Past Presidents and Retired Members Scholarship Fund: 

I’d like to thank the members of the PPAGLA for their generous monetary award to me as runner-up in the Student Photojournalist of the Year contest. I understand members donate to the fund, and the student awards are financed by the fund .

I will put the award to good use; I’m planning a 2-3 month road trip under America’s spacious skies, hitting dozens of states in all parts of the country. I’m leaving in less than four weeks, so should be back in time for another semester as a photojournalist on the Corsair newspaper.

Best regards,

Marco Pallotti

Runner-up, Student Still Photojournalist of theYear

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Dear Past Presidents and Retired Members Scholarship Fund: 

I would like to start off by saying thank you to the generous PPAGLA members who donated to the scholarship fund. To be a recipient means a lot. I never thought I would be capable of achieving success in this industry as a student. I wouldn’t be here without the guidance and mentorship of my professors who consistently pushed me past my limits. It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized by this organization. 

Ultimately, it serves a reminder of all the hard work, long nights, and dedication in the road of becoming a professional. I feel supported and encouraged to keep pursuing this career. I remember why I first choose journalism as a major, and how that decision has now evolved and grown. I am extremely passionate of this industry and I’ll do my best to continue to produce work I love. Thank you so much, I appreciate it more than you know. 

Warmly,

Edwin Flores

Runner-up, Student Video Photojournalist of the Year 

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Dear Past Presidents and Retired Members Scholarship Fund:

I would like to thank the PPAGLA members for their generous award. I’m thrilled to have won the Student Photojournalist of the Year for the second year in a row, and this award is special as it represents recognition by industry professional. I’d also like to thank all my colleagues at the Corsair, and in particular Professor Burkhart for his mentorship and continuing support of my photojournalism work. 

Sincerely,

Yasamin Jafari-Tehrani

Student Still Photojournalist of the year

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Dear Past Presidents and Retired Members Scholarship Fund: 

Thank you so much for your support in the PPAGLA Scholarship Fund. My name is Steven Vargas, and I am the recipient of the Student Video Journalist of the Year. Receiving this award means so much to me because of how far I have come in my career. I made the short documentary that was part of my submission a year ago at the beginning of the pandemic. As a dancer studying at USC Kaufman School of Dance, my life got turned upside down. My home studio closed, my classes went virtual and the projects I had planned were all cancelled. I was prepared to pursue a career in performance. I turned to my journalism courses and allowed video to tell my story, and the story of many dancers during the pandemic. I made it out of my desire to express myself. I didn’t expect it to bring so much attention and recognition. Thank you so much for supporting me though the PPAGLA award and I am so grateful for your donations. 

Being recognized by my peers in general for my journalism and videography is incredibly humbling. 

I’m a first-generation student who never saw myself leaving my hometown in Texas. The second I got the opportunity to study at USC in a city like Los Angeles, I took it and made the most out of it. On top of my full-time coursework, I was working around five jobs and performing in local productions as an actor and dancer. I learned the same basics of video production as my peers but took the step to learn more. I found a passion in video storytelling and pushed myself to self-teach myself additional practices that would make my production even better. The pandemic strangely provided the opportunity to continue exploring video. After so much work I did to grow in my videography throughout my undergraduate career, and now in graduate school, I am so honored and thankful for the support I’ve received for my work. 

I can’t explain how honored I am to receive this award. Every bit of funding and resources goes right towards my education and practice as a journalist and storyteller. I can’t wait for you to see what I create in the near future. 

Thank you so much, 

Steven Vargas

Student Video Photojournalists of the Year