Vince Basada, who also interned for the Sonoma Index-Tribune over the summer, looks to build a career in journalism with the financial help the scholarship provides.
Born in Maine, raised in Sonoma and now attending UC Davis, Vince Basada has always had a passion for journalism and media. As a winner of the 2024 Norma and Evert Persons Journalism Scholarship, Basada is excited to use the award to work toward his goal of becoming a full-time reporter.
UC Davis doesn’t offer a journalism program, so Basada decided to major in International Relations. He also plans to pursue a second major in economics.
His dream job right now would be to graduate and become a business reporter covering economics, Basada said in an interview with the Press Democrat.
“A broad education and knowledge set in these fields (international political science and economics) will give me the ability to better cover a diverse set of affairs as a future reporter,” Basada said.
He attended Sonoma Valley High School, where he was an editor for his school newspaper. During this time, he was also gaining experience working as a freelance student reporter for The Sonoma Index-Tribune.
He served as a full-time intern at the Index-Tribune, his hometown paper, over the summer, covering everything from city government to breaking news to concerns about safety at a senior citizens’ apartment complex.
Basada said he “covered a little bit of everything. Some news, some features and some long-form stuff.
“This experience helped me understand the inner workings of a newsroom no matter how small,” said Basada. “The internship helped me enjoy and practice my skills, rather than determine if journalism was the end goal.”
Basada has been a staff writer at The California Aggie, the UC Davis student newspaper since 2023, writing weekly articles for the print and online publication.
Basada said he is “incredibly honored and grateful” to be awarded Persons scholarship. He said it makes him feel supported as a student journalist.
The scholarship, presented by The Press Democrat Journalism Trust (PDJT), 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.
In past years the award was granted to two students biennially. As a result of a higher number of applications, the Trust’s Board voted to grant scholarships annually and expand this year’s awards to three recipients.
Full bios of the winners can be found at www.pdjt.org/scholarships/scholarship-awardees/.