SARA WAILGUM
SPRINGFIELD—The Valley Press Club will honor its 2013 scholarship winners at its annual awards program on Saturday in the Deliso Conference Center at Mercy Medical Center, beginning at 11 a.m.
Scholarships of $1,000 each will be presented to four high school seniors who are planning careers in print or broadcast journalism.
Dr. Marsha Della-Giustina, associate professor of Journalism at Emerson College, who was one of the first female television news producers in Boston, will be the keynote speaker.
The club is also honored to welcome back Al Jaffe, who was a senior at Pittsfield High School when he won the Press Club’s first scholarship in 1964. He is now senior vice president for talent negotiation and production recruitment at ESPN.
Jaffe will present a scholarship, financed by his annual $1,000 gift to the Club, to Gertrude Joseph, of Springfield. Joseph graduated 18th in her class at Central High. She was vice president of the National Honor Society, president of the MassMutual Academic Achievers Club, and a member of the school’s indoor and outdoor track teams. She was also a writer for The Republican’s Unlisted teen section, a teen blogger for the Huffington Post and a media correspondent for MD Hoops.net. She will attend UMass Amherst as a communications major with a goal of becoming a sports writer.
The other scholarship winners are:
Joanne Paquin, of Monson, who will receive The Republican Scholarship, funded by the newspaper and presented in memory of Jane Maroney, the first female city editor and first associated editor of the Springfield newspapers. Paquin graduated first in her class at Monson High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society, the History Club and was the recipient of the Superintendent and Book Awards. She was a team captain for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and was the recipient of the Girl Scout Bronze Award. She was also an intern for the Ware River News, writing a variety of articles. She will attend Emerson College and major in Journalism.
Sara Wailgum, of Westfield, an honors graduate of Westfield High School, who will receive the Valley Press Club/MGM Scholarship, made possible through a donation by MGM Springfield. She served an internship at the Westfield News, where she wrote news and feature articles, and will attend Lasell College in Boston as a Fashion Journalism major. She was a member of the Key Club and field hockey and lacrosse teams. She is also a volunteer for the Westfield Fire Dept. and MS fundraisers, and is a snow sports instructor at Blandford Ski Area.
James Villalobos, of Springfield, will receive the 22News Scholarship, funded by WWLP-22News and administered by the club. He graduated 19th in his class at Central High School, where he produced a number of noteworthy videos and was a member of the amCentral morning show crew. He was appointed as Hampden County representative on the Governor’s Statewide Youth Council, where he serves as vice president, chaired a Martin Luther King Day discussion with Governor Deval Patrick and organized a Town Hall meeting to end violence in Springfield as well as an anti-violence rally. He was a member of the MassMutual Academic Achievers Club and currently works for the company. He has a long list of volunteer activities including the AIDS Foundation, city beautification and anti-bullying efforts. He was recently the recipient of The Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover Foundation’s Scholarship. He will attend UMass Amherst as a Broadcast Journalism major.
The Valley Press Club was founded in 1962 in Springfield by a group of local reporters. Two years later club membership was opened to all communications professionals in the region and a Scholarship Dance was held. Each year, the Club holds educational workshops and luncheons. Since 1964, the Press Club has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to local high school students planning to pursue careers in journalism. The Valley Press Club continues to promote the highest standards of excellence in journalism. Further information about the club is available at www.valleypressclub.com.
