Reuters announced today that the winners of three Reuters-National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) scholarships are Doyinsola Oladipo, Joyce Philippe and India Walton for graduate journalism programs at New York University, Columbia University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, respectively.
Each student will receive a value of more than $40,000 in tuition and credits for the 2020-2021 academic year funded by Reuters and the universities.
The winners will receive a variety of training opportunities by Reuters newsroom, including access to mentoring by Reuters editors.
Doyinsola Oladipo graduated from Tufts University in 2018 with a B.A. in International Relations with a concentration in African studies. While at Tufts, Oladipo interned at the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. After graduation, she worked as a paralegal with the intention to attend law school and pivoted to a career in journalism to contribute to more inclusive reporting. Oladipo worked as a video writing fellow at INSIDER Inc. and produced videos for the Voices of Color vertical. After obtaining her master’s degree from NYU, she hopes to report on economic development in Africa and the African Diaspora.
Joyce Philippe is a graduate student at the Columbia University School of Journalism. She previously worked in Biloxi, Mississippi as a news reporter and fill-in anchor at WLOX-TV. Before working on-air, Philippe got her start in the business as a digital content producer at WLOX-TV. She is also an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Online News Association. As she pursues her master’s degree at Columbia, she plans to expand her video production skills and strengthen her coverage of the intersections of business, technology and culture.
India Walton is a master’s candidate at Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, specializing in Politics, Policy and Foreign Affairs. A recent graduate of Dillard University, Walton graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with a concentration in Multimedia Journalism and a minor in English. In her time at Dillard, India interned with the New Orleans City Council under Council President Helena Moreno and for the Committee on Homeland Security under Congressman Bennie G. Thompson. She was Editor-in-Chief of her university’s newspaper, The Courtbouillon; a freelance news writer for Very Local New Orleans; and a student writer for Dillard’s communication office, Dillard Today. Her mission is to inspire young minority women that the color of their skin should never hinder them from following their dreams.
“Building diverse and inclusive newsrooms within our organization and throughout the news industry is critical to Reuters, as we aim to better reflect the world we cover. Continuing our work with NABJ enables us to deepen our commitment to supporting the next wave of journalists and, together, to create a more diverse news industry,” said Stephen J. Adler, Editor-in-Chief, Reuters.
“NABJ is excited about our partnership with Reuters, an organization that understands our mission and the role our 45-year-old organization plays in helping our media organizations find the most qualified talent to deliver news to the world,” said NABJ President Dorothy Tucker. “We also congratulate Doyinsola, Joyce and India for their achievements that garnered these scholarships. We are extremely proud of them. They represent the future of newsrooms, a future we are hopeful will reflect the communities they serve. Our scholarship winners will help us achieve the parity we are seeking in America’s newsrooms.”
[Reuters PR blog post]
Media contact:
deepal . Patadia @thomsonreuters.com