The Valley Press Club, based in Springfield, Mass., will award up to six $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors in Western Massachusetts (including Berkshire County) and Northern Connecticut who are interested in pursuing a career in journalism.

  • The Valley Press Club Scholarships, funded by contributions and dues to the Press Club, are for students planning careers in print, online or broadcast journalism.
  • The Republican Scholarship, funded by The Republican, is for students living within the newspaper’s circulation area who are planning careers in print journalism.
  • The 22News Scholarship, funded by WWLP-22News is for students planning careers in broadcast journalism.
  • The Edward J. Malley Jr. Memorial Scholarship, established in memory of a chief photographer for the Springfield Newspapers, is for students planning careers in photojournalism.
  • The Rhonda Swan Memorial Scholarship, established in memory of the award-winning journalist, editor and author, is for students who are underrepresented, in the Springfield, Mass. area, planning careers in journalism.
  • The Al Jaffe Scholarship, funded by Mr. Jaffe, the Valley Press Club’s first scholarship recipient in 1964, who retired in 2015 as vice president of talent negotiation and production recruitment at ESPN, is for students planning careers in broadcast journalism or sports journalism.

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.

Scholarship applications are available by going here, high school guidance offices, or by emailing NTassinari@TheBigE.com Applications may be sent by mail to Noreen Tassinari, VPC Scholarship Chair, Eastern States Exposition, 1305 Memorial Avenue, West Springfield, MA 01089 or electronically to NTassinari@TheBigE.com. The deadline for submissions is April 1. Over the course of five decades, The Valley Press Club has presented over $130,000 in scholarships to eligible students.

The Valley Press Club consists of active and retired journalists and public relations professionals from corporate and nonprofit organizations. The Annual Roast, scheduled for May 8 at the John Boyle O’Reilly Club, Springfield, raises funds for scholarships.

(press release sent to the radio station from the Valley Press Scholarship Club for online and on-air use)

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