FAMU student honored with Barbara L. Frye Journalism Scholarship

FAMU journalism student LaCrai Mitchell was recently named the recipient of the Barbara L. Frye Journalism Scholarship, presented by the Florida Capitol Press Corps.

Mitchell, a junior, is one of 12 students to be presented with the $2,000 scholarship, which is awarded annually to graduating high school seniors and college students planning to pursue a career in journalism. This year’s winners were chosen from a record number of applicants and a competitive field of promising journalists.

In the spring, Mitchell interned with WLRN- Miami Herald News and the director of the internship program recommended that she apply for the scholarship. A few months later, another internship coordinator suggested she apply as well. Their recommendations paid off.

“I was excited and surprised,” Mitchell said of receiving the scholarship.

The Tallahassee native said she learned at an early age that she had the talent to become an effective communicator.

“I’ve always known the importance of communication,” she said. “Whether it is on a small scale or a large scale, I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to help people. I felt that journalism was the perfect way to blend my skill of communicating with my desire to help people. Journalists use effective communication to help disseminate awareness and news to the masses in a clear and honest manner.”

Mitchell, who majors in journalism with a concentration in broadcast, says she has a special interest in long-form storytelling and tends to gravitate toward news magazines and documentaries. She added that one day she would like to produce news magazine shows and documentaries, while serving as a documentary-roving reporter.

“FAMU has enabled me to receive a quality education, which I have no doubt will allow me to succeed in the field of journalism,” said Mitchell, who won a “Student Emmy” in 2013 for her work as a co-producer on the 2012 FAMU Homecoming Special: Ignite the Strike. “The School of Journalism and Graphic Communication has provided me with ample opportunities to find what I like best within the journalism industry, while introducing me to some of my biggest supporters.”

Barbara L. Frye was the Tallahassee bureau chief for the United Press International for 38 years, until she succumbed to cancer in 1982. Frye was the first woman to work as a full-time staff member at the Florida Capitol Press Corps.