NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Twelve journalists from diverse backgrounds have been named Chips Quinn Scholars for spring 2010 by the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute and participating news organizations.

Chips Quinn Scholars are college students or recent graduates pursuing journalism careers. After completing an intensive orientation and training program with veteran journalists, which takes place Jan. 21 to 29 at the Freedom Forum’s John Seigenthaler Center in Nashville, Tenn., they will work in 10- to 12-week internships or full-time jobs at 11 participating news organizations.

A total of 1,182 men and women have been placed as reporters, copy editors, photographers, graphic artists and multimedia journalists since the program began with six Scholars in 1991. Scholars are eligible for financial support and ongoing mentoring from the Freedom Forum.

“These Chips Quinn Scholars bring much-needed diversity to newsrooms throughout the nation and help to raise the quality of journalism with their fresh perspectives and distinctive backgrounds,” said Jack Marsh, the Freedom Forum’s vice president for diversity programs.

The training sessions in Nashville will include presentations and teaching by experienced journalists and industry leaders. Among the speakers are John C. Quinn, founder of the Chips Quinn Scholars program; John Seigenthaler, founder of the First Amendment Center; Ellyn Angelotti, interactivity editor and faculty member of the Poynter Institute; Val Hoeppner, manager of multimedia education for the Diversity Institute; Gene Policinski, vice president of the First Amendment Center; career coaches Colleen Fitzpatrick and Mary Ann Hogan; Javier Serna, sportswriter, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.; and four Chips Quinn alumni: Getahn Ward, health-care business reporter at The Tennessean; Dawn Majors, photographer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Sue Stock, retail reporter, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.; Jamesetta Walker, asst. city editor/style columnist, The Virginia-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.; Danese Kenon, photojournalist at The Indianapolis Star; and Rhina Guidos, social network editor/niche products, The News Journal, Wilmington, Del.

The Chips Quinn Scholars program is a major initiative of the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute to help news organizations increase diversity in their newsrooms. For more information on Freedom Forum diversity programs, visit www.freedomforumdiversity.org.

Former Freedom Forum trustee John C. Quinn and his late wife, Loie, established the Chips Quinn Scholars program in memory of their son, John C. “Chips” Quinn Jr., who was managing editor of the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal when he died in an automobile accident in 1990 at the age of 34.

The spring 2010 Chips Quinn Scholars, their schools and sponsoring media organizations are:

Kristy Chu
University of North Texas
The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Veronica Cruz
University of Arizona
The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, N.M.)

Kiah Haslett
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Chicago Tribune

Diane Lee
Bradley University
The Bulletin (Bend, Ore.)

Luis Lopez
Arizona State University
Hispanic Link News Service (Washington, D.C.)

Elvia Malagon
Indiana University
The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)

Ashley Marchand
Houston Baptist University
The Chronicle of Higher Education (Washington, D.C.)

Alejandra Matos
University of Texas, El Paso
Hispanic Link News Service (Washington, D.C.)

Nicole Norfleet
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.)

Tasnim Shamma
Princeton University
Newsweek (New York, N.Y.)

Lisa Song
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
High Country News (Paonia, Colo.)

Richard White
Prairie View A&M University
The Chronicle of Philanthropy (Washington, D.C.)