Friday, August 22, 2003

Freedom Forum Diversity Institute graduates 3rd class of journalism fellows

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Twelve journalism fellows graduate today from the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, a training program at Vanderbilt University designed for people of color who want to become journalists but have not had formal journalism training. After graduating from the program, fellows will join the staffs of their local sponsoring newspapers as full-time journalists.

“We are excited to send these 11 new reporters and one new photographer back to their communities and to their local newspapers,” said Wanda Lloyd, executive director of the Diversity Institute. “This group has spent an intensive 12 weeks learning journalism skills and the core values of journalism. I know they will make a positive difference for their newspapers.”

Among the 12 Diversity Institute graduates are Adrienne Aguirre, a social worker who for six years worked with troubled youths and will return home in Vista, Calif., to work as a general assignment reporter at the North County Times; Darshana “Pinky” Kansupada, who graduated in accounting and finance from the University of Maryland and will join the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal as a reporter; and Leah Jones, who previously worked in a tutorial program for elementary schoolchildren and will be the first person of color to work as a photojournalist at the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison.

Diversity Institute fellows are people seeking a mid-career change or recent college graduates who did not major in journalism. Applicants are nominated by newspaper editors, generally in the applicant’s hometown. Participating newspapers agree to hire their nominees as full-time journalists after they have completed the program, which consists of 12 weeks of hands-on training introducing the fellows to all aspects of print journalism — reporting, writing, editing, visual journalism, media ethics and journalism history. This class brings the total number of Diversity Institute graduates to 28 since the program began in June 2002.

Diversity Institute fellows are taught at the John Seigenthaler Center, a Freedom Forum facility on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Participants are housed in campus apartments and receive a small stipend during the program. The Freedom Forum pays all expenses.

New graduates at the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute and their sponsoring newspapers:

• Adrienne Aguirre, North County Times, San Diego, Calif.


• Sabrina Brown, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo.


• Danyel Daniels, San Angelo (Texas) Standard-Times


• Vincent Davis, San Antonio Express-News


• Charlene Draper, News Messenger, Marshall, Texas


• Latisha Gray, The Daily Reflector, Greenville, N.C.


• Joice Anderson Jeffries, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn.


• May Lee Johnson, South Bend (Ind.) Tribune


• Leah Jones, Wisconsin State Journal


• Darshana “Pinky” Kansupada, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal


• Guadalupe “Wally” Rendon, The Journal Times, Racine, Wis.


• Clarence Edward Wilson, Savannah (Ga.) Morning News

For additional information about the third Diversity Institute class or general information about the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, including application information, visit the Diversity Institute Web site.

The Freedom Forum, based in Arlington, Va., is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. The foundation focuses on three main priorities: the Newseum, First Amendment issues and diversity in U.S. daily newspaper newsrooms.

Media contacts: Wanda Lloyd, 615/727-1401 or Mike Fetters, 703/284-2895