Reuters-NABJ scholarships awarded to two grad students

Reuters announced the winners of two Reuters-National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) scholarships.

The scholarships have been awarded to Jarrell Dillard and Chinekwu Osakwe for graduate journalism programs at New York University and Columbia University, respectively. Each student will receive a value of more than $40,000 in tuition and credits for the 2019-2020 academic year funded by Reuters and the universities.

In addition, both winners will receive on-site training in the Reuters New York newsroom and access to mentoring by Reuters editors. Upon graduation, they’ll also each be offered a 10-week Reuters internship.

Dillard graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in journalism and minor in leadership studies from Hampton University in May 2019. While attending Hampton, he worked as a production intern for 13NewsNow, where he gained broadcast news experience, and as a public affairs intern for the Army Corps of Engineers, where he gained print news and public relations experience.

After graduation, he worked as the government intern for Bloomberg where he worked as a reporter on Capitol Hill, the White House and various other areas in the nation’s capital. He is a member of the Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society for Journalism and Mass Communications and the National Association of Black Journalists. Dillard is interested in reporting on business and politics.

Osakwe is a master’s student in the Columbia Journalism School. She graduated from New York University in 2017 with degrees in chemistry and music, with a minor in the business of entertainment, media and technology. While at NYU, she took courses on the American music industry, production courses, and entertainment law courses which informed her desire to cover the lucrative and ever-changing industry.

“Reuters is deeply committed to building a more diverse and inclusive newsroom,” said Reuters deputy managing editor for operations Arlyn Gajilan. “Working with NABJ to invest in the futures of the next generation of journalists offers a great opportunity for us to help these young students grow into exceptional journalists and to have a positive impact on news industry diversity.”