Scholarship Winners Selected

By Denise Vedder, Press Club Foundation President

Two outstanding journalism students were recently awarded scholarships from the San Diego Press Club Foundation. Matthew Null and Clayton Worfolk were awarded $2,000 and $1,500 respectively to continue their education and their dream to pursue a career in journalism. Annually, the Foundation awards two scholarships: one to a community college student and another to a university student based on grades, writing ability and a desire to pursue a career in journalism.

Null, who currently free-lances for the North County Times newspaper and the Scout, the official newspaper for Camp Pendleton, recently graduated from Palomar College. There he served as editor of the school paper, the Telescope, for two semesters. When he joined the staff of the Telescope, he knew little about being a journalist except that he needed the experience. He spent countless hours there, without pay, but knew it was part of paying your dues.

Null, who dreams of being a sports writer, wrote in his application about the importance of paying your dues from his experience as a military recruit. 'You earn your pay, you earn everything you have and you prove yourself to your superiors by showing you know what you are doing. I believe the newspaper business is the same way.'

Null plans to use the money to attend San Diego State in the winter semester.

Clayton Worfolk was selected to receive the Joe Lipper Scholarship, which is named after a long-time press club member whose friends and family made a substantial donation to the Foundation after his passing in honor of Lipper's love and service of the San Diego Press Club. Worfolk is attending UC Berkeley this fall, where he is pursuing an M.A. in Journalism.

Workfolk served as Editor in Chief of the UCSD Guardian, which garnered 12 state Collegiate Media Awards under his leadership. He is also is part of the 'real world' of working journalists already. Worfolk spent the summer writing for the Daily Transcript's web site and served as free-lance writer for CityBEAT and SignOnSanDiego. During high school, he wrote weekly sports articles, monthly features and news articles for his hometown paper the Lodi-News Sentinel,

The Foundation, which includes members Reid Carroll, Frank Saldana, Tom Sprague, Don Sevrens, and myself, is proud to be able to give these talented students a helping hand in their pursuit of their dreams of a permanent byline.

Your donations over the years have made this fund and our support of students like Matthew and Clayton possible. You can contribute to this project with a donation of any amount. Send your check made out to the San Diego Press Club Foundation, and mail it to the Club at 2634 46th Street, San Diego, CA 92105.

Posted Sept. 2005