As the Spring 2026 semester wrapped up, the UConn Journalism Department handed out thousands of dollars of scholarships to journalism majors. Faculty, donors, friends and family honored 20 of our journalism majors at our annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony on April 30, 2026.  The students were recognized for their achievements both inside and outside of the classroom.

Jackie Wattles, a UConn Journalism alum who covers space and science for CNN, returned to Storrs to serve as the ceremony’s keynote speaker. Wattles also spoke to two of Assistant Professor Kate Farrish’s Newswriting II classes. Wattles told the students that UConn is where she fell in love with the journalism process, including the discipline of verifying all facts and setting aside your biases.

“Studying journalism is a way to train your brain,” said Wattles, who is just back from covering the Artemis II mission to the dark side of the moon. “It’s craft, and it’s a profession.”