Student wins prestigious Scripps-Howard Fellowship

Junior Parker Howell, one of ten Scripps-Howard Foundation Scholarship winners

Hard work and a dedication to journalism have already proved rewarding for SOJC junior Parker Howell, whose hard work earned him a coveted spot at the Statesman-Journal as a Snowden Intern this summer as well as the title of Editor-in-Chief of the Oregon Daily Emerald for the coming school year.  In July, when Howell learned he has received one of ten prestigious Scripps Howard Foundation scholarships, he generously shared the praise with the school.

“I am honored to receive this scholarship because it not only rewards my efforts in journalism to date but demonstrates the superior quality of our journalism students and faculty here at the University of Oregon,” says Howell.

Every year since 1999, the Scripps Howard Foundation awards ten journalism students with a  $10,000 scholarship through its annual Top Ten Scholarship Program. The awards are given to students who show academic achievement and demonstrate an interest in journalism. Candidates are also asked to submit a portfolio and an essay about their long-term career goals.

“My career goal is to become a reporter or editor for a large daily newspaper,” says Howell. A panel of newspaper, broadcast, and television network professionals selected ten students from a collection of candidates from across the United States.

Howell, a Hillsboro native, will graduate in 2006 with a degree in journalism and a minor in multimedia.  He is a regular on the Dean’s List, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.

As a reporter for Oregon Daily Emerald, Howell has covered political beats for the past three years. He has interviewed presidential candidates John Kerry and Howard Dean, Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey, and Sen. Gordon Smith while covering federal politics and campus political issues. Next fall, he will move from his position as senior news reporter to editor-in-chief of the Emerald.  

“Parker Howell is an outstanding student and journalist," Tim Gleason, Edwin L. Artzt Dean, says. "He has earned the respect of his peers and of the J-School faculty. Winning this prestigious scholarship is yet another indication of his talent and of his dedication to journalism. We are very proud of Parker's accomplishments and are looking forward to his year as editor-in-chief of the ODE."

Howell was also selected as a 2005 Snowden Intern in the School’s Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism from a statewide pool of top journalism students.  Established in 1998, the Snowden program awards students with hands-on newspaper experience through a summer internship at a regional newspaper. These students excel in academics, have a commitment to ethical journalism, and have the potential for future newspaper careers.

In recommending Howell for his Snowden Internship, Assistant Professor Kathy Campbell called him “a natural.”  “He has demonstrated his dedication to print journalism by working for his high school newspaper and then wasting no time landing a staff spot at the Oregon Daily Emerald—before taking Reporting I.”

Howell’s Snowden internship is at the Statesman Journal in Salem; he will spend this summer as a reporter for their entertainment section, and he hopes to have a shot at news reporting.  The Statesman Journal is the mid-Willamette Valley’s largest news organization. 

Howell says his time at the Journal this summer will help prepare him for the task of being editor-in-chief of the Oregon Daily Emerald next fall. “It has given me a chance to gain experience and build my portfolio,” says Howell, “so that I can hopefully receive other internships in the future.”