2026-2027 Recipients
Please join the Headliners Foundation's Board of Governors in congratulating the 2023-24 scholarship recipients.
Verne Lundquist Scholar
Macy Bayer is an undergraduate student at Texas Christian University, where she is pursuing dual degrees in journalism and marketing with a minor in political science through the John V. Roach Honors College. During her first two years, Bayer contributed to TCU’s student-run media outlet TCU 360 as a reporter, anchor, and news writer, while helping produce the weekly live newscast, TCU News Now, the sports show Unscripted, and the pop culture segment The Leap. Bayer also designed pages for the student newspaper, The Skiff, and DJs weekly for the college radio station, KTCU. In addition to her roles in student media, Bayer represents the university as a TCU Ambassador and member of the TCU Social Media Team. Through these roles, she creates content spotlighting student life, alumni, and academic opportunities. As the Campus Affairs Chair for the Student Government Association, she worked on initiatives enhancing safety and security, student wellness, and everyday life, and will serve as Student Body Treasurer for the 2026-2027 academic year. Bayer interned at KTEN News in Denison, Texas during the summer of 2025 and helped produce NBC 5’s Inside High School Sports in the fall of 2025. She will return to NBC 5 as a 2026 summer intern and plans to pursue a career as an investigative reporter and news correspondent following graduation in May 2028.
stuart long Scholar
Riddhi Bora is a rising senior at The University of Texas at Austin majoring in journalism. Currently, Bora is an audience engagement fellow at The Texas Tribune, where she focuses on explaining Texas politics in easily digestible ways through guides, newsletters and social media. Previously, she was a news intern with NPR’s Texas Standard, where she produced audio stories and wrote articles relating to all things Texas. Bora served as a Life and Arts reporter and editor for The Daily Texan. As a reporter she focused on feature writing and as an editor she led and managed the Life & Arts department. She also interned at Tribeza Magazine and was a freelance reporter for Shift Press News. In the summer, she will be an ABC News intern. In the future, Bora hopes to work in digital journalism as a reporter or in an audience engagement role.
founders Scholar
Isabella Castillo is a senior at Texas Woman's University, majoring in English with minors in Public & Professional writing and Business Leadership. She is currently a reporter and the copy editor for The Lasso, TWU’s student newspaper. During her time in college, Castillo has gained experience across several areas of communications through a variety of different internships. However, nothing has captured her heart more than journalism. Castillo enjoys covering local community news, feature stories, and editorials. Passionate about storytelling and amplifying diverse voices, Castillo brings strong writing, research, and editorial skills to every assignment. After graduating in spring 2027, she is excited to pursue a career in journalism where she can continue creating impactful and engaging content.
founders Scholar
Stone Chapman is a sophomore journalism major at Texas A&M University who is minoring in communication with focus areas in broadcast journalism and marketing. Chapman’s skills includes leadership, delegation, problem-solving, public speaking, adaptability and an ability to write using traditional Associated Press style. Chapman is a staff member of the student radio station at Texas A&M and is the current producer for the station’s radio news show. He is also a current news writer for Global Engagement at A&M.
Chapman’s early experience includes serving as yearbook and newspaper editor in chief for four years in high school, as well as participating in journalism UIL. His honors and awards include all State Journalism Staff for the academic years 2023 and 2024; various ‘superiors’ and ‘excellents’ from the Texas Association of Journalism Educators for his feature stories and yearbook spreads; Journalism UIL District 1st place in the news writing category. He hopes to continue his journalism career by interning for a major broadcast news station and eventually becoming a full-time field reporter. Chapman’s final career goal is to become a news anchor.
headliners foundation broadcast Scholar
Nolan Clay is a rising junior at The University of Texas at Austin pursuing a bachelor's degree in journalism, with minors in sports production and broadcast, and the analytics and business of sports. During his first two years on campus, Clay has worked as a sports reporter for Texas Student Television, appearing frequently on all three sports shows and covering live Texas Athletics events, including football, basketball, and baseball games. He also served as a beat writer for The Daily Texan's sports department, covering the men's golf team, soccer team, and beach volleyball team during his tenure. This summer, Clay will serve as an intern at KXAN, Austin's NBC affiliate, with a focus on sports. He hopes to continue to explore the world of broadcast journalism during his final two years at Texas.
Sam Wood Scholar
Jeffrey Cohen is a senior at Baylor University majoring in broadcast journalism with a minor in business administration. This past year, Cohen served as play-by-play director for the Baylor Lariat, managing a group of multiple sports broadcasters and helping prepare them to cover Baylor athletics. He also worked as a sportswriter for a year and a half as well as a radio sports broadcaster for more than three years for the Lariat. Cohen spent summer 2025 working for the Brazos Valley Bombers as a broadcast intern and summer 2026 as a communications intern for Carolina Core FC. Cohen also worked as a play-by-play announcer for Baylor flagship radio to call multiple Baylor softball games, including the Bears 2026 trip to the NCAA tournament. Cohen will serve as the sports editor for the Lariat in Fall 2026. He plans to pursue a career in radio or television play-by-play after his December 2026 graduation.
sarah and ernest butler scholar
Emily DeMotte is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin studying journalism with minors in law, justice and society, and statistics and data science. DeMotte is currently spending her summer as a reporting intern with KERA News in Dallas, and previously completed internships with the Austin Chronicle and Texas Connect. She also serves as a data fellow with UT’s Media Innovation Group and a writing coach for the Moody Writing Support Program. Previously, she spent five semesters as a reporter and editor for The Daily Texan and two years as a producer with The Drag Audio Production House. After graduating in the spring, she hopes to work as a news reporter at a newspaper, public radio station or magazine and pursue a career in investigative journalism.
founders SCHOLAR
Arabella DiChristina is a junior at Texas State University, majoring in Journalism with a focus in pre-law and minoring in Criminal Justice. Currently, DiChristina serves as news editor of the campus newspaper, The University Star, after previously working as assistant news editor and news reporter. These roles allowed her to win an award from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. Her reporting experience spans a wide range of topics, including crime, faculty senate, legislation, breaking news, and the environment. Looking ahead, DiChristina hopes to expand her storytelling skills and give more people a chance to have their voices heard. After graduating in 2028, she aspires to work for a print newspaper while attending law school, with the goal of becoming a First Amendment lawyer for journalists.
george christian Scholar
Justin Doud is an incoming senior at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing dual degrees in journalism and government. He currently serves as The Daily Texan's Managing Editor for Summer 2026, and has been with the paper since the first semester of his freshman year. Outside of the Texan, Doud is a freelance journalist covering politics and the environment, and has interned with Houston Public Media, the Texas Standard and the Austin-American Statesman through Report For America. Originally from Houston, Doud is a devout Astros fan, and loves exploring state and federal public lands in his spare time.
founders Scholar
Victoria Baeza García is an international student from Chihuahua, Mexico, and a senior majoring in journalism and creative computing at Southern Methodist University. She is a motivated student committed to becoming a business journalist, writing in both English and Spanish. Victoria enjoys volunteering at non-profits and playing musical instruments in her free time. She also has a passion for technology, product innovation, design thinking, and UX/UI design.
García dedicated a year to SMU’s newspaper, The Daily Campus, as a reporter and later as a newsletter editor. She also produces two television shows for SMU-TV: On Your Feed, an entertainment show, and Al Punto, a Spanish-language program covering the most relevant news on campus. She interned at the Dallas Morning News, where she worked on the business desk during the Spring 2026 semester. García also completed the Bloomberg Journalism Program US '26 and The Fund for American Studies academic internship program this summer.
George A. McElroy Scholar
Hailey Gorzell is a second-year journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin. Gorzell served as a general Life & Arts reporter for two semesters at The Daily Texan, producing student life and feature stories. In her first semester at the Texan, Gorzell wrote an article about Texas superfan "Big Red" that garnered 5.9k page views on the paper’s website and 635k+ views and 4.7k likes on Facebook. In addition to lifestyle reporting, Gorzell has experience reporting on public issues and sports and writing opinion pieces. Gorzell cares deeply about injustice in the world and elevating the voices of the marginalized and oppressed. She also served as a legislative intern in the Texas Capitol, conducting policy research and serving constituents. After graduating, Gorzell aspires to work as a political journalist in Washington D.C. and continue making an impact through her reports and investigations.
FOUNDERS SCHOLAR
Ellis Jarvis is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in journalism with a minor in government. Originally from Dallas, Jarvis has been interested in visual journalism since taking her first journalism class in middle school. During her college career, she has photographed the Austin music scene and documented student life. Jarvis currently serves as a photographer for The Daily Texan and Afterglow ATX, where she works to expand her subject range. Her documentary interests include live music, politics and women's rights. She is also a member of UT's Alpha Chi Omega chapter, serving as their Recruitment Video Chair. After graduation, Jarvis hopes to build a career in photojournalism, starting in an Austin newsroom, using her photography to inform and unite her community.
stuart long Scholar
Emma Knight is a sophomore at Texas State University studying Communications with a minor in Journalism. Journalism is Knight’s one true passion, and she has been mastering AP style since high school, where she was a 2-year editor of the yearbook and a 3-year staffer for the newspaper. Knight is currently a reporter for the University Star at Texas State. Her first-ever story for them was above the fold and was a finalist for SPJ. She has also been learning photography since the age of six and takes pictures during her downtime. Knight hopes to become a journalist someday so that she can share people’s stories and make the world a better place.
jack keever SCHOLAR
Brian Murray is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin studying journalism and philosophy. He is set to serve as the managing editor of The Daily Texan in fall 2026. Murray previously worked on the Texan’s copy desk and served as a Life & Arts and investigative reporter. In addition, Murray has worked at KXAN, Austin’s NBC affiliate, as a summer news intern. After graduating, he hopes to attend law school to pursue a career in media law.
sarah and ernest butler scholar
Arianna Nevarez is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Over the summer, Nevarez wrote for the Chautauquan Daily in New York, covering their lecture series. She participated in the Bloomberg Journalism Program in New York City to learn about business journalism. In her sophomore year, Nevarez was a senior news reporter for The Daily Texan, covering Student Government and synthesizing complex ideas to the broader UT community. In her freshman year, Nevarez worked as an events fellow with The Texas Tribune, where she helped manage and build a strong community within the events. Ultimately, Nevarez is passionate about journalism and hopes to make a difference throughout her college years and beyond.
bess whitehead scott scribes scholar
Deb Pastner is a doctoral student in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas at Austin. Before coming to Texas, Pastner worked for more than thirty years as a photojournalist, photo editor, and newsroom manager, including 24 years at The Minnesota Star Tribune, the state's largest media company. During her tenure as Director of Photography and Assistant Managing Editor/Photography, The Minnesota Star Tribune's photo and video department earned recognition in numerous competitions, including the Pulitzer Prizes, the World Press Awards, and Pictures of the Year. She helped guide the department through coverage of the George Floyd uprisings, the pandemic, a Super Bowl, the Republican National Convention, and more Minnesota State Fairs than she can count.
Pastner was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University during the 2021-2022 academic year and graduated with a master’s degree from the Missouri School of Journalism in 2024.
Pastner’s research focuses on documenting and explaining the evolving status of photojournalism in the American news media landscape. After completing her doctorate at UT, Pastner plans to pursue a teaching career.
founders Scholar
Lauren S. Pruett is a senior at the University of North Texas, majoring in journalism with a concentration in digital and print journalism, and minoring in social sciences with a history concentration. At UNT, Pruett has written for the award-winning student publication, North Texas Daily, covering topics ranging from the fire service to food insecurity to intimate partner violence. During the spring 2026 semester, Pruett wrote, reported, and produced “Survivors of North Texas,” a documentary podcast that centered around the voice of an IPV survivor. In addition, three of Pruett’s photos were selected for the 2026 Thinline Festival in Denton. Pruett was one of nine students selected for the highly competitive Indigenous Communities Reporting class. In this class, she traveled to the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma, where she produced a mini-documentary, photos, and a written story.
This summer, Pruett will intern as a fellow in the Carnegie-Knight News21 Program based in Phoenix, Arizona, where she will report on housing. Pruett plans to graduate in December 2026, and hopes to cover gender, religion, politics, and health, with a focus on underreported and underrepresented communities.
founders Scholar
Cassandra Raucheisen is a senior at Texas Tech University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in public relations. During her time at Texas Tech, Raucheisen served as the secretary of campus chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and was one of the officers who re-established the organization. She also completed her own research titled "Do Certain Forums Affect Students’ Trust In News Situations?" Raucheisen also interned as a reporter at the Fairfax Times where she focused on profile stories. She plans to graduate in May of 2027 and is passionate about seeing where her experiences take her.
founders scholar
Callen Romell is a sophomore journalism major at the University of Texas at Austin with minors in sports media and analytics and business of sports. During her freshman year, Romell was involved with Texas Student Television (TSTV) Sports. She plans to pursue a career in sports journalism following her graduation in May 2029.
ellen and mark morrison SCHOLAR
Athena Tseng is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a journalism degree and minoring in statistics and data science and design strategies. In 2025, Tseng served as the director of digital strategy for The Daily Texan, UT’s award-winning student newspaper, where she oversaw the organization’s digital operations and expanded audience reach and streamlined content workflows. Tseng was also the Texas Country Reporter Engagement Fellow with Texas Monthly, managing a legacy community of over half a million people. Additionally, she has interned at Kubota and The Dallas Morning News. Tseng will be joining IBM this summer as a copywriting intern. In the fall, she will be a Media Innovation Group Data Fellow at UT Austin. After graduating in 2027, Tseng hopes to continue working at the intersection of storytelling, strategy and digital media.
darrell k. royal scholar
Josiah Wonnell is an undergraduate student at Abilene Christian University, where he is pursuing dual degrees in Journalism and Sports Media. A product of Olathe, Kansas, Josiah was drawn to the multitude of opportunities in the JMC program at Abilene Christian University by the remarkable faculty, vast alumni network, hands-on professional experience, and the opportunity to place academia into action. Josiah has a passion for storytelling, civil discourse, and intentional conversation. In his first year, Josiah worked as a reporter and on-air host for Abilene’s NPR affiliate: KACU, producing features and hosting Morning Edition from NPR. In addition, he worked as a production assistant and on-air talent for ACUTV and ESPN+, producing dozens of broadcasts throughout the school year. Outside of Abilene, Josiah served as a production assistant in Fall of 2025 for FOX Sports broadcasts of Dallas Cowboys football. He will spend the summer of 2026 in Los Angeles serving in a role for FOX Sports as a FIFA World Cup Production Assistant. Josiah is set to graduate from ACU in December of 2028 and enter the workforce pursuing a career in sports play-by-play broadcasting.