From June 20-23, 2022, the Freedom Forum will host some of the nation’s leading high school student journalists at the 2022 Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference. As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the third year that the conference will be held virtually since its inception in 1999 to honor the late Al Neuharth, founder of USA TODAY, the Freedom Forum and Newseum.
Each year, the Free Spirit academic and scholarship program inspires and equips some of the best and brightest students in the United States to pursue careers in the journalism and media industries. These rising high school seniors will each receive a $1,000 scholarship to the college of their choice.
The Freedom Forum enlists the help of high school journalism educators throughout the country to recruit applicants and promote this important program. Prospective applicants are required to submit work samples, letters of recommendation, student transcripts and essays about their interest in journalism, as well as the qualities they possess that make them “free spirits.”
“In each of these scholars, we see the imagination to dream, the courage to dare and the capability to do great things,” explained Jan Neuharth, chair and CEO of the Freedom Forum. “This year’s talented group of scholars will learn about the relevance of the First Amendment, the importance of a free press and its critical role as a cornerstone of democracy.”
The theme of this year’s conference is watchdog journalism. Included among the many presenters that students will hear from is Megan Twohey, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times and co-author of the book “Chasing the Truth: A Young Journalist’s Guide to Investigative Reporting.” Twohey will speak with Joon Lee, ESPN staff writer and 2012 alum of the Free Spirit program. Jill Geisler, the Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership, will present on journalism ethics.
Five alums of the Free Spirit program will share stories about their careers in journalism from high school to today: Isaac Arnsdorf (2007), a national political reporter for The Washington Post; Derrell Bouknight (2014), an associate news producer at CBS Sports; Anjali Huynh (2018), former NBC News intern and POLITICO Journalism Institute student; Mary Pilon (2004) an award-winning journalist and author; and Snigdha Sur (2008), founder and CEO of the Juggernaut, a new publication focused on South Asia and South Asians.
2022 Free Spirit Scholars
ALABAMA
Neela Cole, Sparkman High School, Harvest
ALASKA
Jack Zink, Ketchikan High School, Ketchikan
ARIZONA
Layla Torres, Xavier College Preparatory, Phoenix
ARKANSAS
Miranda Shaver, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
CALIFORNIA
William Shun Graves, The Branson School, Ross
COLORADO
Maya Dawson, Conifer High School, Conifer
CONNECTICUT
Danielle Prohaska, Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Fairfield
DELAWARE
Natalie Gildea, Archmere Academy, Claymont
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Maia Nehme, Washington International School, Washington
FLORIDA
Charles Spungin, The Benjamin School, Palm Beach Gardens
GEORGIA
Sarah Lokenauth, Atlanta International School, Atlanta
HAWAII
Skye Bulman, Iolani School, Honolulu
IDAHO
Shyanne Strength, Highland High School, Pocatello
ILLINOIS
Sana Muneer, Glenbard South High School, Glen Ellyn
INDIANA
Caleb Christensen, Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne
IOWA
Maya Chu, Iowa City West High School, Iowa City
KANSAS
Arshiya Pant, Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park
KENTUCKY
Natalie McGarry, Bullitt East High School, Mount Washington
MAINE
Angelina Griffin, Kennebunk High School, Kennebunk
MARYLAND
Obse Abebe, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Bethesda
MASSACHUSETTS
Joon Whang, Groton School, Groton
MICHIGAN
Ridhima Kodali, Huron High School, Ann Arbor
MINNESOTA
Athena Wang, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter
MISSISSIPPI
Christina Zhang, Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus
MISSOURI
Amber Winkler, Francis Howell North, St. Charles
MONTANA
Isabel Foley, Charles M. Russell High School, Great Falls
NEBRASKA
Sophia Mills, Omaha Burke High School, Omaha
NEVADA
Juliana Patton, Reno High School, Reno
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Theresa Cullen, Hollis Brookline High School, Hollis
NEW JERSEY
Rachel Levine, West Essex Regional High School, North Caldwell
NEW MEXICO
Tatiana Winter, Santa Fe High School, Santa Fe
NEW YORK
Cristina Stefanizzi, Pelham Memorial High School, Pelham
NORTH CAROLINA
Emily Benton, First Flight High School, Kill Devil Hills
NORTH DAKOTA
Kaden Boyer, Bismarck High School, Bismarck
OHIO
Cori Bohan, Westerville North, Westerville
OREGON
Ava Rispler, Lincoln High School, Portland
PENNSYLVANIA
Amish Jindal, Wilson High School, Reading
RHODE ISLAND
Naeelah Desanges, North Providence High School, North Providence
SOUTH CAROLINA
Hannah Webster, Lexington High School, Lexington
SOUTH DAKOTA
Emma Forster, Lincoln High School, Sioux Falls
TENNESSEE
Alacia Williams, Hutchison High School, Memphis
TEXAS
Reagan Netherland, Ray Braswell High School, Aubrey
UTAH
Eliott Coda, Highland High School, Salt Lake City
VERMONT
Anna Hoppe, Essex High School, Essex Junction
VIRGINIA
Aarya Kumar, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, Alexandria
WASHINGTON
Yoon Lee, Lakeside School, Seattle
WEST VIRGINIA
Elisabeth Wilfong, Lewis County High School, Weston
WISCONSIN
Taigan Anderson, Stevens Point Area High School, Stevens Point
WYOMING
Gabriella Paterson, Powell High School, Powell
