WASHINGTON – Howard University is pleased to announce that the winners of the 2021 White House Correspondents’ Association college scholarships include three exceptional Howard undergraduate journalism students: Ariana Cobb, Nyah Hardmon and Ashleigh Fields. 

“It is with great honor that I congratulate Howard University’s distinguished 2021 White House Correspondents’ Association scholarship winners,” said President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Howard’s journalism students embody our institutional values of truth and service by investigating and promoting the truth in service of our democracy and our society. I appreciate the WHCA for supporting our young reporters and ensuring they develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to inform a global audience.”

The scholarship winners attend 12 different universities and received a total of $105,900. 

Since the WHCA began helping journalism students in 1991, it has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships and leveraged another $1.25 million in aid. The scholarships are financed by proceeds from the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner and tax-deductible contributions to the WHCA. Some of the scholarships are also supported by partners organizations, including the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalist Association and the White House Historical Association.

“The WHCA is thrilled to recognize these exceptionally talented students who will make up the future of our ranks,” said Zeke Miller, president of the WHCA. “We look forward to spending the coming months introducing them to White House reporting and reporters.”  

2021 WHCA Scholars

Ariana Cobb is a junior from Westampton, New Jersey, majoring in journalism. She has been a reporting intern at Tapinto.net and will be the social marketing intern for Showtime Network in Summer 2021. She is social media co-chair of the Howard University Association of Black Journalists, public relations assistant for the Undergraduate Student Assembly, social media director for 101 Magazine, and a member of Lambda Pi Eta National Communications Honor Society, Eta Upsilon Chapter. Ariana hopes to be an NBC page and pursue a graduate degree in public relations or journalism, with the goal of becoming a broadcast journalist.

Nyah Hardmon is a sophomore journalism major from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is a member of the Howard University Association of Black Journalists, a creative content team member at the Howard University newspaper, a Howard University student ambassador, and a member of the programming department at WHBC 96.3 HD3, the student-run radio station in the Howard University Radio Network. She served as a Spring 2021 Day Eight fellow with the Washington Independent Review of Books. She also is a poet, podcast developer and host. Her goal is to work in radio as a broadcast professional well-versed in all forms of news and cultural journalism.

The Harry S. McAlpin Jr. Scholarship

Ashleigh Fields of Charlotte, North Carolina is winner of the Harry S. McAlpin Jr. Scholarship, which is dedicated to the memory of the White House correspondent who in the 1940s became the first Black reporter ever to cover a presidential press conference – in spite of opposition from the WHCA of the time. Fields is a two-time self-published author, an international freelance journalist, and a Howard University sophomore majoring in journalism. She is the campus editor for The Hilltop newspaper; director of internal and external affairs for the Howard branch of the National Council of Negro Women; and a freelance writer for HBCU Times, The Charlotte Post and International Baccalaureate Organization. She also participates in track and field. A North Carolina High School Journalist of the Year and a winner of the National Federation of Press Women award, Ashleigh would like to own a television news network that specializes in news focused on underserved global communities.

For more information on the White House Correspondents’ Association, please visit https://whca.press/.

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About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu

Media Contact: Aaliyah Butler, Aaliyah.Butler@Howard.edu