WKU Student Publications announced nine Student Publications fellows for 2021 on Monday. Eight of the students will spend at least 10 weeks working in professional organizations this summer in internships tailored to help them grow their skills, and the ninth will cover news on the WKU campus.
The fellowships are funded entirely through the generosity of alumni and friends of the College Heights Herald, Talisman magazine, Student Publications Advertising and the Cherry Creative branded-content studio, along with partnering professional organizations. This year’s fellowships will award a total of $32,300 in stipends to students participating in the educational experiences.
The 2021 class of Student Publications summer fellows includes two freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors and one senior.
The program launched in 2012 with a single fellowship at the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer. It was funded with proceeds from an endowment created by the late Charles Mason Ralph, a Herald alumnus and Owensboro native who bequeathed a portion of his estate to the Herald.
The program has grown through donations to the Student Publications Fellowship Fund, created in 2014, and through other fellowship funds created by alumni and friends of the Herald and the Talisman, our flagship publications. In 2015, a confidential gift of $125,000 more than doubled the principle in the Charles Mason Ralph Endowment, allowing the program to grow further.
Through Summer 2020, 41 student staff members of the College Heights Herald, the Talisman and Cherry Creative have served in Student Publications fellowships.
“Our fellowship program is one of the most rewarding things we do for our students,” said Chuck Clark, director of WKU Student Publications. “Because we try to match these fellowships to our students’ goals and tailor them to skills they want to develop, these experiences have a huge impact on the students.
“We’re grateful to our alumni and friends, and to our professional partners, for making these fellowships possible.”
The 2021 Student Publications fellows are:
Leo Bertucci – Bertucci is a junior journalism major from Louisville and will spend 10 weeks as the Judy Wildman Hughes Fellow at the Bowling Green Daily News. Bertucci currently is a reporter for the College Heights Herald.
Gabi Broekema – Broekema is a sophomore photojournalism major from Bowling Green and will spend 10 weeks as the Tom Caudill Fellow at the Lexington Herald-Leader. Broekema currently is multimedia editor for the College Heights Herald.
Gabrielle Bunton – Bunton is a junior journalism major from Bowling Green and will spend 12 weeks as the Paul and Ellen Schuhmann Fellow at the Courier Journal in Louisville. She currently is a reporter for the College Heights Herald.
Lily Burris – Burris is a junior journalism major from Bowling Green and will spend 12 weeks as the College Heights Herald Endowment Fellow at Louisville Public Media and the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. Burris currently is assignment editor for the College Heights Herald.
Michael Collins – Collins is a sophomore journalism major from Shelbyville and will spend 10 weeks as the Charles Mason Ralph Fellow at the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Collins currently is digital news editor for the College Heights Herald.
Ashlyn Crawford – Crawford is a senior visual arts and user experience double major from Lanesville, Indiana, and will spend 10 weeks as the Carla and Chad Carlton Fellow at C2 Strategic Communications in Louisville. She currently is design director for Cherry Creative.
Keilen Frazier – Frazier is a sophomore photojournalism major from Louisville and will spend 10 weeks as the Charles Mason Ralph Fellow at The Charlotte Observer in North Carolina. He is currently is a photographer for the College Heights Herald.
Jacob Latimer – Latimer is a freshman journalism major from Henderson and will spend 10 weeks as the Charles Mason Ralph Fellow at the Messenger-Inquirer in Owensboro. Frazier currently is a reporter for the College Heights Herald and a photographer for Talisman magazine.
Debra Murray – Murray is a freshman journalism major from Louisville and will spend 12 weeks as the Dr. Barbara Burch Fellow at the College Heights Herald. Murray currently is a reporter for the College Heights Herald and writes for Talisman magazine.
To donate to the Student Publications Fellowship Fund and help continue this valuable program:
For information: Chuck Clark, director, WKU Student Publications, [email protected], 270-745-4206.