The White House Correspondents’ Association awarded a $4,250 tuition grant in 2013-2014 to Simone Thomas from the University of Maryland .
Simone is a freshman from Forestville, Maryland. Her parents emigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica. She currently works at the Department of Geography on campus where she is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta and National Society of Collegiate Scholar Honor Societies. She cites Oprah Winfrey and Giuliana Rancic as role models and dreams of a career covering Hollywood on E! News. As a freshman, Simone reports for the campus radio station and for a student-run online news magazine.
