The Culpepper Journalism Foundation

The Culpepper Journalism Foundation promotes excellence in scholastic journalism for students in South Florida

Mission

The mission of the Culpepper Journalism Foundation is to provide educational and financial assistance via fellowships to high school students so they can attend summer institutes at universities and then return to their schools the next year to be mentors to their classmates.

The Culpepper Journalism Foundation

The Culpepper Journalism Foundation was created in the Spring of 1997, upon the retirement of Broward County Journalism teacher Alyce Culpepper. Instead of retirement gifts, she requested the formation of a foundation to benefit print and broadcast journalism students in South Florida. Julie Jones, a colleague at ITV, organized the gift. Alyce's friends, colleagues, and former students donated more than $3,000 to help establish the Culpepper Journalism Foundation.

The CJF will provide scholarships for Broward County high school students to attend university summer journalism programs at the end of their junior year so they can return to their schools and share what they have learned with their classmates. The goal of the CJF is to become self-perpetuating so the scholarships can grow in number and amount.

The Culpepper Journalism Foundation Celebrates 10th Anniversary

In June 2008, the Culpepper Journalism Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary. Over the last 10 years it has provided $19,000 in fellowships to 47 students who needed financial assistance to attend summer journalism programs at universities. The stipulation for the winners of the fellowships, is that the “fellows” must return to their high school staffs and teach their classmates what they learned during the summer.

After awarding the first fellowship to Julie Levanthal from South Plantation High in1998, the CJF has helped 47 sophomores and juniors from 13 different schools attend summer journalism programs at universities. When they return to their high schools they teach their peers what they learned.

During those years several CJF winners have been honored by the Miami Herald as Silver Knights, and Levanthal was the first. After graduating from the University of Florida where she was named the Outstanding Scholar in Telecommunications, she moved to Washington DC and worked at the Associated Press Broadcast News Center. She now is a Senior Event Coordinator at Leading Authorities, a speakers’ bureau. “Through all my endeavors, my journalism background has played a pivotal role, offering a platform of communication, writing and interpersonal skills that I hope will continue to grow in years to come,” she said from DC.

In 1999, Comcast began providing one fellowship specifically for a broadcast journalist, and has continued to do so ever since. Amanda Steffan (Northeast ‘03) and Austin Thaler (Hallandale ‘04) continued their TV work upon graduation.

Print journalists also continued to work. Justin Young (South Plantation 2000) was editor of the Syracuse University paper and Kristin Bjornsen and Lane Nieset (South Plantation ‘05) work on UF’s Alligator. At the University of Central Florida, Andy Jacobsohn (South Plantation ‘04) interned at ESPN. Laura Binder (Plantation ‘04) is completing a Northwestern internship in Europe.

The most recent fellowship winners continue the tradition of working with college professors during the summer. For 2007, two students became CJF fellows: Veronica Gimenez (Hollywood Hills) and Danielle Syrop (South Plantation). Gimenez, a print journalist, traveled to New York to a program at Columbia University. “In my class, I had to write an article that wasn’t a review, but a different angle on the Broadway play, Hairspray. So I interviewed my Mom about being a teenager in the ‘60s.” She won an award for the article.

Syrop won the Comcast fellowship that goes to a television productions student. She attended the Student Television Network program and earned college credit from Missouri State University. Her video entry won a STN national award.

The Broward Education Foundation, an arm of the School Board of Broward County, Florida, manages the funds so fellowships are available only to public school journalists. The Miami Herald and the Sun-Sentinel have provided financial and educational assistance in the CJF since its inception in 1997. Dr. Alyce Culpepper, the 1986 Dow Jones National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year, is the executive director of the CJF.