WASHINGTON, March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One hundred two high school students from across the United States who are interested in pursuing a career in journalism and have qualities of "free spirit" have been selected to participate in the annual Al Neuharth Free Spirit Journalism Scholarship and Conference program March 16 - 19.

Two top students each will receive a $50,000 college scholarship. The other 100 students will receive $1,000 scholarships each. The top winners will be announced at a Free Spirit Awards ceremony at the Newseum on Wednesday, March 19.

Fifty U.S. newspapers joined the Freedom Forum in soliciting applications from high school seniors. Applicants were required to provide samples of their journalistic work and write an essay on free spirit. Scholarship winners --- one female and one male from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia --- were selected through a competitive process.

The scholarship winners will be brought to Washington to receive their awards and participate in a journalism conference where they will tour several media organizations and participate in sessions led by noted broadcast and print journalists and newsmakers. The conference culminates with the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Awards ceremony. At the event, students will have the opportunity to meet the 2008 Free Spirit of the Year, Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines.

"For these 102 students, the Free Spirit motto is a way of life," said Neuharth. "Dreaming, daring and doing every day, they not only make great strides in their own lives, but great differences in the lives of others."

The Al Neuharth Free Spirit Awards recognize top high school journalism seniors who are free spirits. It was established by the Freedom Forum to honor Al Neuharth, the founder of the Freedom Forum and USA TODAY. The scholarships and conference program are designed to assist and inspire students who are pursuing journalism careers. The Close Up Foundation assists the Freedom Forum in administering the program.

"We look forward to being in the company of this bright group of future journalists." said Charles L. Overby, chief executive officer of the Freedom Forum, Newseum and Diversity Institute. "Looking at what they've already accomplished gives me great confidence in the future of the field."

The Freedom Forum, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. The foundation focuses on three priorities: the Newseum, the First Amendment and newsroom diversity.

The Freedom Forum is the main funder of the operations of the Newseum, an interactive museum of news in Washington, D.C.; the First Amendment Center; and the Diversity Institute. The First Amendment Center and the Diversity Institute are housed in the John Seigenthaler Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. The First Amendment Center also has offices in Washington and the Diversity Institute has offices and programs at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

The Freedom Forum was established in 1991 under the direction of Founder Al Neuharth as successor to a foundation started in 1935 by newspaper publisher Frank E. Gannett. The Freedom Forum is not affiliated with Gannett Co. Its work is supported by income from an endowment of diversified assets.

2008 Free Spirit Journalism Scholarship and Conference Program participants

ALABAMA Watson McGough, Fairhope High School Natalie Applegate, Spain Park High School, Hoover ALASKA Christopher Frenier, South Anchorage High School Alexis Krell, Colony High School, Palmer ARIZONA Aureli Sinsuat, Mountain Ridge High School, Glendale Adrianna Amato, Seton Catholic High School, Chandler ARKANSAS Quinton Parham, Southside High School, Fort Smith Alyx VanNess, Bryant High School CALIFORNIA Skyler Reidy, San Dieguito Academy, Encinitas Savannah Lake, Torrey Pines High School, Encinitas COLORADO Kelley Robinson, Arapahoe High School, Centennial Laurelin Kruse, Alamosa High School CONNECTICUT Kedzie Teller, South Windsor High School Julievette Santiago, Waterbury Arts Magnet School DELAWARE Sean Ryon, Sanford School, Hockessin Naomi Parikh, Milford Senior High School DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Anthony Woodland, Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, Washington Tabitha Wood, Washington International School FLORIDA Jaime Manheimer, West Boca Raton High Kelsey Diaz, West Shore Jr., Sr. High, Melbourne GEORGIA Christopher Miller, Clarke Central High School, Athens Caroline Klibanoff, The Westminster Schools, Atlanta HAWAII John Hendrick, Moanalua High School, Honolulu Natalie King, Moanalua High School, Honolulu IDAHO Christopher Cole, Century High School, Pocatello Elaine Washam, Borah High School, Boise ILLINOIS Joseph Lewis, Oakwood High School, Fithian Sarah Eberspacher, Mattoon High School INDIANA Jesse Squires, New Albany High School Mallory Jones, Zionsville Community High School IOWA Timothy Corlett, Davenport Central High School Torey Robinson, Johnston High School KANSAS Garrett Fardon, Shawnee Mission North, Overland Park Laura Nelson, Shawnee Mission East, Prairie Village KENTUCKY Robert Giltner, Trinity High School, Louisville Kristin Skaggs, Pleasure Ridge Park School, Louisville LOUISIANA Matthew Rist, Baton Rouge Magnet High School Elizabeth Scott, C. E. Byrd High School, Shreveport MAINE David Lafortune, Biddeford High School Julia Butler, Biddeford High School MARYLAND Nathaniel Rosen, Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy, Rockville Marion Smallwood, Lansdowne High School, Baltimore MASSACHUSETTS Jeffrey Bliss, Hopedale Junior Senior High Kaitlin Sanders, Newton South High School MICHIGAN Patrick Evans, East Grand Rapids High School Jillian Rodriguez, Royal Oak High School MINNESOTA Paula Skaggs, Fillmore Central High School, Harmony Douglas Fish, Robbinsdale Cooper High School, New Hope MISSISSIPPI Taylor McGraw, Oxford High School Melissa Powell, Oak Grove High School, Hattiesburg MISSOURI Alex Johnson, Blue Eye High School Kelly Moffitt, Clayton High School MONTANA Michael Young, Polson High School Helen Miller, Great Falls High School NEBRASKA Nathaniel Ruleaux, Waverly High School Natalia Ledford, Lincoln High School NEVADA Devin Sizemore, Robert McQueen High School, Reno Lauren Noorda, Shadow Ridge High School, Las Vegas NEW HAMPSHIRE Ryan Rivard, Londonderry High School Kaitlyn Lannan, Londonderry High School NEW JERSEY Albert McWilliams, St. Peter's Preparatory School, Jersey City Caroline McLaughlin, Roxbury High School, Succasunna NEW MEXICO Dmitry Kotlovsky, La Cueva High School, Albuquerque Kristina Medley, Los Lunas High School NEW YORK Kyle Reitan, Miller Place High School Snigdha Sur, Stuyvesant High School, New York NORTH CAROLINA Mark Abadi, East Mecklenburg High School, Charlotte Sarah Hinson, West Forsyth High School, Clemmons NORTH DAKOTA Gregory Larson, Century High School, Bismarck Jessica Ballou, West Fargo High School OHIO Andrew Igdaloff, Gahanna Lincoln High School Deanna Pan, Lakota East High School, Liberty Township OKLAHOMA LaRon Chapman, Putnam City North High School, Oklahoma City Stephanie Taylor, Union High School, Tulsa OREGON Taylor Kanen, Oakland High School Sarah Allen, Century High School, Hillsboro PENNSYLVANIA John Rogers, Chambersburg Area Senior High School Audrey Snyder, Downingtown High School, East Campus, Exton RHODE ISLAND Adam Speakman, Barrington High School Andrea Kszystyniak, Cumberland High SOUTH CAROLINA Victor Jiao, Goose Creek High School Catharine Sydow, Wando High School, Mount Pleasant SOUTH DAKOTA Erik Nyberg, Lincoln High School, Sioux Falls Jennifer Adams, Madison High School TENNESSEE Branden Asemah, Middle College High School, Memphis Shunitra Ingram, Trezevant High, Memphis TEXAS Andrew Rowell, Midlothian High School Amanda Bankston, Irvin High School, El Paso UTAH Steven Godfrey, Weber High School, Pleasant View Brianna Wilson, Park City High School VERMONT Maxx McNall, Bellows Free Academy, Fairfax Margaret Dodge, Brattleboro Union High School VIRGINIA Samuel McCann, West Potomac High School, Alexandria

Sarah Vogel, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria

WASHINGTON Kyle Gootkin, Bellarmine Preparatory School, Tacoma Taylor Buck, Peninsula High School, Gig Harbor WEST VIRGINIA Tyler Wolfe, Ripley High School Emily Barksdale, Saint Marys High WISCONSIN Justin Stanaszak, Notre Dame Academy, Green Bay Rachel Zidon, Platteville High School WYOMING Jorden Escamilla, Torrington High School Jayme Fraser, Cody High School

CONTACT: Mike Fetters, +1-202-292-6320, or Jean Caplanis,
+1-202-292-6321, both of Freedom Forum

Web Site: http://www.freedomforum.org/