SND Foundation scholarship winners share their stories
Looking for industry recognition and a cash prize to fund your next big project, internship or career move? The deadline to apply for the annual SND Foundation scholarship is quickly approaching. Student members enrolled in a four-year university who are pursuing a career in visual journalism are encouraged to submit their best work by August 31.
I asked six winners from years past — including two current students — how the scholarship impacted them and where they are today.
Danielle Rindler
Designer at The Washington Post
How did the SNDF scholarship impact your early career as a visual journalist?
The SNDF scholarship, which I received while I was a senior at Indiana University, helped me pay for important expenses (like, you know, rent). This allowed me to spend more time working at the student newspaper, where I made about enough money to cover for the takeout I always wound up ordering when I was starving and on deadline.
I have a degree in journalism, but student media is really where I learned to be a visual journalist. And that extra experience I gained there before going out into the workforce was invaluable.
Where are you now and what is your role?
I am currently a designer at The Washington Post, where I coordinate, code, design and develop digital enterprise projects. Right now, I am also working on a newsroom-wide initiative to bring the Post’s custom design work to our Apple News platform.
Sisi Wei
Deputy Editor at ProPublica
How did the SNDF scholarship impact your early career as a visual journalist?
Getting the scholarship allowed me to go to SND for the very first time. I was still a junior in college and I’d never been to a journalism conference before, but at SND, I made connections that got me my first-ever job offer in design. Getting the scholarship also gave me a lot of visibility in the field. A couple days after it was announced, I was visiting a newsroom for an interview, and the staff there recognized me from the SNDF announcement! It’s safe to say that in my early career, the SNDF scholarship made a huge difference and it really helped me build up my own confidence that I could succeed and grow as a visual storyteller.
Where are you now and what is your role?
I’m currently an Assistant Managing Editor at ProPublica. One part of the job is that I run the News Apps team. We’re a team of journalist/designer/developers who do large-scale projects ranging from helping the public figure out if you have bombs in your backyard, or using a miniature model to visually show you how levees can make flooding worse.
Niklas Marienhagen
Student
How did the SNDF scholarship impact your early career as a visual journalist?
I received the SNDF scholarship 2016 in the second year of my undergraduate studies in communication design. At that point, I decided to focus on information design about half a year ago. The scholarship encouraged me heavily to dive even deeper into that field. It also helped me financially to visit the Malofiej 25 Infographic World Summit in Pamplona, Spain in 2017 where I met some inspiring designers. Since then, I lived in Berlin for 6 months and worked there as an intern at one of the leading infographic departments in Germany and had several of my works published.
Where are you now and what is your role?
I just finished my Bachelors Degree at the University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg. My final project was a travelling exhibition about artificial intelligence. I will start my Masters Degree in October, in between I am employed at my university and I am doing freelance projects with some interesting clients.
Aviva Loeb
Designer at The Washington Post
How did the SNDF scholarship impact your early career as a visual journalist?
My junior year, I almost quit journalism. After losing an election to become editor-in-chief of my schools paper I felt completely defeated. I convinced myself it was a sign that I wouldn’t make it as a journalist. I took spring semester off from the paper and immersed myself in a PR internship. Internship rejections poured throughout the spring. Further convincing me that my work wasn’t good enough. How could I compete with big schools and people with that fancy EIC title on their resumes. That summer, with an internship finally secured, I applied for the scholarship on a whim. Applying meant putting together references, asking mentors for critique of my work to help pair down my portfolio, and essays about what visual journalism meant to me, and what I aspired to do in my career. Even just the processes of applying reminded me what was truly important to me and helped me realize that despite setbacks, I loved what I was doing. And it reminded me of how supported I was in reaching my goals by so many in the SND community. I never expected to win. When the email came that I was selected for the scholarship, I was shocked. I think I cried. The money helped me afford my unpaid internship. But the real prize was the confidence I gained, the faith in myself and the reminder that I had a whole community supporting me. Down the road, Tracy Collins, ended up hiring me straight out of college, and trusting me to design Gannett’s largest local newspaper, in part because of my application. It’s hard to believe that was only three years ago. I have a job I’ve always dreamed of, and have become incredibly involved in the organization that helped me get here. Apply for this scholarship. You won’t regret it.
Where are you now and what is your role?
I’m a digital designer at the Washington Post. I design for emerging news products such as the Post’s national app and The Lily. Before The Post, I was an A1 designer at the Arizona Republic. I’m also the outreach director for SND and a 2015 graduate of the University of Vermont.
Lucy Naland
Student
How did the SNDF scholarship impact your early career as a visual journalist?
Being chosen to receive this scholarship was extremely encouraging. I got it right as internship application season was starting up last year, and it was a huge validation of my work — not to mention a resume boost. The scholarship definitely helped me stand out to the publications I applied to that fall, and many interviewers commented on it. It was wonderful to essentially have SND’s endorsement while looking for an internship.
Where are you now and what is your role?
I just finished up a summer internship at Sports Illustrated, where I worked on digital and print design projects. My responsibilities included animating art and styling photos for online stories, designing pages for the magazine, and creating gifs for SI’s social media accounts. I have one year left as a graphic design student at Syracuse, and I’m studying in Copenhagen this upcoming fall semester. After I graduate I hope to continue working in journalism. I’ve become increasingly interested in digital and motion design and am excited to see where those interests take me within the field.
Tyler Remmel
Lead News and Enterprise Designer for Gannett Louisville Design Studio
How did the SNDF scholarship impact your early career as a visual journalist?
More than anything else, it gave me the resources and confidence to start building a successful career. I didn’t have any formal design training (my college major was Journalism/English — we didn’t have a design program), so it was important to know that I was on the right track and doing good work. It also allowed me the opportunity to attend the SND workshop in Cleveland in 2013, when I first met representatives from the Gannett Design Studios. I wasn’t sure what route I would be able to take career-wise after school, but I received clarity in realizing that I wanted to work with a large group of other designers who were much more skilled than I was. I knew that I had much to learn, and that kind of knowledge base would facilitate that learning.
Where are you now and what is your role?
I’m based in Nashville, Tenn. — I work remotely for Gannett’s Louisville Design Studio as the lead news and enterprise designer for the Detroit Free Press. I’ve been in this role since October 2017. (Previously, I worked for Gannett’s Nashville Design Studio as a news and enterprise designer for USA TODAY NETWORK — FLORIDA papers.)
KK Rebecca Lai
Graphics Editor at The New York Times
How did the SNDF scholarship impact your early career as a visual journalist?
The SNDF scholarship brought me to the 2013 annual SND conference in Louisville. At the conference I was able to make connections with the graphics desk at The New York Times, which eventually helped me get a internship there. Many of the people I’ve met through SND have helped me immensely in building my career. SND was also invaluable in helping me build a network of support with other students that were interested in a similar career.
Where are you now and what is your role?
I’m currently a graphics editor at The New York Times, where I help research and create graphics for the paper. My work ranges from gathering and analyzing data, creating maps and charts, building tools and writing and reporting on stories.
Interested in applying? You can learn more by joining the Society for News Design for as little as $5 a month.
