2015-2016 Recipients
Below are profiles of the Headliners Foundation’s 2015-2016 scholarship recipients. Click here for the Foundation’s media release announcing scholarship recipients.
George Christian Scholar
Luqman Adeniyi is a multimedia journalism senior at The University of Texas at Austin. A Dallas-Fort Worth area native, Luqman serves as the news director at Texas Student Television, vice president of UT’s National Association of Black Journalist, a writing coach at the LCAE Journalism Writing Support Center and as an undergraduate teaching assistant. Luqman is devoted to producing news for all media platforms and has a knack for social engagement. He was previously an intern at the Associated Press in New York City, a news intern at KXAN-TV in Austin, an editorial intern at Community Impact Newspaper and a general news reporter for The Daily Texan. This fall he will be a reporting intern with the Texas Tribune. Luqman is interested in foreign affairs, political and investigative broadcast news. He believes a career in journalism allows him to serve the community by keeping people informed, motivated and protected from any abuse of power.
Founder’s Scholar
Nicole Cobler is a journalism junior at The University of Texas at Austin. She previously served as a reporter and associate news editor at The Daily Texan, UT’s student newspaper, for three semesters, and also interned at The Victoria Advocate, the daily newspaper of Victoria, Texas. Spring 2015, she was an intern at the San Antonio Express-News’Austin bureau covering the 84th Texas Legislative Session. While writing for the Express-News, her work has also appeared in the Houston Chronicle. Nicole is interning at the Austin American-Statesman during the fall of 2015, and hopes to pursue a career in journalism across multiple platforms.
Founder’s Scholar
Christina Cox is a rising senior at Southern Methodist University studying journalism, business administration and English. She has worked as a reporter for The Daily Campus, SMU’s independent student newspaper, for six semesters. During her time at The Daily Campus, she also served as copy editor, chief copy editor, managing editor and assignments desk editor. This fall she will serve as the editor-in-chief of The Daily Campus while interning at The Dallas Morning News. She will graduate in May 2016 and plans to pursue a career in print journalism, focusing on business news, education reform and investigative pieces.
Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Scholar
Eleanor Dearman is a journalism junior at The University of Texas at Austin. Eleanor has worked at The Daily Texan for four semesters serving as a Senior Life and Arts Writer and a Senior News reporter covering the campus and legislature beats. Additionally, Eleanor hosted The Daily Texan Newscast for the spring of 2015. Eleanor will graduate in May 2017.
Founder’s Scholar, Darrell K. Royal
Jori Epstein is a senior at The University of Texas at Austin studying Plan II Honors and journalism. Entering her seventh semester on staff of The Daily Texan, she dabbles in the sports, opinions and copy editing departments. Jori worked at Sports Illustrated in the spring and at the Philadelphia Daily News as a Dow Jones News Fund intern during the summer. She sees the sports page as a platform to explore social issues and devotes time to homeless advocacy. As the youth outreach facilitator for Austin’s homeless newspaper, The Challenger, Jori helps recruit and develop its youth writer base.
Stuart Long Memorial Scholarship for Aspiring Journalists
Jordan Gass-Pooré is a senior English and mass communication double major at Texas State University. The moment she laid hands on a newspaper and her fingers were stained with black ink that she could smear on her older cousin’s white clothes, she was hooked. Since then, Jordan has been on a mighty crusade to prove that the pen is mightier than the sword, sharpening her writing skills through internships with the Los Angeles News Group, Austin American-Statesman and San Antonio Express-News, among others, and working with high school students as an English tutor and mentor. Jordan lived in Canterbury, England, for six months in 2010 and looks forward to returning, hopefully as a reporter with The Guardian in London.
Sam Wood Scholar
Taylor Griffin is a journalism major and film and digital media minor at Baylor University. She has worked as Arts & Entertainment Editor and News Editor at The Baylor Lariat and will serve as Editor in Chief this coming fall. As a transfer from Tyler Junior College, she was Arts & Entertainment Editor, Managing Editor and Editor in Chief of The Apache Pow Wow. Taylor has interned at the Tyler Morning Telegraph, Where Washington Magazine and NBC Entertainment in New York City. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Sigma Kappa Delta and Tau Sigma honor societies, an All-State Academic Team member and holds two Associate of Arts degrees in Journalism and Public Relations.
Founder’s Scholar
Cassandra Jaramillo is a rising senior studying multimedia journalism and business at The University of Texas at Austin. She previously interned with CNBC, the Austin American-Statesman and KXAN News. Cassandra was awarded a fellowship through the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and NBC News, and spent her summer working at the business news channel CNBC. She is currently a tutor at the LCAE Journalism Writing Support Program and continues to report on the latest news around the Forty Acres for Texas Student Television. This summer, she will be interning for The Wall Street Journal through the Dow Jones News Fund.
Stuart Long Memorial Scholarship for Aspiring Journalists
Jacob Sanchez is originally from Fort Stockton, Texas and is a political science major and journalism minor at St. Edward’s University in Austin. He is currently serving as print editor-in-chief for Hilltop Views, St. Edward’s student newspaper. One of Sanchez’s accomplishments as print editor-in-chief was a special edition of Hilltop Views focused solely to the topic of sexual assault. During his time at Hilltop Views, Sanchez has served as Viewpoints editor and staff writer. Sanchez plans to pursue a career in journalism after graduating in May 2016.
Founder’s Scholar
Jordan Shenhar is a Plan II, government and economics junior at The University of Texas at Austin. He has spent the past two semesters working in the editorial department at the Daily Texan, first as a blogger covering foreign affairs and then as a senior columnist focusing on campus issues and education policy. He also serves as a research assistant at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and as a peer adviser in the Plan II Honors Program. After spending the past summer working with the Millennial Action Project in Washington, Jordan will participate in the Next Generation Scholars program at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law starting this fall.
Founder’s Scholar
Jackie Wang is a sophomore at The University of Texas at Austin, studying journalism and government. She works for the on-campus newspaper, The Daily Texan, as a city and state senior reporter. She has covered state elections, legislative issues and city government during her time at The Daily Texan. Jackie also contributes to the online political newsletter Quorum Report, and reports on legislative issues for the website. She plans on pursuing a career in political reporting or exploring magazine and long-form journalism.
Founder’s Scholar
Clayton Youngman is a third-year journalism major at Texas Christian University. Clayton spent the spring 2015 semester working as a managing editor for TCU 360, TCU’s student-run news publication, and the copy editor of The Horned Frog Yearbook. This summer, he was an intern at The Dallas Morning News, where he was also a high school intern in summer 2013. Clayton has also tutored Fort Worth ISD students in English and writing. In fall 2015, Clayton will be studying and interning in Washington, D.C., with the TCU School of Journalism before graduating in May 2016. Clayton is a native of Mesquite, Texas, and he is an avid baseball fan and music junkie.