Journalism Students Win Headliners Foundation Scholarships

Meadows Journalism students Jenny Rudolph and Aysia Lane have been named winners of statewide Headliners Foundation Scholarships for the 2021-22 school year. The awards, which range from $3,000 to $6,000, are presented by the Headliners Foundation of Texas to 16 undergraduate students at schools throughout the state showing outstanding potential in journalism. In addition to strong academic records and writing ability, applicants were expected to have demonstrated their interest in journalism by working on student media or as interns for professional media outlets.

Rudolph received the $6,000 Dolly and Paul Bolton Scholarship, named after two early benefactors of the Headliners Foundation. She is a rising senior at SMU studying journalism and marketing. She is a reporter for SMU-TV and is part of the William J. O’Neil Program in Business Journalism. Rudolph most recently interned as a business staff writer and SMU fellow at The Dallas Morning News, where she profiled Dallas business executives and industry leaders. She previously served as an editorial intern at D CEO Magazine, where she specialized in North Texas health care reporting.

Lane, a rising junior at SMU studying journalism and film, received the $6,000 Founders Scholarship award. She is the features editor for The Daily Campus and the producer for its podcast, “The Pony Pod.” This spring, Lane co-wrote and co-directed #BlackAtSMU, a student-led documentary spotlighting the challenges of Black students at SMU. She is also the lead student ambassador for the Meadows School. She will graduate in spring 2023 and plans to pursue a career in multimedia that will enable her to use her platform and skills to drive change in her community.

“The Headliners Foundation Scholarships are highly competitive, and we are extremely proud of these two very talented students for their superb showing in the contest,” said Tony Pederson, The Belo Foundation Endowed Distinguished Chair in Journalism at SMU Meadows.

“The high quality of the applications and work samples we received this year tells a story in itself,” said Patti C. Smith, chair of the Foundation’s Academic Excellence Committee. “Our 2021-22 scholarship recipients are clearly committed to producing work that is thoughtful, relevant and accurate. The future of Texas journalism is in good hands.”

All scholarship recipients will be honored at the Headliners Foundation Annual Mike Quinn Awards Luncheon on October 23 in Austin, Texas.

Founded in 1983, the Headliners Foundation of Texas is a 501(c)(3) that promotes excellence in journalism by providing scholarships to promising communication students; recognizing outstanding works of journalism and leaders in the industry; and sponsoring special projects that promote journalistic excellence and preserve history. For more information, visit www.headlinersfoundation.org.

Read more about the SMU Meadows Division of Journalism; see examples of student work at https://www.smudailycampus.com.