NHS Senior Wins Journalism Scholarship

Newtown High School senior Kristin Stoller was awarded a prestigious journalism scholarship Wednesday, March 17, at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.. Selected to represent Connecticut, Kristin was one of 51 high-school journalism students throughout the country chosen to receive the 2010 Al Neuharth Free Spirit Scholarship.

The award, named after the founder of USA Today newspaper, is given annually to one student from each state and the District of Columbia interested in pursuing journalism careers.

Applicants were required to write two essays, provide samples of their journalistic work, submit an academic transcript, and list other accomplishments.

Kristin and the other Neuharth scholarship winners were flown to Washington for the weekend for an all-expenses-paid, six-day conference. The students attended a taping of NBC’s Meet the Press with guest moderator Tom Brokaw, met USA Today Editor John Hillkirk at the newspaper’s headquarters in McLean, Va., and attended journalism sessions at the Newseum.

The Freedom Forum, the foundation that funds the Newseum, a 250,000-square-foot museum of news, funded the event.

Kristin is one of the editor in chiefs of The Hawkeye, NHS’s student newspaper. Last summer, she was also selected to intern in New Haven at the Yale Daily News. Besides her journalism work, Kristin recently starred in the school’s musical production of Gypsy, playing the role of Louise.

Kristin has been offered scholarships to study journalism at Penn State, American University, and Northeastern University, but has not yet made a decision. She plans to major in journalism and minor in musical theater.