Donors committed to supporting the importance of journalism in democracy and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa journalism program presented $21,000 in scholarships and awards to 15 UH Mānoa students.
“We are so proud of these students and so thankful for our donors and their commitment to an independent media,” said Colin Moore, chair of the School of Communications in the College of Social Sciences. “With the COVID-19 pandemic, journalists are once again demonstrating the vital role they play in our society. We must support our future journalists and communicators.”
The Carol Burnett Award for Responsible Journalism was established in 1981 by the actress and comedienne to honor outstanding students who have demonstrated a strong sense of journalistic responsibility and integrity. These two honorees displayed strong ethical journalism practices:
- Graduating senior Geneva Diaz is news editor at Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi, a communications intern at AARP and will be interning at Hawaii Business Magazine as a Hawaiʻi Chapter-Society of Professional Journalists intern this summer. She has demonstrated her openness to different viewpoints in many stories, including her article about the challenges facing Hawaiʻi Island farmers over the misleading branding of Kona coffee and in her story that exposed mold problems in a Mōʻiliʻili apartment complex.
- Senior Cassie Ordonio was Ka Leo managing editor and has been an intern this spring at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, where she will continue this summer as a Hawaiʻi Chapter-SPJ intern. She has dealt with ethical issues as a Micronesian journalist covering bias against Micronesians in the workforce as well as a story about kānaka maoli views of the Thirty Meter Telescope.
Previous winners of the Carol Burnett awards met with Burnett backstage after one of her recent shows in Hawaiʻi.
The following are UH Foundation scholarships that provide financial support for students who meet the criteria and GPA requirements.
The Ed Sheehan Scholarship Fund in Journalism is for journalism majors with a 3.0 GPA or higher and is given in honor of the late radio host, author and columnist.
- Nathan Bek
- Georgia King-Johnson
- Katie Lane
- Charissa Porter
- Elizabeth Ufi
The James H. Couey, Jr. Memorial Scholarship is for journalism majors with a 3.0 GPA or higher and is given in honor of the late publisher of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
- Sophia Compton
The Louise Hess Miller Journalism Awards Fund is a scholarship that supports journalism majors and graduate students of academic merit who have financial need.
- Rhea Saura
- Lori Gregg-Hammer
The Pierre Bowman Memorial Scholarship for journalism majors with at least a 2.0 GPA is given in honor of the late Honolulu Star-Bulletin entertainment editor, who had a passion for culture and the arts.
- Alyssa Rodello
- Anika Wheeler
Fund administered by Social Science Research Institute in the College of Social Sciences:
The F.R. Moulton Scholarship is an aid fund for journalism majors in honor of F.R. Moulton, a scientist who was also a pioneer in educational broadcasting in the 1930s. The student must be a journalism major with a 3.0 GPA or higher and have financial need.
- Ronnie Allen Campman
- Christian Navarro
- Charissa Porter
- Samantha Sexton
Society of Professional Journalists Region 11 Mark of Excellence awards were presented to Ka Leo.
- In the breaking news reporting (large division) category, Ka Leo Editor in Chief Chavonnie Ramos and Cassie Ordonio‘s piece “UH Mānoa Bachman Hall occupiers make their final exit from 24/7 sit-in” was named a finalist.
- For general news reporting (large division), Ka Leo’s staff was a finalist for “Ka Leo’s Maunakea coverage.”
- In the feature writing (large division) category, Ka Leo’s staff was a finalist for “Bachman Hall sit-in coverage.”
—By Ann Auman