Omaha Press Club scholarships

Omaha Press Club logo

The Omaha Press Club Foundation will award $12,250 in scholarships and awards to seven students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The awards, to be presented at an April 13 dinner at the club, will go to one advertising major, three journalism majors and three broadcasting majors. Five of the students were selected by faculty members at UNL, while two special award winners were nominated by UNL faculty and chosen independently.

The foundation will also give scholarships to 11 other students from Creighton University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. An Omaha public relations pioneer, the late Dottie Sater, will be honored that night with the foundation's Career Achievement Award. And Father Don Doll, a photographer who teaches at Creighton University, will be given the foundation's Journalism Educator Award.

Christopher Peters

Christopher Peters, a junior at UNL who is majoring in journalism and minoring in economics, history and English, will split the $2,500 Jim Denney Good News Scholarship with another award-winner.  Son of Mark Peters and Jenney Flink of Omaha, Peters is a staff writer for HuskerCorner.com and reporter for the Daily Nebraskan.  Peters shares the prize with Madalyn Shea, a Creighton junior who is serving as an editorial intern in the custom publishing department of the Omaha World-Herald. The scholarship, presented in memory of longtime Omaha World-Herald reporter Jim Denney, is given to students who show an aptitude for feature writing.

Anna Ripa

UNL Senior Anna Ripa, a broadcasting major who is minoring in communication studies and political science, won the $1,500 Mark Gautier Award. Daughter of Dan and Gina Ripa of Omaha, she interned at KETV in Omaha, as well as in the corporate communications department of Union Pacific Corp. and with the Omaha Nighthawks. The Gautier Award goes to a broadcast student who interned at an Omaha station.

Amelia Breinig

The UNL faculty selected Amelia Breinig, a junior broadcasting major and film studies minor, for the $1,500 Panko-Roberts/President's Memorial Scholarship. Daughter of Scott and Pam Breinig of Arapahoe, Neb., she is a contributing writer for the Odyssey, UNL's Greek newspaper and a member of the Kappa Delta sorority executive council.

Christine Scalora

Christine Scalora, a junior journalism major from Lincoln, was selected for a $2,500 John F. Davis Scholarship. Daughter of Mario and Theresa Scalora, she has been reporting for the Nebraska News Service and is a member of the UNL Honors Program. Scalora will intern this summer at The Daily Journal in Kankakee, Ill., as a Dow Jones News Fund copy editor.


Michael Sholes

Michael Sholes, a junior majoring in broadcast and minoring in history, was chosen for a $1,500 Stan Bond Scholarship. Son of Carolyn Johnson of Ainsworth, Sholes has done play-by-play announcing for the Big Ten Digital Network, served on the sports staff of KRNU 90.3 FM and interned at KZKX 96.9 FM in Lincoln. He is a member of the UNL Honors Program and a UNL Regent's Scholar.

Frances Sprouls

Frances Sprouls, a sophomore who double-majors in journalism and German, will be awarded the $1,500 Paul N. Williams Scholarship.  Sprouls is a daughter of Tim and Beth Sprouls of Cottage Grove, Minn. A beat reporter for the Daily Nebraskan, she took part in an Investigative Reporters and Editors' campus coverage project this year.

Landon Stahmer

Landon Stahmer, a junior majoring in advertising and public relations and broadcasting production, was chosen for a $2,500 John F. Davis Scholarship. Son of Randy and Gwen Stahmer of Omaha, he has won two gold and two silver Addy awards.

 The award-winning students will gather in the press club at 5 p.m. on April 13, then attend a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The club is located atop the First National Bank tower at 1620 Dodge St. in Omaha.