Two Journalism Students Receive State-Wide Competitive Scholarships
Juniors Jordan Bondurant and Rachel Satterwhite are the fifth and sixth Agnes Cooke Scholarship recipients in 18 years, demonstrating the high caliber journalism program at the College.
By Megan Z. Shearin | August 25, 2010
For the first time ever, two Virginia Wesleyan College students are recipients of the state-wide Agnes Cooke Scholarship Award from The Virginia Press Women (VPW). This is the second year in a row Virginia Wesleyan has been recognized in this competition.
Jordan Bondurant ’12 from Chester, Va., and Rachel Satterwhite ’12 from Gainesville, Va., will each receive a $550 stipend. This annual scholarship is given to Virginia residents who are interested in planning a career in journalism, photo journalism, public relations or another related communications field.
According to Professor of Journalism and Communications Dr. Bill Ruehlmann, Bondurant and Satterwhite are Virginia Wesleyan’s fifth and sixth Agnes Cooke Scholarship recipients in 18 years, which demonstrates the consistent, high caliber journalism program at Virginia Wesleyan.
“Graduate students also compete for this distinction from all the large state institutions – and Jordan and Rachel won on the merits of their submitted work,” said Ruehlmann. “I am extremely proud of Jordan and Rachel, and they are extraordinarily talented and hard-working young journalists with bright futures.”“I chose Virginia Wesleyan because I was looking for a smaller campus in which I would be able to have more of a personal relationship with my professors and not just be a number.” – Jordan Bondurant
Both Bondurant and Satterwhite have been involved with the award-winning Marlin Chronicle student newspaper and the Society for Collegiate Journalists while attending Virginia Wesleyan. Each are distinguished academically, with Satterwhite touting a 3.8 GPA and Bondurant a 3.2. Participation in internships has also been a critical component to their academic experience, giving them real world experience outside the classroom.
This summer, Bondurant interned with the Richmond International Raceway Public Relations Department where he wrote news releases, attended sponsor events and had his writing published in the corporate race program. This fall, he will be a production intern with 102.1 The Game, a sports radio station in the Hampton Roads area.
Satterwhite conducted her internship this summer in Tampa, Fla., with the Tampa Bay Technology Forum. There, she assisted with event planning, wrote articles for the company’s newsletter, edited copy for their website and mailers, and used her graphic design skills to create event posters.
“I got the call that I had received the Anges Cooke Scholarship while I was at my internship in Florida,” said Satterwhite. “I was a little bit in shock, but it was pleasant moment. Every little bit helps when paying for tuition and books.”“My future is wide open, which is very exciting for me. I have so many possibilities and I can’t wait to see where the beginning of my career will take me once I graduate from Virginia Wesleyan.” – Rachel Satterwhite
Bondurant, who is a member of the Wesleyan Singers and the College Choir, also uses his voice as an announcer at sporting events. He hopes to combine his love of communications and sports, and use his voice to work as an ESPN play-by-play broadcaster.
“No matter where I end up, I definitely want to travel and see the rest of the country, and even the world, working and doing what I love.”
According to Scholarship Chairman Mary Marin, the VPW was able to award three scholarships this year thanks to successful fundraising. “We had some extremely qualified candidates and it was tough deciding who should receive the scholarship,” she noted.
The Agnes Cooke scholarship is named in honor of the late Agnes Cooke of Kinsale, who was a charter member of Virginia Press Women and served as president from 1964 to 1966.