By Lester Booker Jr.
Chevrolet and the National Newspaper Publishers Association concluded the third year of the Discover the Unexpected Journalism Fellowship Program with a special ceremony at General Motors World Headquarters.
Six students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities were recognized for successfully completing an eight-week summer fellowship at NNPA member newspapers in Atlanta, New York City, Washington and Norfolk, with access to a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox for this multi-city journalism fellowship and road trip.
Hip-hop pioneer MC Lyte served as emcee for the special ceremony and has been the DTU national spokesperson since the program’s inception.
The 2018 DTU Journalism Fellows are Tyvan Banks of Norfolk State University; Diamond Durant, Morgan State University; Daja Henry, Howard University; Denver Lark, North Carolina A&T State University; Natrawn Maxwell, Claflin University; and Ila Wilborn, Florida A&M University.
Dana Blair, a producer and on-air media personality served as Trip Navigator for the 2018 DTU Journalism Fellowship program. Below is an excerpt from her experience with The Fellows:
“Each of my mentors over the years have come from different economic backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and industries, said Blair. “However, they have all given me the same advice over the years: “Don’t thank me. Just pay it forward. One day it will be your turn.”
“I am humbled and honored to be a part of the NNPA’s 2018 DTU Journalism Fellowship and the Fellows’ journey. I hope that my stories, lessons learned, tips and, of course, the occasional corny joke show them that their dreams can become a reality, just like mine. This is their time to thrive and shine, and I am beyond thrilled to sit next to them in the driver’s seat. Let’s go DTU 2018 Fellows! We have some new roads to discover!”
To learn more about Dana’s journey, click here.
In 2016, the DTU Journalism Fellowship program launched at Howard University and expanded to include Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College the following year. To date, Chevrolet has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships and stipends to HBCU students.
Learn more about DTU at www.nnpa.org/dtu/ and follow the conversation on social media using #DTU2018.
