2008 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

J. Grady Locklear Scholarship
James Alexander Ott, Chantilly HS (Chantilly, Va.)

The J. Grady Locklear Scholarship is presented to a magazine staff member, who excels in academic work and who will attend the School of Journalism and Mass Communications in the fall.

Ott is the editor in chief for his school’s literary magazine. He said although he never took Journalism I, he was also allowed on the newspaper staff and through his “concern for turning out the best possible product” was quickly promoted to assistant news editor.

“I have put more hours into my journalism career than almost anything else in my life,” he says, “and have gained much from it in return. I have great plans for myself and journalism is tied directly to that, so I am looking for journalism to give back to me again.”

Elizabeth B. Dickey SIPA Scholarship
Kathleen Beaver, Sun Valley HS (Monroe, N.C.)

The Elizabeth B. Dickey SIPA Scholarship is awarded to a student of journalistic excellence and overall academic achievement who will attend the School of Journalism and Mass Communications in the fall.

Beaver served as the news editor of her school newspaper her junior year. Because she believes in “striving to reach the pinnacle of one’s success,” she now serves as the editor in chief. She is also a guest columnist for the county newspaper.

Writing about her future in journalism, she says she is “ecstatic to begin both learning and observing within the journalism field, and she looks forward to [the] exciting and challenging opportunities that lie ahead.”

The SIPA Non-USC Scholarship is presented to a student who will attend a school of journalism and mass communications at an accredited college or university other than USC. The student also must have attended this year’s SIPA convention or the 2007 SIPA West workshop in Texas.

Smentek is the co-editor in chief for the school newspaper. She has won several S.C. Excellence in Scholastic Newspaper Awards including 1st place in column writing and advertising. In addition to her journalism duties, she has been the drum major in the marching band for two years and a member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Council.

Her goal is to write for “The New Yorker,” but doesn’t mind starting at any daily newspaper until she reaches that goal. She says that for her, “journalism is not just a career, [it is] a way of life.”

The Chuck E. Savedge Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding yearbook staffer who will attend the University of South Carolina as a Mass Communications major.

Davis is the editor in chief for the school yearbook. She is involved in Quill & Scroll, the Journalism Honor Society, varsity and intramural soccer and the Girl Scouts. She has been a DARE camp counselor and is a North Carolina scholar.

In her application, she says, "Everyday I spent immersed in journalism made me want to go farther and to know more.” She hopes to major in mass communications and English education and wants to work "from the bottom to the top on the staff of an educational print publication like National Geographic."

Jacobs-Daughtry Scholarship
Beverly Morris, University of South Carolina (Columbia, S.C)

The Jacobs-Daughtry Scholarship was established for a continuing college student who was on a high school publication staff.

Morris attended Dutch Fork HS in Irmo, S.C. where she served on the award-winning broadcast staff of The Silver Screen Report. At the 2006 SIPA convention, she won Best Feature in the Broadcast On-the-Spot Contest.

She is now a sophomore electronic journalism major at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications and works as an assistant in the scholastic journalism office.