2024 Scholarships Winners
The Deadline Club is pleased to announce four winners in its 2024 scholarship competition.
The winners have demonstrated an extraordinary dedication to storytelling on today’s most pressing issues and uphold the standards of truth and fairness. Each will be presented with a $2,500 scholarship acknowledging their journalistic accomplishments at the 2024 Deadline Club Awards dinner. Click here to learn more.
Annie Bennett
New York University
Annie Bennett will be attending New York University this coming fall to begin a master’s program in podcasting and audio reportage. Currently, Annie is completing a year of service with AmeriCorps at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. During their undergraduate years at Emerson College, Annie completed a co-op with the Boston Globe, worked for their school’s radio station, and had their student thesis published in a journal. She also spearheaded SPJ’s Emerson chapter, attended the Society’s Future Leaders Academy, and served as a delegate at MediaFest. Annie enjoys hiking, Scrabble, political satire, and Taylor Swift.
Gaea Katreena Cabico
New York University
Gaea Katreena Cabico is a climate and environment journalist based in Manila, Philippines. She currently serves as reporter with Philstar.com, an online newsroom. Since 2019, she has been telling stories about climate change and environmental issues from the lens of human rights. Gaea is a member of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network, and has earned fellowships from The Outlaw Ocean Institute, Earth Journalism Network, Stanley Center for Peace and Security, Climate Tracker, Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Journalism Fund, United Nations Human Rights Office Southeast Asia Regional Office, and UN Women. Gaea also guides young storytellers to tell impactful climate stories as a journalism mentor at Climate Tracker Asia. Gaea is set to begin her master’s program in science, health, and environmental reporting at New York University this fall.
Chelsea Casabona
Columbia University
Chelsea Casabona is a documentary filmmaker and journalist based in New York City. Inspired by her childhood career in Judo and stories from her Cuban and Puerto Rican grandparents, Chelsea enjoys making films that highlight the voices of women, immigrants, and athletes. As a producer, videographer, and editor, Chelsea created two short videos about businesses run by refugee women in Costa Rica. For her master’s thesis at Columbia Journalism School, Chelsea is co-directing a 30-minute film following the journey of a blind judoka on her way to the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Rochelle Estrada
William Paterson University of New Jersey
Rochelle Estrada is a student at William Paterson University studying journalism and minoring in public relations while pursuing a master’s degree in professional communication. She is the president of the William Paterson Society of Professional Journalists (WPSPJ), SPJ’s reigning national campus chapter of the year. She founded and previously hosted the WPSPJ Podcast, the first podcast produced by an SPJ campus chapter. She is also a news anchor and news writer for the award-winning college radio station Brave New Radio. Estrada aims to use her voice to become a storyteller in the audio industry and become a leader of a radio news outlet.