Scholarships

Trust for Trauma Journalism Ochberg/McLellan Scholarship

The Trust for Trauma Journalism presents the Ochberg/McLellan Scholarship. The scholarship is named in honor of Trust’s founders, Dr. Frank Ochberg and Richard McLellan, Esquire, to advance education and training for trauma journalists. The Trust’s mission includes advancing innovative and exemplary reporting on violence, conflict, tragedy, and their aftermath and preparing news professionals for the impact of covering traumatic events. The scholarships will provide one-time monetary awards for journalists and student journalists to pursue advanced studies in undergraduate or graduate journalism, media, and communications programs.

Application Process

SUBMISSION DEADLINE Date – OCTOBER 15, 2024

This scholarship recognizes students pursuing studies in journalism, media, and/or communications fields. It is a one-time monetary award to defray training or undergraduate / graduate-level educational program expenses. Applicants must be enrolled in or in the process of applying for admission to an accredited training or educational program in Journalism, Digital Media, Broadcasting, Communications, Photojournalism, Radio, and Television for consideration.

* Prepare all application materials to submit before starting your application.
* Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.

The application must include:

Your most recent high school or college transcript (Uploaded as a PDF)

Your resume (Uploaded as a PDF)

Financial Need Information (embedded in application)

Summary of your professional or educational accomplishments in journalism relevant to your skills and career goals. Write and submit no more than 150 words responding to the prompt: “Why I am interested in trauma Journalism.”

Write and submit a 500-word essay on your journalism pursuits and the goal of your studies. Include a statement describing your course of study, whether you will attend full-time or part-time in the upcoming year, and when you plan to complete your program of study. Essay format: Include your full name and the Ochberg/McLellan scholarship in the top left corner. Double-space your essay using Arial 12 as your font. (Upload as a PDF)

Write a 500-word essay in the form of a news story about a traumatic event that has affected your community. Traumatic events include crime, violence, tragedy, conflict, and disasters. Essay format: Please include your full name and Ochberg/McLellan scholarship in the top left corner. Double-space your essay using Arial 12 as your font. (Uploaded as a PDF)

Provide two work samples demonstrating your experience and interest in journalism. (Uploaded as PDFs)

Work samples can include published stories, video news stories, digital media, photojournalism, clips from a podcast, or other journalistic work samples.

Audio or visual work samples should be at most 2 minutes per clip.

NOTE: Broken links, or those behind paywalls, will not be considered by the Scholarship Team. Applicant should upload a PDF for each work sample, including the link and a one-sentence description. Example: In this clip from my podcast, “Exploring Journalism Careers,” I interview a New York Times reporter about their most meaningful work. [Link]

The Trust for Trauma Journalism recognizes that some applicants may not have published work samples. Applicants without work samples may submit two examples of their writing abilities as a work sample. (Uploaded as PDFs)

Letters of recommendation can come from teachers, professors, employers, or others most familiar with your work ethic. Letters from family members will not be considered.

Letters of recommendation should be uploaded as PDFs with your application.

Letters of recommendation can be sent directly to The Trust for Trauma Journalism by email as an attachment. In the subject line, include “Ochberg/McLellan Scholarship” and the applicant’s name.

Applicants should indicate in a PDF note attached to their application the individual who will email their Letter of Recommendation along with contact information.

Scholarship Selection and Notification Process

The Trust will review all scholarship applications for the Trauma Journalism Scholarship Panel. Applicants will be notified on November 15, 2024, if they are selected as scholarship recipients.

Procedures for Receiving Scholarship Payment

The scholarship monetary award of $2,000.00 will be provided directly to the recipient upon receipt of training or college enrollment verification.

2024 Trust for Trauma Journalism Ochberg/McLellan Scholarship Application

First Name *

Last Name *

Phone *

Email Address *

Social Media Identity *

Street Address *

Apartment, suite, etc

City *

State/Province *

ZIP / Postal Code *

Summary of professional or educational accomplishments and relevant skills and career goals. Write and submit no more than 150 words responding to the prompt: “Why I am interested in trauma Journalism.”

Transcript *

No file chosen

Please upload a copy of your current or most recent academic transcript. Upload as a PDF.

Training, College, or University where you intend to enroll. *If selected to receive this scholarship, you will be asked to provide proof of enrollment to the institution.

Financial need information *How do you plan to pay for your training or education? Please estimate the percentages of each of the following to fund your training or education: out-of-pocket personal expenses, parent/family support, loans, scholarships, or grants. [Example: out-of-pocket personal expenses 25%, parent/family support 25%, education loan 50%, scholarships 0%, or grants 0%]

Resume *

No file chosen

Upload your resume as a PDF.

Personal Essay 1 *

No file chosen

Personal Essay 2 *

No file chosen

Write a 500-word essay in the form of a news story about a traumatic event that has affected your community. Traumatic events include crime, violence, tragedy, conflict, and disasters. Essay format: Please include your full name and Ochberg/McLellan scholarship in the top left corner. Double-space your essay using Arial 12 as your font. (Uploaded as a PDF)

Work samples *

Provide two work samples demonstrating your experience and/or interest in journalism. (Uploaded as a PDFs in the application)

Work samples can include published stories, video news stories, digital media, photojournalism, clips from a podcast, or other journalistic work samples.
Audio or visual work samples should be at most 2 minutes per clip.
NOTE: Broken links, or those behind paywalls, will not be considered by the Scholarship Team. Applicant should upload a PDF for each work sample, including the link and a one-sentence description. Example: In this clip from my podcast, “Exploring Journalism Careers,” I interview a New York Times reporter about their most meaningful work. [Link]

The Scholarship Team recognizes that some applicants may not have published work samples. Applicant may submit two examples of your writing abilities for consideration as a work sample. (Uploaded as a PDF)

Provide 2 Letters of recommendation *

Applicant should obtain 2 Letters of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation can come from teachers, professors, employers, or othersmost familiar with your work ethic. Letters from family members can not be considered.
Letters of recommendation should be uploaded as a PDF with your application.
Letters of recommendation can be sent directly to The Trust for Trauma Journalism. The Recommendation Letter should be sent by email. Include “Ochberg/McLellan Scholarship” and the applicant’s name in the email’s subject line.

Applicants should indicate in a PDF note attached to their application names of individuals who will email a Letter of Recommendation with the individual’s contact information.

Scholarships

Trust for Trauma Journalism Ochberg/McLellan Scholarship

Application Process

Transcript & Resume

Financial Need & Summary

Two Personal Essays

Two Work Samples

Two Letters of Recommendation

2024 Trust for Trauma Journalism Ochberg/McLellan Scholarship Application