2024-2025 Recipients
Please join the Headliners Foundation's Board of Governors in congratulating the 2024-25 scholarship recipients. Click here for the Foundation’s media release announcing this year's outstanding student journalists.
Founder’s scholar
Vivien Ayers is a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in journalism and sustainability studies. This past semester, Ayers served as the associate news editor for The Daily Texan, the campus' official student newspaper, where she worked to ensure accurate, investigative coverage of a myriad of topics, including the University's compliance with Senate Bill 17 and the April pro-Palestine protests. For the prior three semesters, Ayers worked for The Daily Texan as a news desk editor and a senior news reporter, where she covered issues in the Austin-metro area and breaking news. After graduating in 2026, Ayers plans to continue writing and telling the stories of those in North Texas.
founder’s Scholar
Jacquelyn Burrer is an undergraduate student at Texas State University working towards dual degrees in History and Journalism with a minor in Honors Studies and a concentration in Chinese studies. This summer, Burrer will intern for two months in Washington, D.C., with The Fund for American Studies as a program advisor for journalism and communications interns. Last summer, Burrer interned at The Well News, a local newspaper in Washington, D.C., and reported on U.S. Supreme Court decisions and national legal news. In the past, Burrer served as a content team intern with The Borgen Project, a non-profit organization working to advocate for those in global poverty through U.S. foreign policy. Burrer is a member of the Texas State History Club and the Texas State Honors College and has worked as a Writing Consultant at Texas State University’s Writing Center for the past two years. Burrer will graduate in the spring of 2025 and hopes to work as a foreign affairs correspondent or attend law school to pursue constitutional or media law.
Bess Whitehead Scott Scholar
Andrés Calixto is a senior at The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Journalism and pursuing a minor in Global Communication. Calixto is part of the Moody Honors Program, and in the past, served as an anchor for Texas News Primetime, the university’s evening news program. Currently, Calixto is a bilingual reporter for Austin Vida, an Austin-based news publication serving the Latino community. In his free time, Calixto likes to read, cook, watch sports, and volunteer at Street Youth Ministry, an organization focused on helping the homeless youth in Austin. After graduating in the spring of 2025, Calixto plans to pursue a career in broadcasting and eventually serve as a foreign correspondent to amplify the voice of the Latino community.
JACK KEEVER Scholar
Katie Chang is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin, pursuing degrees in Plan II Honors, Management Information Systems, Urban Studies, as well as a minor in History. Chang will serve as the managing editor of The Daily Texan for the Spring 2025 semester, after four semesters in the life & arts and photo departments, and one as an associate managing editor. Outside of the Texan, Chang previously worked as a research project manager at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, as well as a finance intern at Texas Instruments. Chang’s interests include urban planning, writing, music, and sustainability.
Stuart Long Scholar
Lucciana Choueiry is a junior studying journalism and media studies at Texas State University, where she also serves as the news editor of the campus newspaper, The University Star. In the summer, Choueiry will be an editorial intern at Texas Monthly and a local news intern at KUT, Austin’s NPR affiliate. Previously, Choueiry was a journalist intern at The Borgen Project, an NGO fighting world poverty at the U.S. foreign policy level, and an intern managing editor for The961, a nonprofit news outlet in Beirut, Lebanon where she used her fluency in Arabic and French to produce content. At Texas State, Choueiry is also a student coordinator at the honors college, the vice president of the Society of Professional Journalists and a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Council of Scholars and CBI-TXST. Upon graduating, Choueiry hopes to be a news reporter in Texas and eventually work as a journalist in the Middle East.
founder’s Scholar
Rory Dulock is a junior at Baylor University who is double majoring in Journalism with a concentration in news-editorial and Film and Digital Media. Dulock has worked as a news writer the past two semesters for the Baylor Lariat, Baylor’s student-run publication, where she is responsible for writing weekly news articles and opinion pieces. Working for the student publication has provided Dulock the opportunity to learn and grow as a student journalist and as a person from her peers and advisers. Dulock plans to graduate in the spring of 2026 and pursue a master’s degree in journalism. She then hopes to pursue a career as a news writer or a multimedia journalist.
STUART LONG Scholar
AnaBelle (Anastasia) Elliott is an undergraduate student at Texas State University majoring in journalism and minoring in music and is the president of the Texas State chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Elliott is a Life and Arts reporter at The University Star and serves as the editor-in-chief of the Texas State chapter of Her Campus, the #1 women’s college-aged magazine in the US. This summer, Elliott will be an intern on Capitol Hill through The Fund for American Studies. Elliott’s love of storytelling goes beyond the page, as she is also a songwriting musician who performs in Austin and San Marcos. In all of her leadership roles, Elliott strives to create community and a sense of belonging for all involved. She believes that we can all succeed together!
SAM WOOD Scholar
Abbey Ferguson is an award-winning Broadcast Journalism student at Baylor University in the honors program, with minors in Corporate Communications, History, and Gender Studies. Ferguson currently works as a reporter/anchor for Baylor's student-led television program, Lariat TV News, and was named Broadcaster of the Year in the 2023-24 school year. Ferguson interned at KDRV in Medford, OR during the summer of 2024, and upon graduation in May of 2026, plans to be an investigative broadcast reporter and historical documentary creator.
GEORGE CHRISTIAN Scholar
Aislyn Gaddis is a senior journalism student at The University of Texas at Austin. This summer, Gaddis will be a Texas Standard intern and has previously interned with KERA’s Think show and with UT’s Media Innovation Group. Gaddis spent six semesters on staff at The Daily Texan, serving as the audio editor during the last two. A Jefferson Scholar at UT, Gaddis is also pursuing the core texts and ideas and elements of computing certificates in addition to her journalism degree. In her free time, Gaddis enjoys reading, cooking and baking, and hopes to work in multimedia journalism after graduating.
GEORGE A. MCELROY Scholar
Sarah Gallaher is an undergraduate student at Baylor University in the Department of Journalism, Public Relations and New Media, majoring in public relations with a minor in corporate communications. Gallaher was a news writer for the Baylor Lariat during the 2023-2024 school year and will continue her career in journalism as a copywriting intern for a travel company this summer. After graduating in May 2025, Gallaher plans to return home to Seattle and pursue a career in public relations or journalism.
Sarah and Ernest Butler Scholar
McKenzie Henningsen is an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin working toward a dual degree in Advertising and English with a creative writing certificate. Henningsen currently serves as the editor-in-chief of The Daily Texan, UT’s student-run newspaper. Over the course of six semesters at The Texan, Henningsen served as a copy issue staffer, opinion columnist, associate copy desk chief and associate opinion editor. Her bylines can also be seen in Austin Woman Magazine, where she interned as a freshman. After graduating in 2025, Henningsen plans to work in journalism and digital media. She is very grateful to the Headliners Foundation for their generous support!
FOUNDER’S SCHOLAR
William Kavy is a student journalist at Southern Methodist University, set to graduate in December of 2024 with degrees in journalism and accounting. Since beginning to explore journalism in 2023, Kavy has contributed to publications including the Texas Jewish Post, UNLEASH, SMU’s Daily Campus, and interned last semester with the Dallas Morning News’ business desk through SMU’s fellowship program. At the Dallas Morning News, he was afforded the opportunity to help cover the 2024 total solar eclipse from the largest metropolitan area in its line of totality. Kavy is interested in local print journalism that informs and can be felt by the community it serves.
jack keever scholar
Amelia Kimball is a rising senior at the University of Texas at Austin, pursuing degrees in Rhetoric & Writing and Spanish, as well as a certificate in Children & Society. Kimball will serve as the managing editor of The Daily Texan for the Fall 2024 semester, after five previous semesters at the Texan in the social media and copy departments, and one as associate managing editor. Outside of the Texan, Kimball's interests include public policy, child development, history, and music. She works as an intern for C2G Strategies and volunteers with Students Expanding Austin Literacy. Kimball shopes to continue spending her time learning, reading, and writing, until graduation and beyond.
Founder’s scholar
Aynsley Larsen Aynsley Larsen is a junior at Texas Tech University pursuing a degree in journalism. Since May 2023, Larsen has served as the news and features editor for The Daily Toreador, Texas Tech’s student-run newspaper. As a writer and editor, she has covered campus news, student and local profiles, Student Government, the Board of Regents and various other topics. In November, Larsen travel to New York City to cover the Texas Tech marching band’s first appearance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and in May, traveled with ten other students to cities along the Texas/Mexico border to interview residents, local journalists and public figures for stories on the region and the state of its journalism industry covering immigration. Larsen currently mentors first-year students through Tech’s Honors College and volunteers weekly with a local elementary school. Larsen plans to graduate in May 2026 and hopes to pursue a career in international and investigative storytelling.
JOE RODDY, JR. SCHOLAR
Itza Martinez is a senior at The University of Texas majoring in journalism and pursuing a minor in media and entertainment industries. Martinez has served as a general news reporter for The Daily Texan Newspaper during her first semester of college, covering COVID-19 and university-related stories. After her first semester, Martinez pivoted and started volunteering for TSTV’s Good Morning Longhorns. She has since been able to serve as the associate producer and most recently named the senior life and arts reporter. This weekly morning newscast has been a major stepping stone for Martinez and helped launch her to cover major national and global headlines. Martinez was with NBC News for over a year where she was a TODAY Show Broadcast Intern, Digital Video Desk Intern, and a NBC News NOW Top Story with Tom Llamas Intern. Martinez is now back to her Texas roots and has joined Austin’s NBC-Affiliate KXAN as a news intern and is excited to complete her senior year.
VERNE LUNDQUIST scholar
Foster Nicholas Foster Nicholas is a senior at Baylor University majoring in broadcast journalism. Currently the radio director and sports editor for the Baylor Lariat, Nicholas has worked as a sportswriter, play-by-play broadcaster, podcaster and member of the Editorial Board. In 2024, Nicholas was named the Baylor Department of Student Media's "Lariateer of the Year" and has received several national and state awards for his work. During his time at the Lariat, Nicholas has done play-by-play for football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball, calling more than 100 games. His work was recognized by Baylor Athletics as he has done several Baylor Softball broadcasts for the Baylor Sports Media Network, including the 2024 Big 12 Championship. In addition to his work with the Lariat, Nicholas became the primary Baylor insider for 247Sports in January of 2024. After graduation in the spring of 2025, Nicholas hopes to pursue a career as a play-by-play broadcaster.
DARRELL K. ROYAL SCHOLAR
Gabrielle Pippins is a rising junior at the University of North Texas’ Honors College studying sports journalism and minoring in sociology, and has remained on the President’s List with a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout her college career. Pippins has volunteered at North Texas Television, UNT’s student-run broadcast station, as a sports anchor for their news shows and a sports analyst for their sports talk show Sportszone. During her time at North Texas Television, Pippins has covered a variety of sports including basketball, football, baseball, softball, hockey, and NASCAR, and plans to pursue a career in the sports journalism industry after graduating in the spring of 2026. Beyond grateful for the opportunities the Headliners Foundation has given her, Pippins is excited to see what the future holds and can't wait to continue being a trailblazer for the next generation of Black women in sports journalism.
FOUNDER’S Scholar
Lucero Ponce is a rising journalism senior at the University of Texas at Austin, where she served as the editor-in-chief of The Daily Texan, UT Austin’s student-run newspaper, for the 2023-2024 academic year. During that time, Ponce led the editorial board in holding the University accountable, and previously served as the director of Texan en Español, leading the newspaper’s first translation department, where she produced 100 translations in one semester, making breaking news more accessible to the Spanish-speaking community. Ponce has also worked for the Texan’s opinion department as a columnist and associate editor. In the spring of 2023, Ponce worked as a reporting fellow for Community Impact, where she wrote about local nonprofits in the Southwest Austin area, and this past spring, she wrote about child welfare for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. After graduating in May 2025, Ponce plans to pursue a career in investigative journalism.
FOUNDER’S Scholar
Shalina Sabih is a Pakistani-American, senior journalism major with a communications minor at Texas A&M University. Sabih graduated high school in 2020 and received her associate's degree from North Central Texas College when she was only 19 years old. A first-generation college student, Sabih works for the Texas A&M newspaper, The Battalion, as a sportswriter, receiving a “Best of SNO” for one of her features during her first semester at the sports desk. Sabih also contributes to the Aggieland Yearbook and is a member of the journalism honor society, Lambda Pi Eta and Phi Theta Kappa. In the summer of 2024, Sabih interned with the Bryan College Station Chronicle, and will intern for The Brazos Valley Insite Magazine for the fall of 2024. Sabih went into the journalism field in honor of her late grandfather Baqa Uddin who was a well-known journalist in Karachi, Pakistan. After graduation, Sabih hopes to pursue a job in journalism, while simultaneously working on receiving a law degree.
ELLEN AND MARK MORRISON Scholar
Leila Saidane is a documentarian and reporter in their fourth year at The University of Texas at Austin studying Radio-Television-Film. Saidane was the photo editor of The Daily Texan in the fall of 2023 and the Texas Tribune photography fellow in the spring of 2023. After winning a Canon mentorship with the UT journalism school in 2023, Saidane produced a photo essay and video documentary following pro-Palestine student activism on campus from October to April, including the historic campus protests in which state troopers were deployed. Since 2021, Saidane’s photos and articles have been published in The Dallas Morning News, the Texas Tribune, the Austin Chronicle, the Austin–American Statesman, The Daily Texan, Community Impact and Texas Connect.
Jack keever scholar
Aaron Sullivan is a rising senior studying Journalism and Theatre & Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. Sullivan will serve as The Daily Texan's managing editor for the summer of 2025, after working for the publication for eight semesters in the news, copy and photo departments. Outside the Texan, Sullivan has written for newspapers across Central Texas, including the Austin American-Statesman, where he covers the City Council of his hometown, Bastrop. Beyond journalism, Sullivan is working on his Theatre & Dance BA Honors Thesis, writing an interview-based play about the 2011 Bastrop County Complex Fire, the most destructive wildfire in Texas history.
JOE RODDY, JR. SCHOLAR
Talisa Treviño is a senior journalism major minoring in government at The University of Texas at Austin. Treviño is currently producing The Drag Audio Production House's season five of their true crime series, Darkness. This past spring, Treviño had the opportunity to work at ABC News in the Investigative Unit in New York, where she helped produce work featured on multiple platforms, including Good Morning America, ABC News Live, and Nightline. Treviño's passion for storytelling is rooted in exploring public issues that affect communities of color and bringing hidden issues to light. Her featured written work is published on ABC News and KUT 90.5. Upon graduating in May 2025, Treviño plans to pursue a career in Investigative Journalism.
FOUNDER’S Scholar
Olivia Turner is a sophomore at Baylor University where she is pursuing a bachelor’s in journalism with sociology as her secondary major. Turner is currently the opinion editor for The Baylor Lariat, and previously worked as an Arts & Life writer. As the opinion editor, Turner has been privileged to work with a variety of writers to help share their stories and ideas via her university's publication, and in turn, has gotten to see bits and pieces of the world through their perspectives. Additionally, Turner has had the honor of exploring the Baylor arts scene, and even branching out into the Waco community to learn from students and locals about their talents and showcase them through her Arts & Life writing for the Lariat. Following graduation, Turner anticipates working as a writer for a big-city paper, wherever the wind will take her.
FOUNDER’S SCHOLAR
Christine Vo is a journalism senior at the University of Texas at Arlington with a minor in photography and communication technology. Vo currently serves as the editor-in-chief of The Shorthorn, where she previously worked as the managing editor and multimedia editor. Vo is passionate about visual storytelling and was recently named the 2024 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association’s Photojournalist of the Year. After graduating, Vo hopes to continue capturing the community’s stories and to provide a voice for moments of frustration, celebration, grief, fear, joy and life in its purest form.