Reuters names three student scholarship winners

Reuters announced Monday the recipients of three scholarships for graduate journalism programs at New York University, City University of New York and Northwestern University.

The scholarships aim to help early-career journalists develop the skills they need to succeed in an ever-changing industry and to drive greater diversity in the newsroom.

Kailyn Rhone received a scholarship at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute; Safiyah Riddle was awarded the scholarship at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism; and Josephine Walker received a scholarship at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, awarded in partnership with the National Association of Black Journalists.

The New York University and Medill awards provide $40,000 worth of tuition and credits for the 2022-2023 academic year, funded by Reuters and the universities. The CUNY award provides an amount equivalent to the full tuition of the 16-month program.

The recipients will also receive training opportunities in the Reuters newsroom, including access to mentoring by Reuters editors.

“These scholarships allow Reuters to support the next generation of journalists and create a more diverse and inclusive news industry. It has never been more crucial that news organizations reflect the world they cover, and we are deeply committed to helping create a diverse field of journalism that benefits our own news industry,” said Reuters editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni in a statement.

Rhone graduated Summa Cum Laude from Florida A&M University in 2022 with a B.S. in public relations. While at FAMU, she interned at the Tampa Bay Times and Texas Tribune, covering environment and health, social justice and politics. Rhone was also a 2021 emerging reporter fellow at ProPublica. After graduation, Rhone was selected for the Online News Association’s HBCU Digital Media Fellowship and a Vox Media Fellowship, where she will produce multimedia projects for the summer. Rhone plans to use her master’s degree from NYU to propel her long-term goal of addressing issues affecting underrepresented communities, including mental health and gentrification.

Riddle graduated from Haverford College in 2018 with a B.A. in political science and a minor in economics. While at Haverford, Riddle was a research intern at People for the American Way. After graduating, she taught economics at an international boarding school in Johannesburg, South Africa, to students from more than 47 countries. Most recently, Riddle has had roles as an administrative press assistant in the New York City Mayor’s Office, as well as at a political communications consulting company. After obtaining her master’s degree from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, Riddle hopes to report on international economics.

Medill scholarship recipient Walker received her B.S. in broadcast journalism and B.A. in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University.  She recently joined Bloomberg News’ Wealth team as a summer intern. As a student, Walker reported on the Virginia General Assembly for VCU’s Capital News Service, a capstone newswire course where she wrote articles for clients such as the Associated Press and The Washington Post. She also freelanced for various publications and made a documentary on Afghan refugees resettling in Virginia. Walker will study journalism with a concentration in social justice.