News

28 Jul Congratulations to SPJ Western Washington’s 2020 scholarship recipients

The SPJ Western Washington Professional Chapter announces the recipients of its annual scholarship awards:

Suhani Dalal, a University of Washington journalism and environmental science student, was selected to receive a $5,000 scholarship for academic year 2020-2021. Dalal in her scholarship letter demonstrated a commitment to reporting on the intersection of racism and environmental justice. We were impressed by her commitment to supporting journalists of color, and her vision for a career that elevates the voices and stories of marginalized communities.

“I want to cover communities that have not historically held power and listen to the narratives of communities that have been
underrepresented,” Dalal wrote. “As mainstream media publications fundamentally lack representation in stories, from content to sources, I want to write authentically on stories that have been left out and rework traditional journalistic reporting strategies that commonly extract from underrepresented communities or overly simplify complex issues.”

Emily Feek, a Western Washington University journalism student, was also selected to receive a $5,000 scholarship. Feek works at The Western Front, the university’s student newspaper, and hopes to pursue a career in community journalism. She wrote about the critical nature local news organizations play despite the difficulties facing the industry.

“Every community with a withering local paper deserves solid local coverage like The Front strives to provide,” she wrote. “I value the connectedness and identity of my hometown, and I know that journalism can unite communities around that shared identity through good reporting and access to information. News isn’t one-size-fits-all; local papers are important. Every community has its own struggles and unique qualities that should be reflected in a community newspaper.”

Chelsea Consolacion, a Western Washington University journalism student, was selected to receive a $2,000 internship grant to help cover the cost of credits while she pursues an internship at Bellingham Alive Magazine.

Scholarship and internship grants are made possible by donations and contest entry fees in the annual Northwest Excellence in Journalism competition. If you are interested in supporting SPJ Western Washington, please donate at paypal.me/SPJwash.