$10,000 Scholarship and the Hybrid Journalism Paid Fellowship of a Lifetime
One year ago, Leyha Williams of Galveston Island, Texas, was a first-generation student at Howard University studying Public Relations with a passion for storytelling.
Christopher Petty, a senior at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, studied public relations all the while launching HBCU on Demand, a social media platform he was motivated to create because of the number of young people he saw in his hometown who were not attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Williams and Petty were part of the 2022 class of aspiring and inspiring content creators, journalists, and communications experts who thrust themselves at the forefront of change as participants in the Chevrolet – National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) expanded Discover The Unexpected (DTU) Fellowship internship program.
Now in its seventh year, the program will select a new class of Fellows from the nation’s HBCUs and award internships with six of the nation’s leading Black-owned media companies to experience different roles and learn how to be change agents in their communities for ten weeks. These will include roles in broadcasting, film, social media, content creation and both digital and traditional journalism.
Selected Fellows will be able to create digital content and write articles about the benefits of electric vehicles for various social media outlets while being mentored at a Black-owned media company.
Each fellow will receive a $10,000 scholarship and an $8,000 stipend.
They’ll also enjoy “a journalism fellowship of a lifetime.”
The participating publishers, all members of the NNPA — the trade association for the nation’s Black Press — include:
- The Atlanta Voice
- Philadelphia Tribune
- The Washington Informer
- Dallas Examiner
- Tennessee Tribune
- Houston Forward Times
General Motors’ Chevrolet will provide a separate group of students with an opportunity to support their business. Fellows will be fully integrated into the Chevrolet organization and help build the brand and plan how to go to market.
Chevrolet officials say DTU is “a cornerstone of Chevrolet’s ongoing commitment to promote diverse voices and perspectives,” noting that they are happy to be continuing the partnership with the NNPA.
“The NNPA is very enthusiastic about the Chevrolet-NNPA 2023 Discover The Unexpected Scholarship Program for HBCU undergraduate students,” said NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. “This is another excellent opportunity for communications and journalism majors and scholars of all disciplines.” Chavis emphasized that applications are being received now.
To apply, candidates must be between 18 and 22 – except in Alabama, where the minimum age is 19. Applicants must complete the application process by 11:59 PM PST on Friday, April 7, 2023, by completing a simple form and uploading information to the fellowship website at https://www.nnpa.org/chevydtu/online-application .
Officials will contact the selected 2023 Discover the Unexpected Fellows via email.
They must respond that they accept the fellowship within seven days, or an alternate Fellow will be selected.
“We salute General Motors, and in particular Chevrolet, for continuing to offer these transformative scholarships,” Chavis added. “DTU Fellowships are the most rewarding and academically enriching experiences for Generation Z journalists and the Black Press of America.”
Learn more about the Discover the Unexpected Fellowship: https://www.nnpa.org/chevydtu/.
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Selected Fellows will be able to create digital content and write articles about the benefits of electric vehicles for various social media outlets while being mentored at a Black-owned media company.