Recent Winners of the Media Scholarship

3rd Quarter, 2007 StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner of our 3rd Quarter, 2007, Media and Communications Scholarship is Marian Blue.
Marian Blue’s award-winning essays, fiction, interviews, and poetry appear in publications such as: AWP Chronicle, Snowy Egret, Eureka Literary Magazine, Lynx Eye, Tiller and the Pen (anthology/Eighth Moon Press), A Hundred White Daffodils (Graywolf Press), Drive: Women's True Stories from the Open Road (Seal Press), and Passing the Three Gates, Interviews with Charles Johnson (Univ. of Washington Press). Read an excerpt from Marian's winning essay here.
2nd Quarter, 2007 StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner of our 2nd Quarter, 2007, Media and Communications Scholarship Bonnie Jones .
"Bonnie Jones has spent most of her life dedicated to justice and equity in health care issues. She studied Health Science at Clemson University, and continued to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to pursue her Master’s in Social Work and her Master’s in the Science of Public Health. For many years she has had the opportunity to work with low income families struggling to navigate the daunting world of pediatric oncology. In the last year, Bonnie has become a Co-Director at SHAC, a health care safety net serving thousands of clients by providing services such as several free health care clinics, home care visits for home-bound clients, and community outreach events to serve specific community health needs. She eventually hopes become a doctor, who is capable of using advocacy, knowledge and compassion to benefit both her clients and uninsured Americans Read an excerpt from Bonnie's winning essay here.
1st Quarter, 2007 StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner of our 1st Quarter, 2007, Media and Communications Scholarship in my second year at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA.
"My parents were filmmakers when I was a child and I traveled to and from a lot from Long Beach, CA to Hong Kong. I am half-Chinese, half-Caucasian and have deep roots in both cultures. My parents were a great inspiration to me growing up especially my mom who brought me on film sets and got me exposed to the film industry at a very young age. I settled down in Irvine, CA for part of elementary school and continued all the way through high school. My parents, Patty and Steve Morrison, have always encouraged me to do my best and I lived by the mentality of constant personal improvement. That helped me succeed in high school and ultimately get into the great school that I am at today. After I graduate from Loyola Marymount, I hope to find an internship or apprenticeship that I can learn a skill for the movie industry that I am interested in, which is art department related. I hope to maybe start something here in Los Angeles, or move back to Hong Kong to get my career started. " Read an excerpt from Jesse's winning essay here.
3rd Quarter, 2006 StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner of our 3rd Quarter, 2006, Media and Communications Scholarship is Katherine Peach, who is in her third year at Western Michigan University where she studies Journalism. She is also majoring in Spanish with a minor in Creative Writing I live with five other girls and countless animals in Kalamazoo. It ensures that things never get dull and is a great support system away from home. I was raised in Fowlerville, MI, in a very small community. My parents, Cindy and Jerry Peach, have always encouraged me in all things. My older sister Kelly, now lives in Atlanta, which keeps her farther than I would like. At least I get to visit her in the warm weather during the cold winter.
After school, my aim is to go to the east coast to possibly study more and see more of this country. I would love to go to Europe, especially Spain, since I have never been. I like to try new things and change scenery when possible. For the mean time, I keep busy going to basketball games, bowling and going to local shows. I attempt to stay in the know about recent events and like to read. I believe recycling and conservation more are important now for our world and future than they have ever been. Read an excerpt from Katherine's winning essay here.

2nd Quarter, 2006 StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner of our 2nd Quarter, 2006, Media and Communications Scholarship is Jennifer Erdos. She will graduate from Kean University with a BA in Communications - Sigma Lambda Alpha, Magna Cum Laude in May, 2007. "I chose Communications as my major because I felt it best utilized my assets. I enjoy Public Relations and Marketing and have done these things as a career for several years. I also chose Communications as a gateway to other possibilities in my career. I have given some serious thought to going for my Masters degree, something I would have never committed myself to previously."

Read an excerpt from Jennifer's winning essay here.

1st Quarter, 2006

Anand, originally from India, came to the United States in 2005 after completing his Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, English Literature, and Psychology. "One of my biggest passions is playing and listening to music. I was part of a rock band in India called Zebediah Plush, and have recorded and released a demo (2003) and an independently-released album (2006) with them. My other hobbies include traveling, creative writing, reading, bad punning, and staggering feats of gastronomical excess."

Please click here to read a portion of Anand's winning essay.

4th Quarter, 2005

StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner of our 4th Quarter, 2005, Media and Communications Scholarship is Jennifer Sudick. She is a reporting and writing master’s student at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. She will graduate in August after a term of political reporting in Washington, D.C. and plans to dive into business reporting at a daily newspaper.

Sudick, a native of Sandpoint, Idaho, graduated from the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon in June and has interned at three newspapers. Her most recent stint was on the business desk at The Spokesman-Review in Washington. She worked at her college newspaper, the Oregon Daily Emerald, for nearly four years, spending her senior year as editor in chief. Sudick thoroughly enjoys all aspects of journalism and also dabbles in page design and Web site creation.

Please click here to read a portion of Jennifer's winning essay.

3rd Quarter, 2005

Please click here to read a portion of Christen's winning essay.

2nd Quarter, 2005

StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner of our 2nd Quarter, 2005, Media and Communications Scholarship is Rachel Evans, a graduate student at Columbia College in Chicago.

Rachel attended undergrad at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri where she studied Creative Writing. Prior to entering the graduate program at Columbia College, she did promotions for a Seattle area radio station and marketing and public relations for various other firms. Upon graduation, she hopes to be an independent documentary filmmaker focusing on issues that don't always grab the attention of the mainstream media.

Please click here to read a portion of Rachel's winning essay.

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