Top Student with Global Outlook Wins NPC Scholarship

The National Press Club Board of Governors congratulates Viviana Benjumea of Elmhurst, New York, the 2009 winner of the Club's Ellen Masin Persina Scholarship for Diversity in Journalism.

"We are so pleased to award the National Press Club's diversity scholarship to a young woman who has already shown great talent and drive as an aspiring journalist," Club President Donna Leinwand said. "We see tremendous potential for great contributions to journalism."

Benjumea, who hopes to become a foreign correspondent for a major newspaper or TV network, is awarded $5,000 a year for four years toward her university tuition.

Already Benjumea is enthusiastically pursuing journalism opportunities. She has attended the Princeton University Summer Journalism Program, reported for her school newspaper and finally served as its managing editor.

An article Benjumea wrote on "cutting," or self-mutilation, caught the judges' attention, said NPC Awards Committee Chairwoman Mary Clare Jalonick. Benjumea noticed scars on a friend's arm during a dance class and was moved to ask questions, Jalonick says.

In her essay, she said she realized that having “the courage to interview strangers about uncomfortable subjects can bring about positive change, and I'm looking forward to the challenges a journalist might face.”

Benjumea, who is Colombian-American, said her Latina heritage drives her "to explore and write about global issues, which affect us all.”

The Ellen Masin Persina Scholarship for Diversity in Journalism provides $5,000 a year over four years. Established in the memory of the late Ellen Masin Persina, a Press Club member, the scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding high school students who are considering a career in journalism and can exhibit how they will bring diversity to newsrooms.

The National Press Club conducts an annual 5K and silent auction to benefit the scholarship fund. The race is Sept. 12.