UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE
Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship IMPACT REPORT FE BRU A RY 2 0 2 1
ABOUT THE ELAINE ATWOOD SCHOLARSHIP The Elaine Atwood Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship in the Department of Journalism and Public Communications and among the most revered scholarships at UAA. Elaine Atwood Scholarships are offered each year to support the cost of tuition, fees, books and more for each student recipient. This incredible scholarship opportunity allows students to focus on academics, excel in their studies, and hone their craft through internships and co-curricular experiences.
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THE ATWOOD FOUNDATION Since 2005, the Atwood Foundation has unlocked the potential and unleashed the ambition of emerging Alaska journalism and communication professionals through grants to the Elaine Atwood Scholarship Fund at UAA. To date, the Foundation has made possible over $200,000 in scholarship awards to more than 30 undergraduate and graduate student recipients. In addition to the Elaine Atwood Scholarship, the Foundation's generosity and philanthropic partnership with UAA has been distinguished by transformative investment and remarkable curricular enrichment, including: over $3 million to establish and support the Robert B. Atwood Chair of Journalism; $120,000 for the Consortium Library Endowment; and grants totaling over $235,000 for strategic projects, initiatives and programs such as the Center for Community Engagement and Learning Excellence, Seawolf Debate, the Kachemak Bay Writers' Conference and the Valdez Last Frontier Theatre Conference. Page 3
ELAINE ATWOOD A LEGACY OF FIRSTS in the 49th Sara "Elaine" Atwood (1940-2003) was the daughter of Evangeline Atwood and Anchorage Times editor and publisher Robert B. Atwood, two of the most in uential citizens of early Anchorage who helped make Alaska a state. Under Mr. Atwood's guidance, the Times became Alaska's largest daily newspaper. In 1949, the Alaska Territorial Legislature formed the Alaska Statehood Committee and appointed Atwood as Chairman. Elaine Atwood was educated at Anchorage High School and Mills College, and began working for the Anchorage Daily Times in 1964 as a women’s reporter, court reporter, city editor and business manager. She eventually became the paper’s assistant publisher. Atwood was the rst woman president of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and helped launch the City of Lights campaign in 1985. She was also one of the rst female members of the Anchorage Petroleum Club. She and her father received the Governor’s Award for public service in 1987. In 1962, the Atwood Foundation was founded to continue the Atwood family's legacy in philanthropy by supporting ne arts, journalism, education, and civic initiatives, especially for young people, in the Municipality of Anchorage. The Atwood Foundation also sponsors a visiting professorship in journalism at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The Atwood family papers (1906–2003) are held by the UAA / APU Consortium Library Archives and Special Collections and are open for review and research by students and the general public.
UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship ALUMNI UPDATES Ruth Sensenig '08
Teacher, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, Soldotna
Jennifer Maligaya '12
Sr. Provider Relations Rep., HealthSmart, Spokane, WA
Krystal Garrison '13
Programs Director, Alaska Safety Alliance, Anchorage
Pamela Bjelland '13
Office Manager, Faulkner Walsh Constructors, Anchorage
Cheyenne Tiedje '14
Pipeline Controller, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, Anchorage; M.S., Project Management, UAA, 2022
Pearl-Grace Pantaleone '14
Business Development & Marketing Manager, Cornerstone General Contractors, Anchorage
Ashley Snyder '15
Producer, ABC11 Eyewitness News, Raleigh-Durham, NC
Bryce Hyslip '15
Flight Crew, American Airlines; Owner, Open Avenue Branding + Design, Phoenix, AZ
Natalie Carrasco '17
Customer Service Manager, Everts Air Cargo, Anchorage
Mary Simton '17
Junior Account Executive, Thompson & Co. Public Relations, Anchorage
UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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Maria Harrell '17
Sr. Performance Management Business Partner, Lockheed Martin, Camden, AR
Gabriela Riquelme '17
Advertising & Public Relations Specialist, First National Bank; Events Assistant, Toast Of The Town, Anchorage
Chris Lawrence '18
Director of Sports Information, Milsaps College, Jackson, MS
Robert Foran '18
Freelance Journalist, Bloomsburg, PA
Shayne Nuesca '18
Digital Editor, KTOO Public Media, Juneau; M.S., Communications and Journalism Innovation, Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University
Erin Brayfield '19
Project Operations & Logistics Specialist, TIAG Technology, Charleston, SC
UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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Malia Barto '19
Digital Reporter/Producer, KTUU Channel 2, Anchorage
Mary Ryan '20
Research Technician, UAA/Alaska Public Health Information
Caleigh Jensen '20
Special Correspondent, Alaska Travelgram, Anchorage
Teeka Ballas '20
Teacher, Anchorage School District; Owner and Writer, The Writer’s Block Bookstore & Café, Anchorage
Gina Hays '20
Special Education Resource Teacher Assistant, Anchorage School District
Additional alumni
Bryan Arnold, Angel Bertrand, Erin Kelly, Joan Tovsen
UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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RECIPIENT PROFILE
"The Elaine Atwood Scholarship allowed me to focus on my studies instead of worrying about whether or not I could pay to get through college. My UAA experience has opened the doors of opportunity to many exciting career paths."
Chris LaWRENCE '18 "Quality journalism and communication are critically important to Alaska and our nation because of the times we live in. Now, more than ever, Alaskans are seeking accurate information to inform their day-to-day lives." UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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CURRENT ROLE: Director of Sports Information, Milsaps College GRADUATE EDUCATION: M.S., Integrated Marketing Communications, University of Mississippi, 2020 My career journey began as a senior while attending South Anchorage High School. I worked as a student assistant at the 2013 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout where I got my first taste of the career field I wanted to pursue: sports information. This led to me enrolling at the University of Alaska Anchorage where I majored in Journalism and Public Communications (B.A.), with an emphasis in Journalism and Digital Media. While at UAA, I had the opportunity to work as a media relations assistant in the Athletics department for four years. I graduated in December 2017 with the aid of two Elaine Atwood Scholarship awards. I then applied and was accepted into the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi. My background and experience that I gained by working at UAA in athletics communications gave me the opportunity of working for Ole Miss Athletics. I was awarded a Graduate Assistant position and had the chance to work at the Division I level in a Power Five Conference. I graduated in May of 2020 with a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications. Graduating during a global pandemic was a major challenge as I looked for my first full-time role. I was fortunate enough to be hired in January 2021 as the Director of Sports Information for Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. Millsaps is a four-year liberal arts college known for its academics. It has 18 Division III athletic programs that I am responsible for promoting. I provide information to fans, teams, the NCAA and the media through writing, video, graphics, photography, social media and statistics. This position would not have been attainable without my educational path at UAA, which was advanced by the Elaine Atwood Scholarship. UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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RECIPIENT PROFILE “I was so grateful when I found out I was a recipient of the Elaine Atwood Scholarship. At the time, I could only afford to go to school part-time, but the scholarship allowed me to take a few extra classes so I could finish earlier than I intended!”
MARY SIMTON '17
“A true journalist will seek the truth and report it. In an age where many people get their news from social media, messaging easily gets misconstrued and reported incorrectly. We need quality journalism and communications professionals in the world who have gone to school and understand how critical it is to ethically report, because it affects all areas of our lives.” UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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CURRENT ROLE: Junior Account Executive, Thompson & Co. Public Relations, ANCHORAGE Mary Simton is a Junior Account Executive at Thompson & Co. Public Relations. She joined the public relations industry with more than five years of news writing, social media coordination, and video experience from CBS-affiliate KTVA 11 News. She received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Communications from the University of Alaska Anchorage after finding her passion in digital media. Mary’s love for writing began as early as third-grade when she won a spot in the Young Writers Program and developed skills she uses to this day. As part of The Open Doors Initiative at T&C, Mary provides diversity and inclusion counseling to clients to ensure their messaging is inclusive to all Alaskans. When she’s not telling the story of others, Mary is telling her own through social media with beauty and makeup tips. UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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RECIPIENT PROFILE “The support of my UAA community taught me to believe in myself, realize my dreams, and fight for them."
MARY RYAN '20 "Without communicating truth and compassion, communities fall apart.”
UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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CURRENT ROLE: RESEARCH TECHNICIAN, UAA/Alaska Public Health Information Response Team GRADUATE EDUCATION: Strategic communications and public relations, Sacred Heart University, 2022 "When I began my bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Communications, I had no idea how much I would accomplish in three and a half years. I was the features editor then managing editor at The Northern Light; restarted the Public Relations Student Society of America at UAA as the chapter president; volunteered as a Seawolf Mentor; added two minors; and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. It took me a while, but I discovered what I wanted to do with the rest of my life — use multimedia storytelling to make a difference in the lives of others. Receiving the Elaine Atwood Scholarship not only relieved financial stress, but helped me realize my own potential. It meant that someone else believed in me and what I could accomplish. I will take that with me as I complete my master’s degree in Strategic Communications and Public Relations at Sacred Heart University. Currently, I am a research technician at UAA, monitoring social media for COVID-19 misinformation on behalf of the Alaska Public Health Information Response Team." UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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RECIPIENT PROFILE "Receiving my education at UAA was one of the best decisions I've made. The small classrooms allowed for deeper conversations and feedback from professors and classmates. The Elaine Atwood Scholarship helped me get through my senior year as smoothly as possible and gave me confidence that my work was worthwhile. I'm forever grateful the Atwood Foundation chose me as a recipient!"
MALIA BARTO '19 "Quality journalism helps us better understand our city, state, nation, and world. It helps us make informed decisions and have developed opinions. We are lucky to have such incredible technology to communicate with others and to learn stories and important news so quickly from all around our world."
UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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CURRENT ROLE: digital news reporter and producer, Alaska's News Source, KTUU/KYES Malia Barto is a lifelong Alaskan and a graduate of the University of Alaska Anchorage. Growing up loving to read and write—and to search for grammatical errors in novels for $1 from her dad —Malia decided to pursue a bachelor's in Journalism and Public Communications with a minor in Justice at UAA, graduating in the spring of 2019. Working at the campus newspaper, The Northern Light, for two years in college, Malia covered arts and entertainment in Anchorage as well as university news. She spent a year interning with an Anchorage campus ministry after graduation, also serving on their media and communications team. For the summer of 2020, she worked as a copyeditor at KTVA 11 News before it was bought by Gray TV. Malia then joined Alaska's News Source as a digital producer/reporter at the end of August 2020. You can probably spot Malia hiking in the summers, lake skating in the winters and at a local thrift store on any given weekend.
UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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RECIPIENT PROFILE "The Elaine Atwood Scholarship gave me hope in a stressful time; encouragement in meeting my goals with little debt to bear; and confidence in playing a positive advocate in the community. For that, I am very grateful."
Pearl-Grace Pantaleone '14 "Today, being a good journalist is challenging with social media and citizen journalists. Research, ethics, and objectivity are important to inform the public of current, accurate, and speedy information without being professionally attacked. Quality journalism should always be the standard in telling Alaska’s and our nation’s story."
UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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CURRENT ROLE: Business Development & Marketing Manager, Cornerstone General Contractors, ANCHORAGE Pearl-Grace Pantaleone has over seven years in the A/E/C industry, previously serving as a Marketing Coordinator for engineering and architectural firms. She is currently the Business Development & Marketing Manager at Cornerstone General Contractors, where she oversees all marketing campaigns and business development efforts. Prior to joining the A/E/C industry, she came from a background in journalism and broadcast news. Her local Alaskan roots have aided in her success, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Communications from UAA. In January of 2019, Pearl-Grace became the ninth person in the state of Alaska to receive her Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) designation, a recognition for having the experience and knowledge to generate profitable business in the architectural, engineering, and construction marketplace. She is among a growing number of professionals to be certified by the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), which advocates for, educates, and connects leaders in the design and building industry. Pearl-Grace is also the first woman in Alaska to hold her Associate DBIA (DesignBuild Institute of America) construction certification. DBIA Certification is the nation’s only measurable standard of an individual’s knowledge of the Design-Build Done Right™ principles vital to successful project delivery. Pearl-Grace has held various community board positions, including serving as a Board Member for the University of Alaska Anchorage Alumni Association, a member of the Editorial Board for the Associated General Contractors of Alaska (AGC) Constructor Magazine, and a member of the AGC Business Development Forum.
UAA | The Elaine Atwood Journalism Scholarship
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"The University of Alaska Anchorage is deeply grateful for the generosity of the Atwood Foundation. Our students and community have benefited from the Foundation's longstanding dedication to journalism and public knowledge, as well as profound philanthropic investments in Alaskans' social, economic and civic life. Through decades of critical impact for our journalism and communication students, the Atwood Foundation has helped to shape UAA as a university of distinction, transforming lives and communities." Dr. Bruce Schultz UAA Interim Chancellor
University of Alaska Anchorage Office of Development 3211 Providence Drive, ADM 236 Anchorage, AK 99508-4614 Beth Johnson, CFRE Senior Development Officer College of Arts & Sciences ejjohnson3@alaska.edu