By Mechelle Hankerson

The Virginia Press Women Foundation is pleased to announce Alyse Johnson of Herndon as the 2019 recipient of the Agnes Cooke Memorial Scholarship.

Johnson is a rising sophomore at Virginia Tech where she is studying multimedia journalism. In her spare time, she contributes to the university radio station, the award-winning campus newspaper, the Collegiate Times, and HerCampus, a digital publication focused on young women.

“I think with hard work and dedication, anything is possible,” Johnson said. “The scholarship is a great opportunity for me because it [allows] me to focus on my studies and do everything I need to do in college without having to worry about the financial aspects.”

After graduation, Johnson hopes to become an anchor or reporter at a major news network.

The VPW Foundation awards a scholarship every year to a deserving Virginia college student who is interested in pursuing a career in communications. Johnson received a $1,000 scholarship and a year’s membership in VPC.

Virginia Professional Communicators, formerly known as Virginia Press Women, is affiliated with the National Federation of Press Women. The VPW Foundation was created in 1992 to administer the scholarship, which is named after Agnes Cooke, a charter member of the organization who served as president from 1964 to 1966.