Allison E. Fisher Memorial Fund | Previous Recipients

2007 NABJ Allison E. Fisher Scholarship Recipient

Ava Michelle Tabb
Biography

Ava Michelle Tabb is a graduate student at Northwestern University. She studies journalism with a concentration in magazine publishing at the Medill School of Journalism.

Ava's goal is to start a publishing company. She aspires to launch a magazine, develop multimedia websites and sell children's books.

A native of Birmingham, Ala., Ava took interest in writing at an early age. She always liked reading and flipping through the pages of her father's copies of Black Enterprise magazines. In high school she began reading magazines and daily newspapers to learn about issues effecting people around the world.

Before starting Medill, Ava worked as a general assignments reporter for the Andalusia Star News in South Alabama. Initially, she was hired to write for the newspaper's lifestyles section but shortly after she began reporting for all section desks. She gained a wealth of experience at the newspaper through reporting, copyediting, page design, photography, researching, interviewing and typesetting. In addition, Ava designed and copy edited the entire Saturday lifestyles section and wrote monthly columns.

She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in journalism from The University of Alabama. Through numerous opportunities at the university's journalism department, she developed her God-given talent to write. She co-founded a minority targeted student magazine entitled College Dayz. Determined to learn more about journalism, Ava actively involved herself in the university's publications and organizations. By work with Dateline Alabama, the College of Communication's online news website, Ava held a number of leadership roles, including news editor, web producer and senior staff reporter.

She honed the ability to meet daily newspaper deadlines and teamwork while interning at the Birmingham Post Herald newspaper. She also tried her hands at freelancing for several local Birmingham and Tuscaloosa publications.

Ava also holds an associate degree in English from Lawson State Community College in Birmingham.

Aside from journalism, Ava has demonstrated her passion for women's issues and minority empowerment through her involvement in social and civic organizations. Her most rewarding experience has been volunteering as a rape advocate for Rape Response for the Greater Birmingham Crisis Center.

Ava has always involved herself in efforts of the National Association of Black Journalists. As an undergraduate student she served as president for the Capstone Association of Black Journalists, a NABJ student chapter. Ava is greatly appreciative to both NABJ and the Allison E. Fisher Memorial Scholarship Fund for making her the recipient for 2007. She considers herself blessed to have received this and other scholarships.

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Ihuoma Ezeh
Biography

Ihuoma Ezeh was born in Lagos, Nigeria on August 31, 1982 to Benedict and Patience Ezeh. She is a student of North Carolina Central University in Durham, where she holds a double major in journalism and Spanish.

Ihuoma's aspiration to become a journalist began when she started writing for her award winning campus newspaper "Campus Echo." Through the Campus Echo, she was able to acquire a summer internship with the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fl., May 2005, where she wrote more than 30 articles in a three-month span. As a student interested in cultural diversity, she traveled to Mexico for a study abroad program this past summer and speaks Spanish almost fluently. While preparing to graduate with honors this fall, she continues to write intriguing stories for the Campus Echo.

Ihuoma is grateful to God for his continuous strength and grace to go through life. She also owes many thanks to her biological and church families for their constant words of encouragement and support.

She plans to further her career in journalism and aspires to be a top bilingual-investigative reporter for a metro newspaper or Television.

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Danielle Nicole Wilson was born in Dayton, Ohio on May 3, 1984 to Glen and Rose Wilson. She is a product of the Trotwood-Madison City School District and a fourth-year student at Wright State University in Dayton, where she is a mass communication major.

Danielle's journalism career began when she joined the high school newspaper as a junior. Her work with RamPages jump-started her interest in the world of mass media. Danielle began an internship with the Dayton Daily News as a high school senior in April 2002. She has continued her internship for the past three years, where she has been blessed to write numerous articles for the paper and work closely with seasoned professionals. In fall 2004 and again this fall, Danielle is a volunteer writer for The Guardian, the student-run newspaper for WSU.

I began working in broadcast journalism when I was 16 years old. Since my first day working in a newsroom, I have never wanted to do anything else. My senior year of high school was spent shuttling between my classes and the local ABC newsroom, where I was able help prepare for the show either by working the assignment desk or going out with photographers to get interviews. That first taste of what "real" daily news was like got me hooked, and the following year I was off to journalism school at Mizzou to learn the skills I needed to be a good journalist.

At the University of Missouri, I was able to work for the university-owned NBC affiliate (KOMU-TV8), bumbling through my first attempts at live shots, anchoring, and the daily stress of newsrooms deadlines. Summers and some weekends were spent at internships, journalism workshops, or part-time work with the community radio station (and, of course, studying and spending time with friends). I spent one summer interning with the Fox News Channel in New York, where I got my first taste of network news. I worked with wonderful people in television and radio, and even had the opportunity to produce live shots during the NYC Blackout in 2003.

I've always had quite an interest in international news and politics, and this inspired me to major in political science as well as journalism while in school. I knew I wanted to ultimately pursue a career in international reporting, but I also knew it was a VERY long road from daily local news reporting in Columbia, Missouri to covering major international events. I needed to experience the international news environment before I could begin to know what track I should pursue to achieve my goals.

Thanks to the Allison Fisher Memorial Scholarship, in addition to other scholarships from the University of Missouri, I was able to spend the first semester of my senior year interning with CBS News in London. It was an amazing experience, and I was able to experience first-hand part of the international news operations of a major network. From my conversations with correspondents and producers to my daily trawls through the European newspapers, my journalistic experiences in London helped shaped my plan for the future.

After returning to the US, I spent the rest of my senior year working at KOMU and finishing up my courses. I graduated in May 2005 (on Friday the 13th, even), and packed up my life to move to Washington, DC. In DC, I worked as an intern with the Associated Press at their Broadcast News Center, learning how to create video news packages for the internet, and also learning how the AP worked as a company.

While interning with the AP in the summer of 2005, I found out I had been accepted to the American University in Cairo's Master's Program in International Relations. As an undergraduate, I had performed a research project with the McNair Scholars program, and I had applied to several graduate programs in the hope that the education provided by such a degree would help me tell international stories with better context. So off I went to Egypt.

Here in Cairo, I am studying very hard towards my degree, but I cannot take too much of a break from journalism. I'm working part time with the AP bureau here, as well as freelancing with a local business magazine.

Thanks to the Allison Fisher Memorial Scholarship, I was able to take my first steps towards a career in international journalism, and the contacts I made in London, as well as the consistent support I receive from the Fisher family, have helped me immeasurably along my path.

2003 NABJ Allison E. Fisher Scholarship Recipient

Durrell Dawson
Autobiographical Essay

I decided to become a journalist when I was an enterprising ten year old who wanted to start a newspaper in my home town of Rantoul, Illinois. I wanted to publish the information that I thought the people in my neighborhood needed to know about. My newspaper only lasted a week before I realized that it would take more than enthusiasm to succeed in journalism, but my appreciation for the media was aroused.

I hope to have a career in television production where I will have an influence in the news that people see in their homes. I believe the media can dispense information, spark discussion, and ultimately promote changes for the better. I want a career in journalism that points out the problems that are overlooked and shines a light on the people that make a difference in their communities.

Currently I am entering into my senior year at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where I am studying Communication with a minor in English. During my three years in Chicago I have been able to take advantage of the many opportunities that Chicago provides.

For the past two years, I’ve been a staff writer for my university’s independent newspaper. As a reporter, I have been able to cover many different people, issues, and events that have been important to my peers. My experiences as a reporter for the newspaper have taught me a great deal about ethics and the responsibility of a journalist.

In my professional career, I hope to apply my knowledge of the print medium into the world of television news by being a producer. In the spring of 2003, I was able to intern at ABC in Chicago where I worked with a prominent veteran, Harry Porterfield. His mentorship allowed me to witness and be involved with the hard work that went into the producing his weekly human-interest segments.

In addition to my print and television experience, I have been active in my school’s theatre department where I have stage managed, performed, and operated the sound board. I am a member of Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and Golden Key International Honor Society. I have consistently been on the Dean’s List since my freshman year and have recently been named the Polish National Alliance Hugh Hill scholar.

I plan to pursue a Master’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism upon my graduation this May. As a long-term goal, I would like to start my own production company, which would produce documentaries and educational programs.

Writing, editing, and reading have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. From writing a novel in 5th grade to being the editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper, I have constantly been around the art of writing and editing.

I aspire to become a journalist because the art of writing, editing, and communicating is exciting to me. I am an English major history minor at Spelman College. I really enjoy writing and editing and I want to enter into a profession where I can help other people, and inform them about what’s happening in the world around them. Whether it is proofreading a friend's research paper, or editing a piece about the American Music Awards, I want to be remembered for my service to my community and mankind.

I have always been active in school since my high school years. My leadership positions range from President to executive board member. In high school I was Bike Club President (9th grade), Student Government Treasurer (11th grade), Student Gov. Secretary (12th grade), Talented and Gifted—TAG (9th-12th), School newspaper, Hyphonerian (9th-12th), Young Leaders Institute (10th), Ohio Heartland Conference Leadership (11th-12th), High School Advisory Committee (11th-12th), and involved in a host of other extracurricular activities.

As a freshman in college, I was an Atlanta University Center (AUC) Ohio Club executive board member, Howard Harreld Hall House Council Treasurer, Spelman Spotlight (newspaper) Arts and Entertainment writer, and I was a Spelman Ambassador. I enjoy being active because I think it keeps me focused on my goals of becoming a journalist.

As a sophomore, I was the executive managing editor of the Spelman Spotlight in which three editors share the editor-in-chief position. I was the vice president of the AUC Ohio Club, a member of the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program, a lifetime member of Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. I was also a player and manager of the Spelman College Tennis Team.

My junior year of college, I served as the executive production editor of the Spelman Spotlight, the English Club treasurer, editor of the Honors Program newsletter, a member of Golden Key National Honor Society, and I serve as the Parliamentarian/ Historian of the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists Student Consortium, in addition to assisting with other activities.

Currently, I am involved in the Atlanta Press Club, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists Student Consortium, Vice President of the Ohio Club, Mortar Board Senior Honor Society member, Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society member, Phi Alpha Theta International History Honor Society among others. I definitely keep myself busy.

Some of the community service that I have been involved in has been tutoring children at Happy Time Day Care Center in Mansfield, Ohio. During the summer of 2001, I worked as a volunteer for the African American Heritage Festival on Ohio State University’s campus in Columbus, Ohio. It was a wonderful experience monitoring the safety of all of the fun seekers at the festival. I am currently a tutor at the Atlanta Children’s Shelter, a shelter for homeless children. I really enjoy working with children because they are the future, and I want to make a positive impression on their lives.

During the summer of 2001, I had the wonderful opportunity to intern with GLAMOUR magazine in New York City, New York. Some of my responsibilities included researching topics for other reporters, taking the place of the assistant book editor (while she was on vacation), writing book reviews, shadowing a production assistant, organizing files and other objects in fashion/assessories, conducting street surveys, and writing sidebars. I even had the honor of getting one of my sidebars published in the October 2000 issue entitled “Celebrity Chanters”.

This past summer (2002) I interned at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) as a copy editor. The experience at the AJC was amazing because it gave me a first hand look at a career that I am interested in. My internship turned into a part-time job when my supervisor asked me to come back as a Features copy editor/ designer in the fall. I am currently a part-time metro/national copy editor at the AJC.

I am a 21-year-old female born and raised in Mansfield, Ohio. I come from a very large family—ten family members in all. I have seven other siblings and I am number four with two older sisters, one older brother, and four younger sisters. My father, Clarence Rawls, a General Motors employee, has been there for over 23 years. My mother, Jacqueline Rawls, has been a homemaker since 1976, when she married my father. We are a very close family who has lived a humble life. As the designated homework helper, I’ve tutored my younger sisters and other students in English for many years.

I want a career in journalism because I believe that journalists are the link between "the story" and the mass population. History is written from what we report and people are influenced by our writings. Just knowing that I can make an impact on society by reporting a story or expressing my opinion is amazing to me. Also knowing that as a copy editor I am the "last line of defense" for the credibility of a paper gives me a greater sense of duty to succeed, not only for my family, or myself but also for the community I represent.

I am very excited to learn as much as possible about the field of journalism; a field I plan on making a career out of. I know that as a copy editor I will not have the glory of a byline or the rush of having a beat to cover on the streets, but I feel that editing is my contribution to making a story readable, concise, and interesting.

Payne, 21, has completed two journalism internships in addition to working on the newspaper staff of her school paper during her freshman and sophomore years in college. She interned with The Patriot-News, the Harrisburg, PA metropolitan daily newspaper during the summer of 2000, and continued to work part time for the paper until moving to Maryland to attend UMCP. Last summer, Payne interned with the Student Press Law Center covering access and campus crime issues while she participated in the Fund for American Studies’ Institute of Political Journalism summer internship program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Payne served as editor of The Fourth Estate, HACC’s student newspaper, during the 2000-2001 school year. She had also been an assistant editor and contributing writer. Payne, certified as a Peer English Tutor by the College Reading and Learning Association in 1999, also tutored English and reading in HACC’s Writing Laboratory, assisting her peers in the development of essays, as well as in reading and comprehending assignments.

Among the honors Payne has received include being selected as HACC’s student commencement speaker in 2001, being named to the College Board’s 2001-2002 Talent Roster of Outstanding Transfer Students from Community Colleges Program, receiving the National Dean’s List Multiple-Year Award, the 2001-2002 National Hook-up of Black Women Arnita Young-Boswell scholarship, the 2001-2002 National Association of Black Journalists Allison Fisher scholarship, the Multi-Cultural Meritorious Award from the HACC Foundation in 2000, and making HACC’s dean’s list consistently from 1999-2000. In addition, Payne was one of two students nominated by HACC to the All-USA Academic Team and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges.

Payne plans to pursue a career in print journalism and eventually become an attorney specializing in media law.