The Virginia Press Women Foundation is pleased to announce Jaqueline Llanos Hernandez, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, as the 2021 recipient of the Agnes Cooke Scholarship.

Llanos Hernandez is a first-generation student at the University of Richmond where she studies journalism and serves as the investigative and multimedia editor at the independent student-run newspaper, The Collegian. There she focuses on work about race in UR’s past and present and produces regular podcasts. She also worked on an award-winning investigative project with the Poynter Institute at The Collegian.

Llanos Hernandez originally is from Colombia, where she became interested in journalism.

“Growing up in Colombia, my family would watch the evening news every day,” she wrote in her application. “My mother instilled the importance of journalism in helping communities grow stronger together by holding  corrupt figures of power accountable.”

Fluent in Spanish and English, Llanos Hernandez also interns at Richmond Magazine where she helps the publication form a stronger connection with the Latinx community. 

Llanos Hernandez plans to use the $2,000 scholarship for housing costs. 

The Virginia Press Women Foundation is a 501(c)3 corporation that awards a scholarship to undergraduate or graduate communications students in Virginia each year in honor of Agnes Cooke, a charter member of Virginia Press Women, now known as Virginia Professional Communicators. Learn more at vpwfoundation.com.