SPRINGFIELD – The Valley Press Club will award up to six scholarships of $1,000 each in June to high school students in western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut looking to pursue a career in journalism.
Scholarship applications may be sent by mail to The Valley Press Club at PO Box 5475, Springfield, MA 01102 or electronically to [email protected], and the deadline for submissions is April 1, according to Noreen Tassinari, Scholarship Committee Chair.
The Valley Press Club offers several different scholarships to students looking to study journalism, including the Al Jaffe Scholarship, the 22News Scholarship and The Republican Scholarship.
Funds for the Al Jaffe Scholarship are annually donated by Mr. Jaffe himself, who was the Press Club’s first scholarship winner in 1964. Jaffe, a retired vice president at ESPN, was a senior at Pittsfield High School when he was awarded the club’s initial $500 scholarship. He attended Emerson College and currently serves on the Emerson College Board of Trustees.
The Republican Scholarship, funded by The Republican newspaper and administered by the club, is for students within the newspaper’s circulation area who are planning careers in print journalism.
The 22News Scholarship, funded by WWLP-22News and administered by the club, is for students planning careers in broadcast journalism.
The Club also finances two scholarships itself, including the Edward J. Malley Jr. Memorial Scholarship, established in memory of the former chief photographer for the Springfield Newspapers, for students planning careers in photojournalism.
Primary emphasis is placed on career goals, writing ability, scholastic aptitude and overall achievement as measured by an applicant’s high school transcript, class rank, academic awards, SAT scores, and extracurricular activities.
Applications are available at high school guidance offices and online at www.valleypressclub.com.
The Valley Press Club celebrated the 50th Anniversary of its scholarships last year and over the last five decades has presented over $100,000 in scholarships to eligible students. Further information about the Club and its scholarships is available at valleypressclub.com or by emailing [email protected].
