2008 INBA Scholarship Winners

The INBA awarded four students $1100 scholarships on Saturday, April 19th at the Spring 2008 Convention in Springfield. The Honors and Awards committee interviewed six finalists: Jacob Long (Illinois State University), Christy Stelzer (Illinois State University), Leigh Krahenbuhl (University of Illinois), Alex Degman (Western Illinois University), Nick Moron (Western Illinois University) and Ariel Van Cleve (University of Illinois at Springfield). All six candidates made it a very difficult decision because they are all very talented. 

Jacob Long received the Fritz Sorenson Scholarship. Jacob graduates from Illinois State University in May of 2009. Jacob has been working at WMBD’s Bloomington Bureau as a reporter and has done work for TV 10 at ISU. He plans to use his scholarship to do a summer internship at a central Illinois television station. Fritz Sorenson was a reporter/anchor at WKRS in Waukegan starting in 1948; He then was a reporter at WCIA-TV in Champaign and worked as a public affairs talk show host for US Cable in Waukegan. 

Christy Stelzer received the Mary McAndrew Scholarship. Christy is at Illinois State University and graduates in May 2008. She has worked at WJBC radio and is interning at WMBD’s Bloomington Bureau. She previously interned at WLFI in West Lafayette, Indiana. She also works for TV 10 on campus. Christy plays on the Rugby Team and is president of two organizations. She plans to use the scholarship to help her with an internship this summer. Mary McAndrew worked for UPI, Associated Press, Mutual Broadcasting, WBBM-FM and WGCI-AM/FM and really was a mentor to students in INBA. 

Alex Degman received the Bill Miller Scholarship. Alex graduates from Western Illinois University in May of 2008 and hopes to go to the Public Affairs Reporting Program at University of Illinois at Springfield this fall. Degman has produced some great radio pieces using nat sound, including one on winter driving. He currently works at WIUM in Macomb and interned at WBBM-AM last summer. He plans to use his scholarship for the PAR program. Bill Miller earned a bronze star when he served in World War II, worked at WTAX radio, founded the Capitol Information Bureau and was director of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at UIS for 19 years. He was also a charter member of INBA, an Illinoisan of the year in 1989 and won a 1966 Edward R. Murrow award for his story about the sale of inferior furniture at Sangamon County. 

Leigh Krahenbuhl received the Ed Brown Scholarship. Leigh graduates from University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana in May 2009. She recently did a story on the state’s children’s healthcare program and when she couldn’t get a person who utilized the program through the typical channels, she contacted someone that had written an editorial about it and they were able to hook her up with a person impacted by the program. She interned at WGN Radio last summer and plans to intern at a Central Illinois television station this summer. She is driven and says she works best when she’s under pressure. Ed Brown was a Southern Illinois University professor and a longtime INBA Executive Secretary.