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West Virginia University Reed College of Media

Dean Reed participates in national conference for future journalists

Dean Maryanne ReedHigh school students with a passion for journalism came from every corner of the U.S. to Washington, D.C., last week to learn from some of the best journalists and journalism educators in the country, including SOJ Dean Maryanne Reed.

The Al Neuharth Free Spirit Scholarship and Journalism Conference was held July 9-14 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Dean Reed participated in the panel, “Preparing for College and a Journalism career.”

Additional panelists included: Mary Kay Blake, the senior vice president of development for the Newseum; Will Norton Jr., dean of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi; Orage Quarles III, president and publisher of The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C.; and Trina Williams, producer for NPR Newscast.

The Free Spirit program began in 1999 and is funded by the Freedom Forum to honor Neuharth, the founder of the Freedom Forum, Newseum and USA TODAY. Fifty-one outstanding high school students, representing each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., are accepted to attend the annual conference each year. Participants receive an all-expense paid trip to the conference and a $1,000 scholarship for the college or university of their choice.