Jordan Lewis Awarded 2020 SPJ Florida College Scholarship

Jordan Lewis

The scholarship committee of SPJ Florida is proud to announce the winner of the 2020 SPJ Florida College Scholarship, Jordan Lewis.

The chapter has awarded the $2,500 scholarship since 2012 with the goal to help alleviate the financial burden on journalism students as they balance schoolwork, internships (often unpaid), participation in student media, and outside jobs.

“Her essay is certainly a standout, her work is impressive, and she stands for so many truly important things that we are all fighting for right now,” one judge said of Lewis during deliberations.

Lewis is a journalism student at the University of Miami, where she is also pursuing a minor in women’s and gender studies and Spanish. She is the culture editor and social media manager for The Miami Hurricane, where she has written album reviews, pieces on sexual assault mental health, and write ups on community events. She also works with Aerie for American Eagle as an ambassador to promote body positivity and female empowerment.

In high school, she attended a STEM school and yearned for a creative outlet and joined the yearbook club. There, she fell in love with the journalistic aspects of putting together the yearbook, such as copywriting, photography and design.

“As a young, Black, queer woman in America, I’m reminded every day that my voice doesn’t matter,” she wrote in her personal essay. “This world can and will take many things away from you, but the one thing they cannot take is your voice. Journalism is where I found mine.”