Every semester students throughout Hawai‘i compete for prestigious scholarships and internship opportunities in hopes of furthering their education or careers upon graduation. Competition can be fierce, and The Press Club at HPU held a forum Feb. 14 with Hawai‘i Society of Professional Journalism Vice President Susan Kreifels to help journalism and PR students prepare.

Kreifels is an adjunct journalism instructor at HPU and executive assistant to the president of the East West Center. She was joined by former Kalamalama editor Andreas Arvman, who parleyed his internship at The Honolulu Advertiser into a full-time job as online edition editor.

Three HPU communication students have already demonstrated that talent, hard work, and perseverance can be rewarded. HPU seniors Baxter Cepeda and Cindy Wendt will be working this summer at The Honolulu Advertiser after securing full-time, paid internships at the newspaper. Cepeda and Wendt, who are Kalamalama section editors and reporters, were among many Hawai‘i university students who were interviewed for the limited number of positions.

Wendt will intern as a copy editor, and she looks forward to the valuable experience the internship will provide. Cepeda won the position of news/sports reporter intern, and he hopes to continue working for the newspaper upon completion of the internship. “I hope to go in there, make an impression, and get a job,” said Cepeda. “Hopefully in sports.” Both students will graduate in May with B.A.s in journalism.

One of HPU’s advertising majors was also recognized by the working world last fall. The Hawai‘i Advertising Federation (HAF) awarded the Judy Lindeman Scholarship to Nicole Posca for the 2002-2003 year. HAF is the local chapter of the American Advertising Federation.

Posca, who learned of the scholarship from an ad in a local paper, didn’t expect to win. “I was so surprised. It’s a small scholarship, but I was really happy to be awarded,” she said.

Posca is an officer and member of Akamai Advertising, AAF’s student chapter at HPU. She currently works at the HPU Alumni Office and interns at Olomana Marketing in Honolulu. She will graduate in May with a B.A in advertising, and she hopes to find work at an advertising agency in California, near her family.

Applicants for HAF scholarships must have at least a 2.5 overall GPA, be enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year college or university, and have a desire to work in the advertising industry after graduation. A letter of recommendation from a present or former teacher is also required. Students interested in HAF scholarships can visit www.hafspot.com.

Those interested in journalism or public relations internships can get information and assistance from Dr. LeDoux in the Kalamalama offices, BH 312, or go to the SPJ-Hawai‘i Chapter Web site: http://www.flex.com/~spj/.