WKU News

WKU Student Publications today announces a class of 10 Student Publications fellows for Summer 2024. Nine of the students will spend at least 10 weeks this summer working in professional organizations in internships tailored to help them grow their skills, and the 10th will cover news on the WKU campus.

The fellowships are funded entirely through the generosity of alumni and friends of the College Heights Herald, Talisman magazine, Student Publications Advertising and the Cherry Creative branded-content studio, along with partnering professional organizations. This year’s fellowships will award a total of $50,800 in stipends to students participating in the educational experiences.

The 2024 class of Student Publications summer fellows includes one current freshman, four sophomores and five juniors, all of whom have agreed to return to staff positions at Student Publications for the 2024-25 academic year.

The program launched in 2012 with a single fellowship at the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer. It was funded with proceeds from an endowment created by the late Charles Mason Ralph, a Herald alumnus and Owensboro native who bequeathed a portion of his estate to the Herald. The program has grown through donations to the Student Publications Fellowship Fund, created in 2014, and through other fellowship funds created by alumni and friends of the Herald and the Talisman, our flagship publications. In 2015, a confidential gift of $125,000 more than doubled the principle in the Charles Mason Ralph Endowment, allowing the program to grow further.

Through Summer 2023, 71 student staff members of the College Heights Herald, the Talisman and Cherry Creative have completed Student Publications fellowships at professional organizations.

“Our fellowship program is one of the most rewarding things we do for our students,” said Chuck Clark, director of WKU Student Publications. “Because we try to match these fellowships to our students’ goals and tailor them to skills they want to develop, these experiences have a huge impact on the students.

“We’re grateful to our alumni and friends, and to our professional partners, for making these fellowships possible.”

The 2024 slate of fellowships for the first time includes a marketing internship with a new partner, the Louisville Bar Association. It is also the first time a staff member from Student Publications Advertising has been awarded a fellowship.

The 2024 Student Publications fellows are:

Dominic Di Palermo – Di Palermo is a junior visual journalism and photography major from St. Charles, Illinois, and will spend 12 weeks as the Charles Mason Ralph Fellow at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in Missouri. He is currently photo editor for the College Heights Herald.

Keelin Davis – Davis is a junior marketing major from Mount Washington and will spend 10 weeks as the College Heights Herald Endowment Fellow at the Louisville Bar Association, focusing on marketing. Davis currently is sales team leader for Student Publications Advertising.

Preston Jenkins – Jenkins is a sophomore photojournalism major from Kevil and will spend 10 weeks as the Charles Mason Ralph Fellow at The Charlotte Observer in North Carolina. Jenkins is currently a photographer for the College Heights Herald and the Talisman.

Jake McMahon – McMahon is a sophomore journalism and broadcasting major from Louisville and will spent 10 weeks as the Judy Wildman Hughes Fellow at the Bowling Green Daily News. McMahon currently is sports editor for the College Heights Herald.

Adin Parks – Parks is a junior photojournalism major from Louisville, and will spend 10 weeks as the Magazine Fellow at Evansville Living and Tucker Publishing in Indiana. Parks is currently a photographer for the College Heights Herald and the Talisman.

Maggie Phelps – Phelps is a freshman journalism major from Sonora and will spend 10 weeks as the Tom Caudill Fellow at the Lexington Herald-Leader. Phelps currently is a reporter for the College Heights Herald.

Madeline Powell – Powell is a junior photojournalism major from Louisville and will spend 10 weeks as the Carla and Chad Carlton Fellow at C2 Strategic Communications in Louisville. Powell currently is a videographer for Cherry Creative.

Eli Randolph – Randolph is a junior photojournalism major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and will spend 10 weeks as the Charles Mason Ralph Fellow at the Messenger-Inquirer in Owensboro. Randolph currently is a photographer for the Talisman and the College Heights Herald.

Bailey Reed – Reed is a sophomore journalism major from Louisville and will spend 12 weeks as the Paul and Ellen Schuhmann Fellow at The Courier Journal in Louisville. Reed currently is a reporter for the College Heights Herald.

Cameron Shaw – Shaw is a junior journalism major from Hardinsburg and will spend 12 weeks as the Dr. Barbara Burch Fellow at WKU Student Publications and the College Heights Herald. Shaw currently is a reporter for the College Heights Herald.