Medill Students Honored at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Three graduate students received $5,000 scholarships from the White House Correspondents’ Association

Three Medill students received scholarships from the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA). Two of those students were able to attend The White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C. on April 29.

Nia Prater and Maryam Saleh each received the Deborah Orin Scholarship, given to Medill students in honor of the late White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief for the New York Post. Orin was respected for her dedication, independence and insight. The scholarship awards $5,000 to students demonstrating a commitment to those same high standards. 

Prater reported on the 2017 inauguration, the Women's March and President Trump's address to a joint session of Congress. Saleh reported on Syrian conflicts, Chicago's Syrian refugee population and community perspectives on the 2016 political campaigns. At the dinner, Prater and Saleh had the opportunity to meet Hasan Minaj, senior correspondent for “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” and the night’s featured comedian.

Furthermore, Alex Ortiz received a $5,000 tuition grant from the WHCA toward a graduate degree at Medill in the Politics and National Security specialization. He is interested in social justice and investigative reporting and has experience in multiplatform journalism, photography and editing.