{"id":3768,"date":"2020-02-03T10:11:01","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T15:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/?p=3768"},"modified":"2020-02-03T10:11:08","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T15:11:08","slug":"student-journalist-goes-from-beginner-to-pulitzer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/2020\/02\/03\/student-journalist-goes-from-beginner-to-pulitzer\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Journalist Goes From Beginner to \u2018Pulitzer\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Pulitzer
Pulitzer Center fellowship winner Audrey Henson on her reporting trip in Japan last summer, with officials from a dementia support group. Photo: Mariko Obata<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Audrey Henson was undeclared before applying to the Pulitzer Center\u2019s<\/a> summer fellowship last year. But that didn\u2019t stop her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a whim, and with just the program\u2019s Reporting and Writing 1 course under her belt, she decided to write a proposal for the prestigious overseas reporting program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rigorous application process required work samples, a breakdown of how the grant would be allocated, an itinerary for the time spent overseas and a 250-word proposal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pulitzer Center says it looks for stories of global importance \u201cthat would typically not make the headlines\u201d without its support. So with that emphasis in mind, Henson began narrowing down ideas from places she herself wanted to explore, and which connected to her personal experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was reading a local Japanese newspaper, the English version, and I kept seeing a lot of people writing about dementia, \u2026 how concentrated it is in Japan,\u201d Henson recalled. The topic struck a chord with Henson, whose grandmother (also Audrey) is living with vascular dementia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe more of yourself you can feel in a project, the more confidence you’ll have. And you can pitch it better too.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe more of yourself you can feel in a project, the more confidence you’ll have,\u201d she explained. \u201cAnd you can pitch it better too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Henson admits the application was demanding, she felt the amount of time spent preparing it was worthwhile in the end, regardless of the result. <\/strong>\u201cEven if it doesn\u2019t get picked, that\u2019s still a [publishable] story you\u2019ve done the research for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henson joins earlier winners, but challenges remained <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Henson\u2019s hard work did ultimately pay off, earning her a  $3,000 fellowship to report from Japan last summer on dementia treatments. She was the third Hunter journalism student to win the fellowship, following Kadia Goba, who reported from Sierra Leone in 2018, and Amy Russo, reporting from Sweden in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her resulting multimedia piece<\/a>, \u201cTreating Dementia in Japan: How a Mushroom and a Community Work Together,\u201d accompanied by a short video and images shot by Henson, was later published on the Pulitzer Center\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Henson
Henson discusses her Pulitzer Fellowship experience at a Journalism Department luncheon last fall. Photo: Kalli Siringas <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even after winning the coveted award, Henson faced numerous challenges, from digging up sources on social media to finding an interpreter at the last minute. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that she wanted to work directly with Japanese organizations when she went overseas, as opposed to Western groups that were located in Japan. That was a challenge \u2014 until social media came into play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Dementia Improved Support Association of Japan (DISA) \u2014 they were one of the few organizations that got back to me. I found them on Facebook, oddly enough, because I was coming up empty on Google searches,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another complication just days before flying out was locating an interpreter who fell within her tight budget. With some interpreters charging upwards of thousands of dollars a day, Henson said, \u201cI was panicking.\u201d Finally, another online find, Eric Odle, an Alaskan native who studied Japanese in school, came to the rescue by agreeing to meet her in Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once in Japan, DISA connected Henson with key resources, like Professor Masao Mori, the chairman of the Improved Dementia Association of Japan, whose goal is to make the world dementia-free by utilizing Reishi mushrooms, which some research has shown to improve cognitive memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the things that drew Henson to DISA\u2019s research was its emphasis on preventative measures, as so many people suffering from dementia are left dealing with a terminal diagnosis and little recourse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henson reported that Mori is developing a pill called Kouka, mainly derived from Reishi mushrooms, which some studies indicate \u201chelp the circulation of capillary blood flow to the brain.\u201d During her fellowship, Henson was able to travel to DISA\u2019s Reishi mushroom farm, where Mori and his team grow their supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Writing is the hardest part\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Even after she returned from her several-week-long journey, obstacles remained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henson found herself sitting in front of a computer, wishing she\u2019d written the story along the way.  \u201cThe writing is the hardest part,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with her story completed and published, Henson traveled in late October to the Pulitzer Center in Washington, D.C., where she presented her findings to the Pulitzer Center, as well as to the dozens of other fellows who were also sharing their work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUtilize your resources. \u2026 You\u2019re not doing it alone.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In comparison to the writing, Henson\u2019s presentation was a breeze: \u201cI do stand up comedy and stuff, so that was easy for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, with a Feb. 28 deadline approaching for Hunter students to submit their proposals for the 2020 fellowship, Henson reminds students the process is a team effort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was in [Professor] Adam Glenn and Sissel McCarthy\u2019s office all of the time. I wouldn\u2019t have been able to do it without their help,\u201d she acknowledged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henson\u2019s main advice for those applying to the 2020 Pulitzer? \u201cUtilize your resources. \u2026 You\u2019re not doing it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

If you’d like to apply to the 2020 Pulitzer Center fellowship, join a Feb. 6 luncheon discussion<\/strong> sponsored by the Journalism Program to cover all the details on how to submit a successful application and to brainstorm your ideas. Please RSVP here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deadline to apply for the fellowship is Feb. 28.<\/strong> Feel free to contact Journalism Program Director Sissel McCarthy at sissel.mccarthy@hunter.cuny.edu<\/a> or Journalism Internship Coordinator Adam Glenn at huntercollegejournalism@gmail.com<\/a> to discuss your proposals.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more here<\/a>, plus learn about the fellowship and how to apply<\/a>, and explore reporting by other student fellows<\/a>. You can download the application directly from the Pulitzer Center Campus Consortium website.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Student journalist Audrey Henson applied on a whim to a Pulitzer Center grant \u2014 and won a $3,000 fellowship that took her on a reporting trip to Japan last summer, resulting in a multimedia story package and presentation in Washington, D.C., Here’s how the adventure unfolded and how she managed its many challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":3770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,10,1,18,14],"tags":[64],"class_list":["post-3768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-opportunities","category-fellowships-scholarships","category-homepage_news","category-journalism-program-news","category-student-work","tag-pulitzer-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3768"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3792,"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3768\/revisions\/3792"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}