ASJA Announces Five Scholarship Recipients to 2025 Conference

ASJA awarded scholarships to five freelance writers to attend ASJA: Always in Fashion, NYC 2025, Feb. 24-26, at the Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York.

The 2025 conference is supported by FIT’s Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology and Marketing Communications Department, the presenting sponsor.

ASJA awards conference scholarships to talented freelance journalists and writers from historically underrepresented populations who demonstrate potential and passion for storytelling. Scholarships cover conference registration fees, but not travel or lodging costs.

The ASJA scholarship committee evaluated applications and was impressed by the diverse range of topics recipients explore in their writing, including coverage of health, Black culture, higher education, diversity, equity and inclusion, travel, and challenges faced by underprivileged communities. Based on what we saw, the future of freelancing seems bright.

I know what a difference it can make in a freelancer’s career because I received this scholarship in 2022. It allowed me to fully engage with panels and workshops, as well as network with journalists, editors, and agents. The conference was a success for me, providing expertise, fostering connections, forming friendships, and securing work.

ASJA 2025 Scholarship Recipients

Here are the 2025 scholarship recipients, along with details about the work they shared in their applications:

• Allison Joyner, an Atlanta freelance journalist who covers Black culture, DEI, higher education, specifically historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), minority businesses, and issues.
• Tamara MC, a journalist from Arizona who specializes in travel writing, emphasizing solo female travel, vegetarian and nonalcoholic experiences, and cultural storytelling.
• Danielle McLean, a freelance journalist in Washington, DC, who reports on the policies that impact underrepresented and low-income communities.
• Hannah Seo, a New York City freelance journalist who writes about health, social science, and the environment.
• Skylar Stekly another freelance journalist from New York City, who covers news, public affairs, and arts and culture.

More on ASJA DEAI Initiatives

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

As part of those initiatives, ASJA elevated what had been a DEAI task force to the status of a full standing committee. Since then, the DEAI committee has launched a number of projects, including:

• Creating a DEAI ambassadors program through which members of ASJA’s DEAI committee will support integrating DEAI practices into the work of other ASJA committees.  
• Providing input on ASJA’s mission statement to add recommended best practices for inclusive writing.
• Contributing blog posts and proposing website updates to provide a better understanding of the purpose of DEAI work and the progress we’re making as an organization. 
• Supporting sessions on inclusive writing and disrupting bias, and also for ASJA’s DEAI chats on best practices and the future of DEAI work at ASJA.
• Recruiting diverse speakers for ASJA webinars and conference sessions.

Please join ASJA in congratulating the recipients of the 2025 conference scholarships! We are thrilled to witness the impact these writers will have, both at the conference and throughout their future careers

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Olga Torres is an ASJA board member and heads the 2025 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.