Full-time students – sophomores, juniors and seniors – majoring in journalism, English, communications and related fields are invited to compete in the Women’s Press Club annual scholarship contest on Friday, March 21 at 9 a.m. at Point Park University. This year the students will interview JulieHera DeStefano, producer and director of “Journey to Normal,” a documentary about women returning from military service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Students will have one hour to interview Ms. DeStefano and two hours to write a feature story based on the interview. The club has up to $2,000 to award to the winners this year, with checks written directly to students to defray their tuition and other costs.
The entries will be judged by Pittsburgh journalists, and the winners will be announced prior to the club’s anniversary dinner on Saturday, April 12 at the Rivers Club, Pittsburgh. The students must be Western Pennsylvania residents or attend Western Pennsylvania colleges and universities. The contest is not limited to female students.
Jill Daly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette health and science editor, is taking student registrations for the contest, and she can be reached at 412-263-1596 or jdaly@post-gazette.com. We encourage reservations by Wednesday, March 19 to plan accordingly.
About documentary producer and director JulieHera DeStefano
JulieHera DeStefano is producer and director of “Journey to Normal: Women of War Come Home,” a feature-length documentary about women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. She launched this project in 2009 to explore the psychological and social dynamics of their service, to follow their re-integration into civilian life and to preserve their stories. It is due for theatrical release nationwide in 2014.
JulieHera, a native of Richland, is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama and has built a career both in front of and behind the camera. She served as the managing director and producer of an award-winning off-Broadway theater company and as the business manager of a New York-based film and photography studio. Earlier in her career she performed extensively in Pittsburgh, working with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Playhouse and Gargaro Productions. JulieHera is profiled in the book “Legendary Locals of Pittsburgh.”
“Journey to Normal” website: http://www.journeytonormal.org/