Santa Rosa Junior College student Rosemary Cromwell has been awarded a 2024 Norma & Evert Persons Journalism Scholarship by The Press Democrat Journalism Trust
Rosemary Cromwell, among three 2024 Norma & Evert Persons Journalism Scholarship winners, has proved their ambition for storytelling time and time again.
Cromwell, “doesn’t wait around for assignments but finds stories and pursues podcast ideas on their own,” according to their journalism adviser at Santa Rosa Junior College, Anne Belden.
Cromwell started high school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. During their four years attending Maria Carillo High School, Cromwell was an editor for the school newspaper, The Puma Presna.
Their dream of being a journalist started as a child, but “this desire was solidified last year when my community was rocked by the fatal stabbing of Jayden Pienta at Montgomery High,” said Cromwell in their application.
“The chaos that followed was very stressful for the city, but as a reporter I flew into action,” they said. Cromwell, a senior in high school at the time of the stabbing, said they were interviewing and talking to people all day about the incident. They also attended a press conference that day at Montgomery High School.
After doing interviews and going to the press conference Cromwell wrote a few stories about the stabbing which The Puma Presna ended up publishing.
“That’s when I knew I wanted to be a reporter. I had a few majors in mind, but there was something I really enjoyed about jumping into action,” Cromwell said.
After graduating high school they started studying at SRJC where they are currently an editor for The Oak Leaf. They’ve explored a variety of topics in that role, including a podcast on campus security.
Enrolling at SRJC opened another door, too: Cromwell has been studying abroad in London since Sept. 6. They found out about the three-month long trip through SRJC faculty advisor, Anne Belden. They are enrolled in SRJC journalism classes as well as a British life and culture class.
“London has a hefty price tag, so this scholarship is one of the reasons why I am able to study in Europe right now,” Cromwell said in an interview with the Press Democrat.
The scholarship, presented by The Press Democrat Journalism Trust, was established by Norma Persons in memory of her husband, Evert Persons, who was the publisher of The Press Democrat for over 40 years, according to a news release from The Press Democrat.
As a result of a higher number of applications received this year, the Trust’s Board voted to grant scholarships annually and expand this year’s awards to three recipients. In past years, the award was granted to two students biennially.
Full bios of the winners can be found at www.pdjt.org/scholarships/scholarship-awardees/.
