FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2020
PRESS CONTACT: Dillon Lewis
press@nlgja.org or 202-588-9888
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists announced the recipients of the Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship Award, the Steve Mason Sports Media Scholarship Award, the Facebook Journalism Project Scholarship Awards and the Kay Longcope Scholarship Award.
Ogonna Ononye is the recipient of the 2020 Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship Award. Ononye is a graduate student at Maryland Institute College of Art studying graphic design. She plans to pursue a career in multimedia journalism and visual communication design.
Leo Baudhuin is the recipient of the 2020 Steve Mason Sports Media Scholarship Award. They are a sophomore at the University of Oregon. They have been covering their hometown women’s professional soccer team, the Portland Thorns, and the NWSL for the past two summers, and they hope to continue to do so going forward.
The recipients of the 2020 Facebook Journalism Project Scholarship Awards are Katie Anastas, Jacob deCastro, Olivia Muse, Laura Scudder and Irene Vázquez.
Anastas is a graduate student at Columbia University School of Journalism. She plans to pursue a career in radio reporting and continue to share stories within the LGBTQ community, especially those related to religion, education, housing and healthcare.
deCastro is a senior at Indiana University studying journalism. At IU, he’s worked for the Indiana Daily Student newspaper and will be the fall editor-in-chief. He is also working as a teaching assistant for an introductory reporting class.
Muse is a graduate student at Columbia University School of Journalism studying journalism with a concentration in documentary filmmaking. While an undergraduate at Boston College, Muse interned at “FRONTLINE PBS” at WGBH in post-production and later on the special projects team.
Scudder is a third-year student at George Mason University studying communications. She serves as the co-editor-in-chief of Fourth Estate, GMU’s student-run newspaper, where she oversees staff and edits stories along with her fellow co-editor. She previously served as the president of the campus Society of Professional Journalists chapter.
Vázquez is a senior at Yale University, studying Ethnicity, Race, and Migration and English. She writes with WORD: Performance Poetry and Broad Recognition, Yale’s undergraduate feminist organization. She is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer and part of the 2021 cohort of Mellon Mays-Bouchet Fellows at Yale.
The recipient of the 2020 Kay Longcope Scholarship Award wishes to remain anonymous. They are pursuing a graduate degree in journalism.
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.