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Priya Jandu dreams of being a political reporter in Washington one day, so she’s excited about covering the Arizona Legislature in the spring as the school’s 2020 Don Bolles Fellowship winner.
Jandu, a reporter on the investigation desk of the Arizona Daily Wildcat, will report from Phoenix for the school’s Arizona Sonora News media service. The senior, who is double-majoring in journalism and political science, will work with Professor Susan Knight on story ideas and editing.
“I want to get a better understanding of how enacted legislation affects various populations throughout the state,” Jandu said. “Additionally, I know how the state Legislature theoretically functions, but it’ll be interesting to see how efficient it is in practice.”
Jandu also covered government for the Wildcat, including an Associated Students of the University of Arizona cultural forum during election season. “It was really interesting to see students actually show up, participate in the forum and hold their future executive officers accountable,” she said.
She also has worked on a podcast about the herbal supplement kratom, which has been tied to overdose deaths in the U.S.
“Priya is a great fit for the Bolles Fellowship,” said Carol Schwalbe, director of the School of Journalism. “I look forward to reading her work in the spring.”
Jandu graduated from Chandler High School and is glad she chose journalism as her major.
“I realized current events always held my interest, and I thought it would be interesting to find out how news is made,” Jandu said. “I stuck with it — and now journalism is the only thing I can really see myself doing long-term.”
The fellowship is named after Don Bolles, an investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic who was killed in a car bombing in 1976. The award has been handed out by the UA School of Journalism since 1977.
“Don Bolles was a man who cared deeply about getting to the very bottom of the issues he covered, from land deals to bribery,” said Eric Kolsrud, the school's 2018 Bolles Fellow. “His dying words served to convict the man who killed him and opened up investigations that changed law in Arizona. He's an inspiration.”
The fellowship is funded through an annual donation by the Armin and Esther Hirsch Foundation. Joni Hirsch Blackman, a 1982 UA journalism graduate, is an author in Chicago.
• Click HERE to listen to the Arizona Republic's new podcast, "Rediscovering: Don Bolles, murdered Arizona journalist.” The series includes cassette tapes of Bolles’ interviews.
• Past Bolles Fellowship winners |
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Swicegood funds exploration grant
With a generous gift from donor Jane Swicegood, the School of Journalism has started the Jane Swicegood Student Exploration Grant.
Students can apply until Dec. 20 for the annual $1,000 grant to produce investigative reports, longform narratives, podcasts, photo projects, documentaries or other work to broaden their professional portfolios.
The funding can be applied to equipment, travel and research.
"Jane wants her gift to make a difference for students," said Carol Schwalbe, school director.
Swicegood (left, with Jacqueline Sharkey, former director) earned an agriculture degree in 1991 from the University of Arizona, where she also took journalism classes.
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Ramirez meets award recipient
Alana Minkler (left), who received the Sandra Ann Kelly Ramirez Memorial Scholarship, met last month with 1980 grad Sam Ramirez (right) and family members.
Ramirez started the scholarship to honor his late wife, Sandra, and benefit Native American students preparing for a career in news media.
Minkler, who is Navajo, is investigative editor at the Arizona Daily Wildcat.
Ramirez is wire editor for the Southern California News Group in Monrovia, Calif. He visited the J-school with his brother Billy and Suzanne Fender, Sandra's sister.
Sandra, who died in 2016, was an Army Reserve lieutenant who graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in government.
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Students run, walk
in honor of Foley
Sixteen students, faculty and staff participated in the James W. Foley Freedom Run last month.
The 5K run and walk, held annually across the nation, honors Foley, a freelance journalist killed by ISIS in 2014.
Profs. William Schmidt and Celeste González de Bustamante of the Center for Border & Global Journalism and Prof. Susan Knight, adviser of the Society of Professional Journalists, organized the event along with students Pascal Albright and Mandy Loader.
The school contributed $550 in donations and registration fees to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation.
• Video: Prof. Schmidt remembers Foley.
• Photos
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