Announcing the ASJA 2024 Conference Scholarship Recipients

ASJA is thrilled to announce the 12 independent writers who received scholarships to the ASJA 2024 conference, Sept. 24-26. The breadth of the political, social, environmental, cultural, and personal issues they cover is inspiring. They truly are the future of freelancing.

ASJA awards scholarships to annual conferences to talented, up-and-coming freelance journalists and writers from historically underrepresented populations who demonstrate potential and passion for storytelling. The scholarships are part of ASJA’s ongoing efforts to create a stronger, more diverse freelance community.

“The ASJA conference scholarship aims to ensure that diverse writers from underrepresented groups feel included, supported, and valued,” said ASJA President Emily Paulsen. “The conference is a crucial event for freelance journalists and writers. It offers panels, workshops, and one-on-one sessions with editors and agents. These scholarships ensure that talented individuals who may not have the financial means to attend can still benefit from this invaluable experience.”

The Full List of 2024 Conference Scholarship Winners

Here are the 2024 scholarship recipients, along with details about their work that they shared in their applications:

• Lucia Cheng, a freelance journalist in California who covers local stories.
• Anisha Dutta, a New York City writer who covers the intersection of politics, policy, and human rights, with a focus on the rise of authoritarianism and its impact on vulnerable communities.
• Ekemini Ekpo, a Texas journalist who covers arts and pop culture and how those subjects relate to race, gender, sexuality, and class.
• Astrid Kayembe, a California freelance journalist who covers art, food, fashion, culture, and Los Angeles neighborhoods.
• Whitney Lynn, a New York City writer of stories about environmental degradation, queer and trans rights, and policy changes that affect working class Americans.
• Jaye Matt, a writer in Hawaii who covers global warming and environmental concerns and their intersections with place and social, political, and economic affairs.
• Brittany Menjivar, a California journalist who profiles storytellers doing groundbreaking work in their respective fields.
• Emilio Mesa, a Bronx writer who delves into the nuances of human identity, focusing on the LGBTQI+ community, particularly people of color and the immigrant experience.
• Lygia Navarro, a Toronto writer who covers Latine stories from Latin America, Europe, and across the United States, intersecting with mental health, the environment, immigration, human smuggling, trauma, arts, 2SLGBTQ+ communities, food, business, music and more.
• LaVonne Roberts, a Massachusetts journalist who covers health and disability advocacy.
• Reema Saleh, a Chicago journalist who tells stories about culture, conflict, communities, and their built environments.
• Katie Tastrom, a Syracuse, New York writer who focuses on disability, including things that affect multiply marginalized disabled people.

Scholarships cover the cost of attending the ASJA conference, where recipients can learn from industry experts, network with peers, and advance their careers.

In addition to offering scholarship recipients a chance to hone their craft, the conference provides them with the chance to connect with industry professionals and build relationships that can lead to future career opportunities.

ASJA’s DEAI Initiatives

Conference scholarships are one of several initiatives ASJA has launched to promote diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusivity (DEAI) within its membership and among freelance writers and nonfiction book authors in North America.

In the past two years, ASJA has hired a DEAI consultant and formed a DEAI task force. The task force holds a monthly DEAI chat, advises the organization, and hosted a webinar on inclusive writing. A DEAI task force subcommittee recently awarded five scholarships to ASJA members who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, or from other historically underrepresented to attend an upcoming introduction to ghostwriting course hosted by Gotham Ghostwriters.

Please join ASJA in congratulating the 2024 conference scholarship recipients! We look forward to seeing the impact these writers will make, both during the conference and in their future careers.

Regular registration for the Sept. 24-26 conference ends today, Friday, Sept. 20, and is $299 for members and $349 for nonmembers. (There’s also a late registration rate if you want to sneak in over the weekend or on Monday.) Sign up or read more about keynote speakers, educational sessions on journalism, nonfiction books, content marketing writing, informal networking opportunities, and more here. The virtual conference will take place on the Airmeet tech platform. Find out how to use it here.

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Olga Torres is an ASJA board member and heads the 2024 conference scholarship committee. Her freelance work on health care, disability rights, and diversity issues has been published in the New York Times, New York Daily News, Next Avenue, and other publications. She attended her first ASJA conference in 2022 as a scholarship recipient.