Three UA Students Receive Prestigious Journalism Scholarships

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Three University of Alabama journalism students, Jennifer Acosta of Mobile, Benita Newton of Deatsville and Joseph Bryant of Dothan, have been recognized for exemplary journalism skills by receiving a $2,500 Ayers Scholarship in Creative Journalism.

The scholarship, one of the top academic honors within UA’s journalism department, goes to advanced undergraduate and graduate students who excel in writing, who demonstrate high potential as professional journalists, and who demonstrate leadership in journalism and commitment to community, as exhibited by Col. Harry M. Ayers, the award’s namesake. Ayers was publisher and editor of The Anniston Star for more than 50 years.

Acosta has two journalism jobs. She works as student life editor for The Crimson White and as a stringer for The Tuscaloosa News, where she will intern this summer. Last summer Acosta worked at The Phoenix Citizen, a weekly newspaper in east Alabama. She is also a presidential scholar and a Mobile Register Business Journalism Scholar.

Bryant, is a two-way journalist working as an editor for The Crimson White and as a news reporter for Alabama Public Radio. He will be an intern with The Birmingham News this summer and has interned with The Dothan Eagle and the Greenville Daily News in South Carolina.

Newton is a staff writer at The Tuscaloosa News and has also worked on The Crimson White, the UA student newspaper. Recently, Newton was a finalist in the National Hearst Writing Competition for Depth Reporting for her story on corporal punishment in schools. She is a member of the Media Planning Board — the policy board for student publications at UA.

The Ayers Scholarship was established by gifts from H. Brandt Ayers, publisher and editor of The Anniston Star, and his sister, Elise Sanguinetti, to honor their father and to help the department recruit and retain outstanding students for its graduate program.

The Anniston Star newspaper ranked 30th in the nation, regardless of size, in a recent survey by Columbia Journalism Review.