBTQ+ community. More information about the Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship can be found here.
The Kay Longcope Scholarship is presented in honor of Kay Longcope, co-founder of the statewide LGBTQ+ newsweekly, The Texas Triangle, and generally regarded as the first out reporter at the Boston Globe newspaper. The scholarship was established in 2008 through a gift from Longcope’s estate and with the guidance of Longcope’s partner Barbara Wohlgemuth. The scholarship provides up to $3,000 tuition assistance to an LGBTQ+ student of color who plans a career in journalism and is committed to furthering NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists’ mission of fair and accurate coverage of the LGBTQ+ community. More information about the Kay Longcope Scholarship can be found here.
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists partners with The Delaware Valley Legacy Fund, a component fund of The Philadelphia Foundation (TPF), to administer the Student Scholarship Fund. For more information about scholarships and student opportunities, visit www.nlgja.org.
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About NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists is a journalist-led association working within the news media to advance fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ communities and issues. We promote diverse and inclusive workplaces by holding the industry accountable and providing education, professional development and mentoring. For more information, visit www.nlgja.org.