Cincinnati Scholar

He is a junior studying journalism with a minor in political science. He has been active at his college newspaper covering arts and features and served as city editor and arts and entertainment editor. He also is a member of the IU Honors Division, SPJ and the yearbook staff.

French plans a career as a writer for a medium to large metro newspaper.

In his essay he wrote: "My experiences at IU have taught me the hardest part of producing a newspaper is understanding the idea behind its creation: capture life as it is today. It's an incredible task filled with constant reminders of the difficulties in defining our own existence.

"Reporters are continuously waging a war against time with limited resources. We are confronted with an obligation to a faceless reader who may or may not understand the words placed before them.

"Yet it is this obligation and its important questions that drove me to my life decision. I'm not fazed by deadline pressures, busy reporters or constant planning. Though newspaper journalism is a task of endless difficulty, it is the only one that has inspired me to work without the notion of pain."

The Winners
Results of the 1996 Awards for Excellence in Journalism

Gerald White Memorial Prize

For our list of all the winners, click here.

Know a great anecdote about a former news staffer's latest career change?

Is a former editor writing a book? Selling insurance?

We'll chronicle those tidbits starting this month in "Where are they now?", a feature that answers the ever-popular question, "Whatever happened to so-and-so?"

Send ideas (or other newsletter items) to Gayle Brown, 11 Hunters Hill, Alexandria, Ky., 41001; fax to 635-6171.

Or send your information to Marc Emral, The Community Press, 394 Wards Corner Road, Suite 170, Loveland, Ohio, 45140; fax: 248-1938; e-mail: emdome@aol.com; or call 248-8600, ext. 238.