102 High School Seniors from Across the USA Selected for Scholarships, Washington Journalism Conference

2008 Al Neuharth Free Spirit Journalism Scholars Announced

WASHINGTON, March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One hundred two high school students from across the United States who are interested in pursuing a career in journalism and have qualities of "free spirit" have been selected to participate in the annual Al Neuharth Free Spirit Journalism Scholarship and Conference program March 16 - 19.

Two top students each will receive a $50,000 college scholarship. The other 100 students will receive $1,000 scholarships each. The top winners will be announced at a Free Spirit Awards ceremony at the Newseum on Wednesday, March 19.

Fifty U.S. newspapers joined the Freedom Forum in soliciting applications from high school seniors. Applicants were required to provide samples of their journalistic work and write an essay on free spirit. Scholarship winners --- one female and one male from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia --- were selected through a competitive process.

The scholarship winners will be brought to Washington to receive their awards and participate in a journalism conference where they will tour several media organizations and participate in sessions led by noted broadcast and print journalists and newsmakers. The conference culminates with the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Awards ceremony. At the event, students will have the opportunity to meet the 2008 Free Spirit of the Year, Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines.

"For these 102 students, the Free Spirit motto is a way of life," said Neuharth. "Dreaming, daring and doing every day, they not only make great strides in their own lives, but great differences in the lives of others."

The Al Neuharth Free Spirit Awards recognize top high school journalism seniors who are free spirits. It was established by the Freedom Forum to honor Al Neuharth, the founder of the Freedom Forum and USA TODAY. The scholarships and conference program are designed to assist and inspire students who are pursuing journalism careers. The Close Up Foundation assists the Freedom Forum in administering the program.

"We look forward to being in the company of this bright group of future journalists." said Charles L. Overby, chief executive officer of the Freedom Forum, Newseum and Diversity Institute. "Looking at what they've already accomplished gives me great confidence in the future of the field."

The Freedom Forum, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. The foundation focuses on three priorities: the Newseum, the First Amendment and newsroom diversity.

The Freedom Forum is the main funder of the operations of the Newseum, an interactive museum of news in Washington, D.C.; the First Amendment Center; and the Diversity Institute. The First Amendment Center and the Diversity Institute are housed in the John Seigenthaler Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. The First Amendment Center also has offices in Washington and the Diversity Institute has offices and programs at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

The Freedom Forum was established in 1991 under the direction of Founder Al Neuharth as successor to a foundation started in 1935 by newspaper publisher Frank E. Gannett. The Freedom Forum is not affiliated with Gannett Co. Its work is supported by income from an endowment of diversified assets.

2008 Free Spirit Journalism Scholarship and Conference Program participants

ALABAMA

Watson McGough, Fairhope High School

Natalie Applegate, Spain Park High School, Hoover

ALASKA

Christopher Frenier, South Anchorage High School

Alexis Krell, Colony High School, Palmer

ARIZONA

Aureli Sinsuat, Mountain Ridge High School, Glendale

Adrianna Amato, Seton Catholic High School, Chandler

ARKANSAS

Quinton Parham, Southside High School, Fort Smith

Alyx VanNess, Bryant High School

CALIFORNIA

Skyler Reidy, San Dieguito Academy, Encinitas

Savannah Lake, Torrey Pines High School, Encinitas

COLORADO

Kelley Robinson, Arapahoe High School, Centennial

Laurelin Kruse, Alamosa High School

CONNECTICUT

Kedzie Teller, South Windsor High School

Julievette Santiago, Waterbury Arts Magnet School

DELAWARE

Sean Ryon, Sanford School, Hockessin

Naomi Parikh, Milford Senior High School

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Anthony Woodland, Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, Washington

Tabitha Wood, Washington International School

FLORIDA

Jaime Manheimer, West Boca Raton High

Kelsey Diaz, West Shore Jr., Sr. High, Melbourne

GEORGIA

Christopher Miller, Clarke Central High School, Athens

Caroline Klibanoff, The Westminster Schools, Atlanta

HAWAII

John Hendrick, Moanalua High School, Honolulu

Natalie King, Moanalua High School, Honolulu

IDAHO

Christopher Cole, Century High School, Pocatello

Elaine Washam, Borah High School, Boise

ILLINOIS

Joseph Lewis, Oakwood High School, Fithian

Sarah Eberspacher, Mattoon High School

INDIANA

Jesse Squires, New Albany High School

Mallory Jones, Zionsville Community High School

IOWA

Timothy Corlett, Davenport Central High School

Torey Robinson, Johnston High School

KANSAS

Garrett Fardon, Shawnee Mission North, Overland Park

Laura Nelson, Shawnee Mission East, Prairie Village

KENTUCKY

Robert Giltner, Trinity High School, Louisville

Kristin Skaggs, Pleasure Ridge Park School, Louisville

LOUISIANA

Matthew Rist, Baton Rouge Magnet High School

Elizabeth Scott, C. E. Byrd High School, Shreveport

MAINE

David Lafortune, Biddeford High School

Julia Butler, Biddeford High School

MARYLAND

Nathaniel Rosen, Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy, Rockville

Marion Smallwood, Lansdowne High School, Baltimore

MASSACHUSETTS

Jeffrey Bliss, Hopedale Junior Senior High

Kaitlin Sanders, Newton South High School

MICHIGAN

Patrick Evans, East Grand Rapids High School

Jillian Rodriguez, Royal Oak High School

MINNESOTA

Paula Skaggs, Fillmore Central High School, Harmony

Douglas Fish, Robbinsdale Cooper High School, New Hope

MISSISSIPPI

Taylor McGraw, Oxford High School

Melissa Powell, Oak Grove High School, Hattiesburg

MISSOURI

Alex Johnson, Blue Eye High School

Kelly Moffitt, Clayton High School

MONTANA

Michael Young, Polson High School

Helen Miller, Great Falls High School

NEBRASKA

Nathaniel Ruleaux, Waverly High School

Natalia Ledford, Lincoln High School

NEVADA

Devin Sizemore, Robert McQueen High School, Reno

Lauren Noorda, Shadow Ridge High School, Las Vegas

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Ryan Rivard, Londonderry High School

Kaitlyn Lannan, Londonderry High School

NEW JERSEY

Albert McWilliams, St. Peter's Preparatory School, Jersey City

Caroline McLaughlin, Roxbury High School, Succasunna

NEW MEXICO

Dmitry Kotlovsky, La Cueva High School, Albuquerque

Kristina Medley, Los Lunas High School

NEW YORK

Kyle Reitan, Miller Place High School

Snigdha Sur, Stuyvesant High School, New York

NORTH CAROLINA

Mark Abadi, East Mecklenburg High School, Charlotte

Sarah Hinson, West Forsyth High School, Clemmons

NORTH DAKOTA

Gregory Larson, Century High School, Bismarck

Jessica Ballou, West Fargo High School

OHIO

Andrew Igdaloff, Gahanna Lincoln High School

Deanna Pan, Lakota East High School, Liberty Township

OKLAHOMA

LaRon Chapman, Putnam City North High School, Oklahoma City

Stephanie Taylor, Union High School, Tulsa

OREGON

Taylor Kanen, Oakland High School

Sarah Allen, Century High School, Hillsboro

PENNSYLVANIA

John Rogers, Chambersburg Area Senior High School

Audrey Snyder, Downingtown High School, East Campus, Exton

RHODE ISLAND

Adam Speakman, Barrington High School

Andrea Kszystyniak, Cumberland High

SOUTH CAROLINA

Victor Jiao, Goose Creek High School

Catharine Sydow, Wando High School, Mount Pleasant

SOUTH DAKOTA

Erik Nyberg, Lincoln High School, Sioux Falls

Jennifer Adams, Madison High School

TENNESSEE

Branden Asemah, Middle College High School, Memphis

Shunitra Ingram, Trezevant High, Memphis

TEXAS

Andrew Rowell, Midlothian High School

Amanda Bankston, Irvin High School, El Paso

UTAH

Steven Godfrey, Weber High School, Pleasant View

Brianna Wilson, Park City High School

VERMONT

Maxx McNall, Bellows Free Academy, Fairfax

Margaret Dodge, Brattleboro Union High School

VIRGINIA

Samuel McCann, West Potomac High School, Alexandria

Sarah Vogel, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria

WASHINGTON

Kyle Gootkin, Bellarmine Preparatory School, Tacoma

Taylor Buck, Peninsula High School, Gig Harbor

WEST VIRGINIA

Tyler Wolfe, Ripley High School

Emily Barksdale, Saint Marys High

WISCONSIN

Justin Stanaszak, Notre Dame Academy, Green Bay

Rachel Zidon, Platteville High School

WYOMING

Jorden Escamilla, Torrington High School

Jayme Fraser, Cody High School