Former Fellowship Winners Check In
After winning a CJF fellowship, many winners continued to study journalism and made it
their vocation while others use the communication skills they learned in other careers.
Read about some of their accomplishments.
their vocation while others use the communication skills they learned in other careers.
Read about some of their accomplishments.
Kristen Bjornsen (2005- South Plantation)
Kristin Bjornsen graduated from the University of Florida, and beginning with her freshman year, she was a salaried staffer on the Independent Florida Alligator before becoming editor her senior year. Currently she is the Art Director for the Miami New Times. Her CJF fellowship took her to Classroom 101 at the Fort Lauderdale Art Institute and inspired her interest in photography and design. "The CJF gave me the opportunity to explore storytelling through many mediums and to network with professionals in a variety of fields," she said. "A brief summer photography program led me to an art director position, and to this day I use the fundamentals I learned that summer in my day-to-day duties." Ashley Khan (2009 - South Plantation) Alysha graduated from the University of Miami where she majored in journalism and political science. She was the online editor of The Miami Hurricane, which won an 2013 Online Pacemaker from the National scholastic Press Association. Her internships included being a metro reporter for the Miami Herald and a business reporter for the Sun-Sentinel. |
Vanesa Hernandez (2001 - SPHS)
Vanesa Hernandez is an Associate Vice President at Bessemer Trust. As a Fiduciary Officer she assists with the administration of trusts as well as risk management. After graduating from the UF (where she also used her CJF fellowship), she earned her law degree at the University of North Carolina. She continues to help those in need as she advises low-income citizens with income tax preparations, as well as being a volunteer with the homeless, children, disaster relief throughout North Carolina, Alabama and Nebraska. Beatrice Dupuy (2010 - Cooper City) Beatrice attended the University of Florida where she worked as a correspondent for the Gainesville Sun. When she has time off from school, she freelances for the Sun-Sentinel. In 2011 she won the National Press Club scholarship for journalism diversity. "Without the CJF fellowship I don't know if I would have been able to attend the Medill-Northwestern summer journalism institute in 2010," she said. |
Anna Parham (2010 - Flanagan High)
Anna attended the University of Central Florida majoring in Digital Media with a Web Design track and minoring in Magazine Journalism. "I would not have been able to attend the program that I did during the summer without your scholarship and this program helped me make my career decision," she said. Colt Dodd (2010 - South Plantation) Colt Dodd graduated from New College with a double major in English and Religion, and was a staff writer, layout and photo editor for the weekly newspaper, The Catalyst and biannual newsmagazine, the Tangent. Currently, Dodd is a computer science teacher in Broward. "The tools I learned in journalism provided me with a better understanding of computer software applications and programming," Dodd said. "I was well ahead of the curve when I arrived at college, and I was able to build a stronger basis for not only graphic design but also film editing and computer troubleshooting." |
www.CulpepperJournalismFoundation.com - 100 Southwest 75 Terrace, Plantation, Florida 33317