{"id":9343,"date":"2021-11-06T05:30:41","date_gmt":"2021-11-06T15:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/?p=9343"},"modified":"2021-11-06T05:30:48","modified_gmt":"2021-11-06T15:30:48","slug":"chronicles-2500-scholarship-offers-financial-assistance-and-hope-for-future-local-filipino-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/2021\/11\/06\/chronicles-2500-scholarship-offers-financial-assistance-and-hope-for-future-local-filipino-journalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Chronicle\u2019s $2,500 Scholarship Offers Financial Assistance and Hope For Future Local Filipino Journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Edna R. Bautista, Ed.D.

<\/em>Local students of Filipino descent who are majoring in journalism and mass communications (JMC) at an accredited university in Hawaii or on the U.S. mainland are encouraged to apply for a chance to win a $2,500 journalism scholarship from the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle and an opportunity to have articles they have written published in this newspaper.

<\/em>The scholarship program, now in its third year, was set up via the Filipino Media Foundation in 2019 by the publishers and editors of the Chronicle, Dr. Charlie Y. Sonido and Chona Montesines-Sonido, who believe in \u201cinvesting in the future of Hawaii\u2019s media by helping college students financially as they will be the ones continuing our work someday.\u201d

Montesines-Sonido specified that she \u201cwants local talent to stay in Hawaii since the community will benefit a lot from them.\u201d She hopes that after JMC students graduate they will contribute their skills to strengthen Hawaii\u2019s media workforce.

<\/em>\u201cWe need future Fil-Am writers and leaders in the fields of journalism and mass communications.\u00a0 We are short of Filipino journalists who will continue our work and serve the Filipinos and our community-at-large in the future,\u201d Sonido said. \u201cWe need good journalists who are the \u2018eyes and ears of the community\u2019, and the Chronicle believes that we must build a pool of journalists in the future to safeguard our democracy and create a group that reports \u2018checks and balances\u2019 actions happening in the government and around us. With good reporting in place by well-trained journalists, we can secure a fair, informative and steady flow of news in our community and around the world. It is important that we support these students who are preparing for their future in the JMC field.\u201d

<\/em>PRE-PANDEMIC PRIZE WINNER<\/strong>
<\/em>The Chronicle awarded its first scholarship to Alyssa Acob of Kapolei in November 2019. She was honored at the newspaper\u2019s 25th Anniversary Celebration, Excellence Awards and Gala Dinner at the Ala Moana Hotel Hibiscus Ballroom where more than 400 Filipino VIPs and guests attended the special banquet in support of the new journalism scholarship program.

<\/em>Just a mere few months later, the coronavirus became a global pandemic, forcing everyone to adjust their way of life. During the spring 2020 semester, when Acob was completing her senior year at Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) as a double major in Integrated Multimedia and Mass Communication, Hawaii shut down and she and other students had to adapt quickly and finish their education online.

<\/em>\u201cIt was a couple weeks after Hawaii Pacific University\u2019s spring break when I found out that because of COVID-19, the university would be shutting down and transitioning to completely online,\u201d Acob stated in a Chronicle interview last year. \u201cWhen I heard this news, it didn\u2019t seem real at the time. But the more I processed it and talked about it with my classmates, professors and other friends on campus, the reality of what was happening began to sink in. Everything was happening and changing so fast. I was honestly sad, angry, confused and discouraged because I had all these expectations of how I wanted my last semester of college to be, but I couldn\u2019t do anything about it.\u201d

<\/em>Nevertheless, Acob persevered with her studies during the pandemic and graduated with honors on May 9, 2020. But traditional commencement exercises at HPU were cancelled and replaced with a simple \u201cvirtual send-off\u201d celebration instead.

She is now using her JMC skills as the digital media manager for Pearlside Church in Pearl City. Acob said she was fortunate to have found a full-time media job after graduation, stating, \u201cI\u2019m extremely blessed to be given this opportunity, especially in a time like this.\u201d

SECOND SCHOLAR SURVIVOR<\/strong>
<\/em>The Chronicle awarded its second scholarship to Brenna Flores of Waipahu in October 2020. She, too, had to adjust her schooling in COVID times to survive her senior year as a Communication major at Chaminade University of Honolulu.

<\/em>\u201cIt was quite sad to complete my senior year during a pandemic as social interactions were extremely limited over Zoom and asynchronous classes,\u201d Flores recalled. \u201cWith that being said, my teachers never failed to ask us how we were doing, given all that was going on in the world.\u201d

Flores was able to attend a limited-gathering graduation ceremony on May 8, 2021.\u00a0 Chaminade normally holds its commencement at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center. Last year, the May 2020 graduation ceremony was delayed until December and was held virtually. This year, the in-person and live-streamed event was divided into two ceremonies outdoors at the St. Louis School football field to ensure attendees could socially distance. All COVID-19 protocols were strictly followed and, along with their caps and gowns, graduates had to wear face masks.

<\/em>\u201cIt was extremely gratifying to finally be back on campus after a year and a half of online school and not physically attending in-person classes. The whole day was bittersweet as it marked the end of my educational journey and the beginning\u00a0of my journey of \u2018adulthood\u2019 where I would have to find a \u2018real-life job\u2019,\u201d Flores said.

The honor graduate continued, \u201cAs grateful as I was to even have a physical graduation\/commencement, one of the hardest parts was not having my siblings there to share my special\u00a0moment with me. We were only allowed two guests, and my parents came to support me that day. But having my whole family there would have made the day so much better as my successes are their successes, too.\u201d

Since graduation, Flores has continued to apply for \u201creal-life jobs\u201d where she could apply her degree. She is hopeful that she could share her JMC skills at a public relations job to help benefit the company\u2019s goals and needs.

<\/em>As someone who survived her final years of university schooling during a pandemic, she also learned to be more confident, determined, resilient and adaptable. Flores expressed her gratitude to the Chronicle for giving her financial aid to finish her educational journey and an opportunity to write for a prestigious, local and ethnic community newspaper. Read Flores\u2019 feature story about various Filipino traditions in this issue in honor of Filipino Values Month in November, pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 479 issued on October 7, 1994, in the Philippines to create moral awakening and national consciousness on human\u00a0values\u00a0that are uniquely and positively\u00a0Filipino.

<\/em>ENROLLMENTS INCREASED; DONATIONS DECREASED
<\/strong>The past decade had shown declining enrollments in U.S. JMC schools. From 2010-2013, there was a 3 percent decrease nationwide in undergraduates majoring in journalism, according to an annual report about JMC education by the University of Georgia. From 2013-2015, a survey conducted by Texas Tech University reported a 16.3 percent drop. However, in 2016, the year Donald Trump was elected president, enrollments began to rise again at some schools. A March 2019 headline from \u201cInsight Into Diversity\u201d online magazine read, \u201cPreviously on the Decline, Journalism School Enrollment Benefits from \u2018Trump Bump\u2019.\u201d

<\/em>In the article, journalism educators theorized that the former president\u2019s criticism of journalists and the media with their biased reporting and \u201cfake news\u201d brought on renewed interest in JMC studies. The chaotic socio-cultural and political climate has stirred some students\u2019 passions to pursue careers in the \u201cFourth Estate\u201d where they can serve as advocates for the public and hold those in power accountable for their actions.

The University of Hawaii-Manoa, home to the state\u2019s only journalism major, also reported a 50 percent increase in enrollment last year (Chaminade and HPU offer journalism courses within its broader communications programs). Facing budget cuts, UH-Manoa had planned to eliminate some degrees like journalism. But in September 2020, an email letter-writing campaign from members of the Society of Professional Journalists Hawaii Chapter, UH-Manoa journalism alumni, media practitioners, students and other supporters saved the journalism program. A month later, university officials announced that they would retain the degree within a revamped School of Communications.

<\/em>While journalism enrollment at UH-Manoa and other U.S. colleges and universities has increased, donations have decreased to non-profit organizations like the Filipino Media Foundation, which funds the Chronicle\u2019s journalism scholarship program.

Financial support has been negatively impacted by the ongoing pandemic. Firstly, fundraising galas and benefit events had to be cancelled or modified because of social distancing regulations. Secondly, giving has dropped as more people faced job loss and economic uncertainties. Non-profits must rely on the generosity of donors to continue their charitable missions.

<\/em>28+ YEARS OF COMMUNITY JOURNALISM <\/strong>
<\/em>Hawaii Filipino Chronicle has been serving the community since 1993. Its journalism scholarship program and non-profit Filipino Media Foundation were special 25th<\/sup> anniversary gifts for future Filipino journalists who will continue its mission.

<\/em>Established on July 1, 1993, with its first edition published on Oct. 1, the Chronicle has a goal of responding to the growing need to reach out to the Filipino community, to inform and educate and to provide the vehicle with which the community can grow and prosper.

<\/em>Montesines-Sonido is grateful that the newspaper is still in existence after 28 years. At the scholarship banquet, she stated on the program: \u201cBy every measure, the Chronicle should have closed several years ago. As a business model, the print media, especially the ethnic media, has seen its better days. It has been reported that \u2018in the last few years 2,000 newspapers have either closed or merged, leaving 1,300 communities without local news coverage\u2019.\u201d

<\/em>Social media, technological advances in communication, changes in readership and consumer behavior, economics and the pandemic have made it even more challenging for newspapers and print media. If people encourage young adults, especially Filipinos, to become journalists, the industry in Hawaii can endure for many more years.

<\/em>As the Chronicle begins its 29th<\/sup> year in publication, Montesines-Sonido said, \u201cWe give our thanks to God Who continues to bless us in this endeavor, and to our advertisers, readers, family and friends who have continuously supported us on our journey of bringing the news and the truth around us.\u201d

<\/em>DONATE DOLLARS FOR FILIPINO SCHOLARS<\/strong>
<\/em>The Chronicle journalism scholarship committee is currently seeking its third winner, but the newspaper hopes for more donations because funds are needed to sustain the scholarship program beyond the 2021-2022 academic year.

Last year, Acob stated that she was grateful as the scholarship helped to lighten her financial hardship, especially when the pandemic hit hard during the last few weeks of her senior semester.

<\/em>\u201cThis scholarship has also encouraged me to keep pursuing media and opened my eyes to see that there are people out there who believe in the goals and dreams of this next generation to be the next-up storytellers who will keep this legacy going,\u201d Acob said. \u201cI\u2019ve been so blessed by the opportunities this scholarship has given me and hope to continue seeing aspiring journalists and media content creators go after their dreams.\u201d

Flores added, \u201cI am so grateful for all the scholarship donors for giving me such an awesome opportunity to be a part of the Chronicle ‘ohana. People should donate to the Chronicle journalism scholarship program because they gave a Filipino woman like myself the chance to share my voice outside of schoolwork. They challenged me to practice writing that got published in print and also gave me a discounted tuition. When people donate to this scholarship, they give young aspiring Filipinos an opportunity to pursue a degree in communication, since there are not a lot of communication majors in Hawaii who are of Filipino descent.\u201d

<\/em>For a couple of years now, the Chronicle\u2019s scholarship program has been successful in helping to provide financial assistance and hope for local Filipino journalists and mass communications\/media practitioners like Acob and Flores. But Montesines-Sonido is appealing for more donations.

<\/em>“It is important to support our young budding students who will be the future watchdog of our community. They will be your voice and harbinger of news of what’s happening in our community, especially at this time of the year when we are experiencing a pandemic of epic proportions. Without them, our democratic system is at stake, and we are forever left behind with a community that is in dire need of truth, honesty and resiliency,\u201d Montesines-Sonido said. \u201cDonating to the Filipino Media Foundation will ensure that we support our aspiring Filipino students in the media, protect our democracy and strengthen the presence of\u00a0Filipino-American community in the media”.

Donations are welcome via the Filipino Media Foundation and are 100% tax-deductible.\u00a0Any amount is appreciated. To donate to the journalism scholarship program, please contact Montesines-Sonido at (808) 678-8930 or filipinochronicle@gmail.com. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Deadline is Nov. 30 for 3rd<\/sup> annual Chronicle $2,500 journalism scholarship<\/strong>

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Applications are being accepted now until Nov. 30 for the 3rd<\/sup> annual $2,500 journalism scholarship program sponsored by the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n