P.O. Box 5475
Springfield, MA 01102
The Valley Press Club, based in Springfield, Mass., is slated to award up to six $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors in Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut who are interested in pursuing a career in Journalism.
Scholarship applications may be sent by mail to The Valley Press Club at P.O. Box 5475, Springfield, MA 01102 or electronically to scholarship@valleypressclub.com and the deadline for submissions is April 1. According to Noreen Tassinari, Scholarship Committee Chair, scholarships will be awarded June 17.
The Valley Press Club offers several different scholarships to students looking to study journalism, including the Al Jaffe Scholarship, the 22News Scholarship and The Republican Scholarship.
Funds for the Al Jaffe Scholarship were donated by Mr. Jaffe himself, who was the Press Club’s first scholarship winner in 1964. Jaffe, who retired in 2015 as vice president of talent negotiation and production recruitment at ESPN, was a senior at Pittsfield High School when he was awarded the club’s initial $500 scholarship. He attended Emerson College and currently serves on the Emerson College Board of Trustees.
Melanie Kos – The Republican Scholarship
Leighanne Sullivan – 22News Scholarship
Cienna Hiersche – Valley Press Club Scholarship
Calvin Filson – Al Jaffe Scholarship
The Republican scholarship, funded by The Republican newspaper and administered by the club, is for students within the newspaper’s circulation area who are planning careers in print journalism.
The 22News Scholarship, funded by WWLP-22News and administered by the club, is for students planning careers in broadcast journalism.
The Valley Press Club also finances two scholarships itself, including the Edward J. Malley, Jr., Memorial Scholarship, established in memory of the former chief photographer for the Springfield Newspapers, for students planning careers in photojournalism.
Primary emphasis is placed on career goals, writing ability, scholastic aptitude and overall achievement as measured by an applicant’s high school transcript, class rank, academic awards, SAT scores and extracurricular activities.
Over the course of five decades, The Valley Press Club has presented over $104,000 in scholarships to eligible students. Further information about the scholarships is available at www.valleypressclub.com, high school guidance offices, or by emailing ntassinari@TheBigE.com.
