Club awards the Lewis Scholarship for Summer 2023 to Heidi Perez-Moreno
The National Press Club has chosen Heidi Perez-Moreno of Miami, Florida, to be the recipient of its Lewis Scholarship for summer 2023. The scholarship provides housing and a $4,000 stipend to support student journalists of color who are interning at news media outlets in Washington, D.C.
Perez-Moreno has accepted a summer 2023 internship with The Washington Post’s metro desk. A 2023 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she impressed the judges with strong journalistic work as a student reporter and editor, reporting fellow at The Texas Tribune, intern at the Los Angeles Times’ En Español, and freelancer at the Raleigh News & Observer.
“The people I’ve been able to interview are more than just sources, but larger stories of success, hardship, and hope,” Perez-Moreno said in her personal essay. “I want my reporting to center on Latino communities that historically haven’t received attention from the media, and shed light on the lives of young Latinas, like me, who are unsure of their belonging in the United States.”
Club scholarship judges praised Heidi’s strong work samples and academic career.
“Heidi has already demonstrated an incredible commitment to producing high-quality journalism that features the perspectives of underrepresented communities,” said Eileen O'Reilly, NPC president. “We are thrilled to support her in the next phase of her career, and welcome her to Washington, D.C.”
Recommendation letters from her professors and supervisors praised Perez-Moreno’s passion for storytelling, ambition and talent.
“An investment in Heidi is an investment in the kind of intrepid reporting our nation needs so much right now at a newspaper that is worthy of her skill, drive and heart,” said Courtney Mitchell, general manager at the Daily Tar Heel. “I believe Heidi will be doing this kind of work on the national scale for a very long time.”
“Heidi is a diligent, highly ethical reporter with a passionate sense of commitment to covering some of the most vulnerable and historically embattled communities in our society,” said Reed Johnson, editor at the Los Angeles Times En Español. “In a span of only a few weeks, she produced outstanding front page and section-leading profiles, breaking news pieces, and enterprise features across a wide range of timely and important social issues.”
The Lewis Scholarship was established in April 2022 by the family of former Washington correspondent Robert “Bob” D.G. Lewis, also a past president of the Club. It is awarded to one undergraduate student journalist of color each fall, spring and summer semester. Students must secure a journalism internship in Washington, D.C., to be eligible, along with other requirements.
The program furthers Bob and Jacqueline Lewis’s work to improve accessibility to experiential learning opportunities in the nation’s capital for students of color. This partnership, administered through the National Press Club Journalism Institute, will extend the Lewis’ commitment to increasing representation in Washington, D.C., to include news media, adding to their work founding and operating the Washington Intern Student Housing program and the HBCU National Center.
National Press Club scholarships are administered by its nonprofit affiliate, the National Press Club Journalism Institute. Click here to learn more.