Author: Dan Kubiske

SDX DC Announces 2025-26 Scholarship Winners

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WASHINGTON —Three aspiring college journalists studying in the Washington area have been selected to receive 2025-26 scholarships from the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation of Washington, the nonprofit, education arm of the D.C. Society of Professional Journalists chapter.

The students from Georgetown, Howard and Maryland will get $5,000 scholarships to cover education expenses over the next two semesters. The aid is funded by donations from the professional chapter’s members and individual gifts to SDX-DC. Students from U.D.C. and William & Mary also applied.

“These three students are ready to get to work, starting with internships at major publications this summer,” said SDX-DC Foundation President Steve Geimann. “We hope our financial support will help them realize their ambitions to pursue important stories and share what they learn with their communities. We look forward to seeing all of them succeed.”

The 2025-26 SDX Foundation of Washington scholars:

  • Emely Miranda-Aguilar is a rising senior at the University of Maryland, majoring in journalism and minoring in French studies, and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and vice president of the campus Society of Professional Journalists’ chapter. While at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, she has written for The Diamondback and College Park Here & Now. This summer, she will be an education reporting intern at U.S. News & World Report. “She has already shown us how dedicated she is to journalism,” said Scholarship Committee Chair Joie Chen. “We believe we’ll see her byline on many great stories in the years to come.”
  • Eddy Binford-Ross is a rising senior at Georgetown University, studying international politics and journalism, and is editor-in-chief of the school’s student newsmagazine, the Voice. Eddy previously covered the Oregon outdoors and education beats in internships with the Salem Statesman Journal/Gannett. This summer, she is working as a reporting intern for The Oregonian’s politics and education team in Portland. “Eddy demonstrated the ability to not just find the underreported stories important to her community but deliver them in a multi-sourced compelling narrative, leaving the audience wanting more,” said Scholarship Committee member Steve Redisch. “And she’s still in college!”
  • Damenica Ellis is a rising senior media, journalism and film major with a concentration in journalism and an English minor at Howard University, where she is a campus section reporter for The Hilltop, the student-run newspaper. Beyond Howard, she’s interned with Twin Cities PBS and was part of the 2024 Bloomberg Diversity Program and National Association of Black Journalist Student Multimedia Project. This summer, working through the HBCU News Intern Program, Damenica will working at Charlotte Observer in the metro section. “Damenica has two basic instincts essential for all journalists: curiosity and a desire to tell stories,” Geimann said.

The 2025-26 Scholarship Committee was led by Joie Chen, former CBS News correspondent and CNN anchor; with SDX-DC President Steve Geimann, retired editor at Bloomberg News; board member Darlene Superville, White House reporter for the Associated Press; Steve Redisch, retired executive editor at the Voice of America; and Alicia Patterson, former vice president of audio and executive producer for podcasts at Slate.

SDX-DC was founded more than 60 years ago by the Washington, D.C., Chapter of Sigma Delta Chi, now the Society of Professional Journalists. Questions: scholarships@sdxdc.org, or 202-255-7447

 

SDX DC Now Taking Applications For 2025-26 Academic Year

Dan Kubiske

The Sigma Delta Chi Foundation of Washington, D.C., is the non-profit, educational arm of the Washington, D.C., Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. SDX invites students attending college programs with primary campuses in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia who have demonstrated interest in pursuing journalism careers to apply for scholarships for the 2025-2026 school year.

The foundation is overseen by a board of directors made up of devoted volunteers, most of them veteran journalists, ratified by the board of directors of the Washington, D.C., Pro chapter of SPJ.

Scholarship Eligibility

SDXF scholarship recipients must:

  • Be enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year college or university. Students are not required to be journalism majors.
  • Be actively involved in some journalism activity (e.g., student newspaper, radio, TV, or for a professional news organization or producing digital editorial content, podcasts or other content.)
  • Achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5/4.0 scale or equivalent
  • Be willing to participate in future SPJ/SDX activities/mentorship programs. Scholarship recipients are invited to attend the SPJ Washington Pro Chapter’s annual awards dinner as guests of the Foundation and will be recognized during the program.

*Note: applicants are NOT required to be citizens or permanent residents. Individuals granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) and international students attending college in the U.S. are eligible.

Awards

Scholarship recipients will be granted an award for the 2025-2026 academic year of up to $3,000. Amounts of the final awards will be determined by the SDX Foundation board.  Awards will be distributed directly to the student’s academic institution. Students who withdraw may be asked to return unused scholarship funds.

Process

Closing date for applications (including transcripts and recommendations) is midnight ET on March 17, 2025. Each application will be reviewed by a panel of professional print, broadcast and digital journalists. Finalists will be interviewed by at least two members of the judging panel. Winners will be notified and announced by May 1, 2025. The decision of the judges is final.

Selection Criteria

SDXF selects scholarship winners based on their demonstrated interest and commitment to journalism in addition to their academic performance, honors and participation in journalism organizations. We strongly prioritize recommenders’ evaluations and the candidate’s statement about their interest in and commitment to professional journalism.

QUESTIONS? Please reach out to us at: Scholarships@SDXDC.org or TeamGeimann@gmail.com.

Scholarship Application Form