2022-2023 Recipients
Please join the Headliners Foundation's Board of Governors in congratulating the 2022-23 scholarship recipients. Click here for the Foundation’s media release announcing this year's outstanding student journalists.
Jack keever scholar
Kamryn Brownlee is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in journalism and minoring in architectural history. Kamryn will serve as The Daily Texan’s summer 2023 managing editor. She started at the Texan in August 2020 and has served as associate managing editor and copy desk chief. This summer, Kamryn will also be a marketing communications intern at HKS, an international architecture firm headquartered in Dallas. Upon her December 2023 graduation, Kamryn hopes to pursue a career in architectural journalism. She thanks The Headliners Foundation for its support.
JOE RODDY, JR. SCHOLAR
Debanny Cerda is a sophomore journalism major with a sports media minor at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently a reporter for TSTV sports, and serves as an intern with Texas Athletics Creative where she helps with social media and photography. Previously, Cerda served as a Rice Athletics Creative marketing intern. She plans to graduate in spring 2025 and hopes to work as a field reporter for ESPN.
George christian Scholar
Addie Costello is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin studying journalism and government. In the spring of 2022, she interned at the Texas Standard producing audio pieces and web stories. Costello spent eight semesters working at The Daily Texan where she last served as the Digital Director and Longform Editor. Previously, she worked at KXAN as an investigative intern. She will graduate in the spring of 2023 and hopes to work in investigative, audio journalism.
JACK KEEVER Scholar
Mantra Dave is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin studying Plan II Honors, finance, and geography. He is the spring 2023 managing editor at The Daily Texan, where he has previously served as copy desk chief and associate managing editor. Dave is a Head Print Editor at the Texas Undergraduate Law Review and has also worked as a research assistant studying the access to public records and their impact on public policy at UT's Media Lab. Outside the newsroom, he is a Texas 4000 For Cancer rider, where he will bike from Austin to Anchorage in support of cancer research during the summer of 2024. Upon graduating, he hopes to pursue a career in environmental or sports law. He thanks the Headliners Foundation for their generous support!
Dolly and paul bolton Scholar
Haeven Gibbons is a senior at Texas Christian University pursuing a BA in journalism with a minor in Spanish. Gibbons currently serves as the executive editor of TCU 360, Texas Christian University’s student media organization. She has interned at The Fort Worth Star-Telegram covering local news, and at amNewYork where she covered feature stories across the five boroughs of New York City. This summer, Gibbons will intern at The Dallas Morning News where she will cover local news. She particularly enjoys working on stories focused on social justice issues like hunger and homelessness. Recently, she reported on how the war in Ukraine was affecting people in her community; she connected with two Dallas-based Ukrainian potters who started selling their work to raise money for their homeland. Gibbons is a dynamic journalist who listens to important stakeholders and finds the story that is begging to be told.
Joe Roddy, Jr. Scholar
Marissa Greene is a senior journalism and communication in leadership double major at the University of Texas at Austin, where she produces podcasts for The Drag, the audio production house at the Moody College of Communication. Before Marissa became a Longhorn, she was editor-in-chief of ACCENT, Austin Community College’s student-run multimedia organization. Marissa is an engagement fellow for The Texas Tribune. She previously interned for Austin PBS and KERA, the public broadcasting organization for North Texas. Journalism helps Marissa to do what she loves most; meeting new people, building long-lasting relationships and sharing the stories that make up our community.
Stuart long Scholar
Sarah Hernandez is a senior studying journalism and Latino/a studies at Texas State University. Hernandez has worked at The University Star, Texas State's student-run news organization, for two years and will serve as its managing editor for the 2022-2023 school year. Throughout her time at The Star, Hernandez has been a life and arts reporter, assistant life and arts editor and life and arts editor. She won The Star's Editor of the Year award for her term as the life and arts editor during the 2021-2022 school year. Hernandez enjoys writing human interest stories and has a passion for meaningful storytelling that will inspire her readers. Working at the newspaper and gaining real-life experience early in her college career has helped Hernandez make the most of her studies at the Texas State School of Journalism and Mass Communication. After graduation, Hernandez hopes to continue writing lifestyle and culture stories for a community magazine or online publication.
bess whitehead scott scribes Scholar
Jackie Kingston graduated with honors from West Texas A&M University with a degree in broadcasting in 2009 and has made her career in local television news ever since. In addition to anchoring the evening news on KAMR Local 4 News in Amarillo and the High Plains' only local political show, “Politics Today,” Kingston also appears on Studio 4. Jackie currently serves as the president of the board of directors for the High Plains Food Bank. She returned to her alma mater to teach broadcasting classes in the spring of 2018, and to pursue her master's degree in 2019. Kingston’s career was recognized by West Texas A&M University’s Communications Department with the Rising Star award in 2015. She was honored as a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains with the Discover Award in 2016 and as a Top 20 under 40 recipient from the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce in 2019.
sarah and ernest butler SCHOLAr
Jacqueline Knox is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is pursuing a dual degree in Plan II Honors and Journalism along with a minor in Entrepreneurship. She is currently the ASME Intern at The War Horse, a nonprofit newsroom focused on military service, and is working on her Plan II senior thesis, which will be a long-form piece focused on the impact wildfires have had in Texas. In the past, Knox co-founded Drift Magazine, UT’s first student publication focused on the outdoors. She also previously worked as an editorial intern at Texas Monthly, Texas Highways and Austin Fit Magazine. She will graduate in May 2023 and hopes to pursue a career in magazine journalism.
Jimmy banks Scholar and jack keever scholar
Fiza Kuzhiyil is a junior studying journalism, government and Asian American studies at the University of Texas at Austin where she studies the intersection of policy and public opinion. Kuzhiyil got her start at UT's student newspaper, The Daily Texan, working in every corner of the basement from news to life & arts to diversity and inclusion. She will serve as the Texan's managing editor during the fall 2022 semester. Kuzhiyil has also worked as an editorial intern at Austin Woman Magazine and as a research assistant at the UT Center for Media Engagement studying misinformation and political conversations online. Currently, Kuzhiyil is a news reporting intern at the Austin-American-Statesman. After graduation, she hopes to work as a reporter covering previously underrepresented communities. She thanks the Headliners Foundation for supporting that dream!
Sam wood Scholar
Matt Kyle, a native of San Antonio, Texas, is a senior at Baylor University studying professional writing and journalism. During his junior year, Kyle served as a staff writer on the news desk of the Baylor Lariat, Baylor's student-run news organization, and currently serves as the assistant news editor for the Lariat. As a reporter, his favorite projects are features where he can tell stories about interesting people. This summer, Kyle will serve as a news intern for the Waco Tribune-Herald. In addition to journalism, he is passionate about literature, creative writing, and music. He is expected to graduate in June 2023 and hopes to publish a book one day.
George a. mcelroy Scholar
Aysia Lane is a senior at Southern Methodist University (SMU) studying Journalism and Film. Lane has served as a leader and editor for SMU’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Campus, and as a fellow for The Dallas Morning News. She has also served as the student representative on the SMU Journalism division’s Chair Search Committee. In the spring of 2021, Lane co-wrote and co-directed a student-led documentary spotlighting the challenges of Black students at SMU. In addition to her academic endeavors, she is the Lead Student Ambassador for the Meadows School of the Arts. Lane will graduate in the spring of 2023 and pursue a career in multimedia that will enable her to use her platform and skills to tell stories that inspire change and positive growth within her community.
Wilbur evans Scholar
Leila Saidane is a rising sophomore studying Radio-Television-Film and Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin. Saidane is a senior reporter and senior photographer for The Daily Texan, where she reports on breaking news for campus and COVID-19. She hopes to amplify underrepresented voices through both her writing and photographer at The Texan and beyond. Saidane has previously worked as a mentee at The Dallas Morning News, an intern at Community Impact, has had features published in the Austin-American Statesman and currently works as a writer for the online publication Novel Hand. Saidane will graduate in the spring of 2025 and hopes to pursue a career as a cinematographer and journalist.
founder’s Scholar
George Schroeder is a junior at Baylor University majoring in journalism. Schroeder has worked as a broadcast reporter and anchor, the editing manager, and has recently been hired as the next executive producer at Lariat TV News, Baylor's student-run news organization. In 2022 he was named the Baylor Department of Student Media’s Broadcaster of the Year and became the inaugural winner of the Rick Bradfield Award for breaking news coverage. He also served as a member of the Editorial Board at the Baylor Lariat during the 2021-2022 school year. Schroeder is a contracted cadet in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and is on track to graduate in the spring of 2024 and commission into the United States Air Force. He hopes to serve as a Public Affairs Officer and is excited to see where his career will go from there.
George moore Scholar
Peyton Sims is a journalism student at The University of Texas at Austin who is on track to graduate in the spring of 2023. On campus, Sims is a senior photographer for The Daily Texan and SPARK Magazine as well as a podcast producer at The Drag Audio Production House. During her previous semester, she also worked for ORANGE Magazine and was a life and arts reporter for The Daily Texan. Peyton is immensely grateful for the support she has received from the Headliners Foundation and cannot thank them enough. Through her hard work and determination, Sims will continue to pursue the career of her dreams so she can document our changing world, one story at a time. As her love for journalism continues to grow, she is excited to see what the future has in store.
darrell k. royal Scholar
Nate Smith, a native of Porter, Texas, is a senior at Baylor University studying Journalism and Public Relations. Since his first day in Waco, Smith has worked for Baylor Lariat TV News. In his time at Lariat TV he has held positions as a reporter, sports director and executive producer. Smith has also had the privilege of interning at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, and is currently working as a production assistant for KWTX in Waco. Nate is on track to graduate in May of 2023 and hopes to pursue a career in TV news production or sports media.
Founder’s Scholar
Soksan Teng is a junior studying journalism and advertising at Southern Methodist University. Teng is a writer and reporter for SMU’s student-run online publication, The Daily Campus, and is an editorial writer for SMU’s fashion magazine, SMU Look. She has participated in The DC podcast, “The Pony Pod,” along with producing and directing her own motivational podcast, “Talk To Me Teng.” Teng is also a content-creator on YouTube and TikTok garnering over five million views with her self-produced, edited, and directed entertainment and esports news videos and livestreams on the channel “React Teng.” She is also the head officer for social media for the SMU esports program. Teng currently serves as a summer social media intern at the entertainment and esports company, ENVY Gaming. In her free time, Teng seeks to uncover stories and has begun to host and cast competitive esports tournaments. She is excited to pursue more opportunities in broadcast journalism and will graduate in the spring of 2024 aspiring to pursue a career in journalism as an entertainment news anchor.
Verne Lundquist Scholar
Drake Toll, a three-time Headliners Foundation scholarship recipient, is a rising senior at Baylor University in the Department of Journalism, Public Relations and New Media. Originally from Vilonia, Arkansas, Toll fell in love with sports broadcasting at a young age and has pursued play-by-play broadcasting and sports radio since high school. He is currently the public address announcer for Baylor softball, the play-by-play voice of the China Spring High School football team, the host of the “Locked on Baylor” podcast with the Locked On Podcast Network and a contributor for Sports Illustrated’s “Inside the Bears.” Toll also holds a position in Baylor’s Student Government as Senior Class Vice President.
Ellen and mark morrison Scholar
Megan Tran is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin studying Plan II Honors, English, and sociology. She is the editor-in-chief of The Daily Texan, where her vision for the paper is to urge for greater sexual misconduct reform on UT’s campus and to approach advocacy with a more intersectional lens. Prior to becoming editor-in-chief, Tran was an opinion columnist and associate editor as well as the Assistant Director of Diversity and Inclusion at The Texan. In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching nature documentaries. She will graduate in the spring of 2024 and hopes to pursue a law degree.
Stuart long Scholar
Hope Unger is a junior studying journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. She currently serves as a senior breaking news reporter for The Daily Texan, UT's student newspaper. In this role, Unger has covered stories related to UT and to Austin, such as a congressional campaign rally and the lieutenant governor's plan to eliminate tenure at public Texas universities. Unger plans to graduate in the spring of 2024 and continue writing stories that affect change.
barry bishop Scholar
Madelyn Weirich is a junior at Texas State University, where she is pursuing dual degrees in Journalism and Spanish. She is the news editor at The University Star, Texas State’s student-run news outlet. Since the summer of 2021, Weirich has covered breaking news, local politics, and feature articles. Her passion lies in analyzing the political climate, especially in the field of women’s rights. She advocates for trauma informed journalism by connecting her team and fellow journalists to trainings and facilitating open discussion surrounding the issue. Weirich is also the president of Texas State’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, where she helps connect fellow student-journalists to professionals in the field. In the fall of 2022, Weirich will take her journalism skills abroad for a year at Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
john “brick” elliott Scholar
Brian Yancelson is a senior at Trinity University majoring in Communication with double minors in Political Science and Sport Management. He spent two years as sports editor of the Trinitonian, Trinity University's student newspaper, before turning his attention to play-by-play broadcasting for Tiger Network, the university's live broadcasting network. Yancelson broadcasts football, volleyball, basketball and baseball games for Tiger Network while also working as a public relations intern for Trinity. Before coming to Trinity, Yancelson was a Kid Reporter for Sports Illustrated Kids. That position gave him the opportunity to attend professional sporting events as a member of the press and publish more than 30 articles on the SI Kids website, sparking his interest in sports journalism.