For nearly 20 years as the White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief for the New York Post, Deborah Orin epitomized the very best in journalism. She brought to her craft the highest standards of excellence. Deborah Orin began covering New York politics in 1977, and a decade later moved to the nation’s capital where she reported on four U. S. presidents. She believed that the media needed a wider political perspective, that a diverse country needs a diverse press. When she died of cancer in 2007, she left behind many friends, her husband, Neville, and colleagues on the White House beat. The New York Post wrote: “readers will miss her honesty and wisdom.” Thanks to a gift, the WHCA has established the Deborah Orin Scholarship to benefit students at her alma mater. Two students will each receive a $5,000 scholarship, allowing them to pursue the craft Deborah Orin practiced every day. This scholarship will allow a new generation of journalists to strive for Deb’s very high standards. The recipients of this year’s Deborah Orin Scholarship are two current students from Medill School of Journalism.
Noor Wazwaz will receive a Master of Science in Journalism degree this year from Medill. She has work experience as a teacher, marketing experience from a Chicago radio station and in-depth research experience exploring discrimination against Muslim adolescents in public high schools. She has a record of community leadership and involvement working with Arab American and interfaith organizations. As a journalist, Noor wishes to “raise consciousness on issues from a seldom-heard perspective and to share stories from international locations not only when there is war or catastrophe. Our language of journalism should be the language of humanism, the language of equality and the language of real democracy.”
