Three Hoosier women have received scholarships and awards from Woman’s Press Club of Indiana to support their work and education. They will be honored at the group’s annual awards banquet May 14 in Indianapolis.
“Hoosier journalists never fail to impress me. They’re good at what they do, and they’re always striving to get better,” said Elizabeth Granger, WPCI’s scholarship committee chair. “I’m proud that WPCI’s scholarships can play a role in their growth. I look forward to a growing number of applicants each year.”
Two Hoosier journalists each have received the Louise Eleanor Ross Kleinhenz Scholarship, a $500 award for mature Indiana journalist to further their skills.
IU Media School)
Suzannah Evans Comfort of Bloomington is an assistant professor of journalism at Indiana University’s Media School. Her teaching and research focus on environmental journalism, which she calls “a beat on the margins” and is often a casualty when newsrooms face cuts.
She will attend the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual conference to reconnect with working journalists, improve her own skills that she can take back to the classroom, and network with potential employers on behalf of her students.
In her application essay, she called environmental journalism “a fruitful area because environmental concerns are increasingly integrated into society.”
Cathy Shouse of Fairmount is a freelance journalist who has worked for newspapers and magazines for more than two decades. She also pens novels. She credits her interest in journalism to her high school newspaper adviser.
She said she will use the scholarship to attend the fall 20Books50K journalism conference, where she will concentrate on marketing to promote her novels.
“It turns out that advertising and writing continue to be connected, just as they were in the ‘70s,” Shouse wrote in her application essay.
The scholarships are named in honor of Louise Eleanor Ross Kleinhenz, a 45-year-member of WPCI who served the organization as president, historian and Bulletin editor before her death in 1977.
Amy Lynch, a freelance travel journalist from Indianapolis, has received the Granger Travel Journalism grant of $500. She said she will use it to cover expenses related to travel as well as membership in the Midwest Travel Journalists Association.
“I’ve often wished it was possible to exist in more than one place at the same time,” Lynch wrote in her application essay. “But since it isn’t, travel must suffice. I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to figure out how to make a living doing it.
“In my mind, the question isn’t ‘Why travel?’ It’s ‘Why not!’”
Granger established the award to honor her husband, Fred, who died in 2020. They were a travel journalism team for more than 25 years, she as a writer/photographer and he – as he’d say – as a photographer/luggage carrier.
Each year, WPCI opens the application process for four grants and scholarships to Indiana communicators, professional and student. View all of the awards and the application process on the website.
Questions? Contact Granger via email.
