FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Alicia Raia, a recent graduate of Freehold Town-ship High School, recently won the annual $1,000 Robert Stevens Memorial Schol-arship from the Garden State Scholastic Press Association (GSSPA). Stevens was a founding member of the organization.
Raia will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and hopes to major in broadcast journalism and political science. While in high school she was a student in the International Studies Spec-ialized Learning Center at Freehold Town-ship High School. She was enrolled for four years in the honors English program.
She worked for most of her high school years on the school newspaper, the Patriot Press, as a reporter and photographer and finally, as editor-in-chief. She was president of the school’s chapter of the Junior Statesmen of America, as well as historian for the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society.
In addition to her high school affiliations, last summer Raia hosted the television show Realfaith TV and plans to return to the position for this summer’s taping season.
"I am currently the host of Realfaith TV, a cable television show produced by the Diocese of Trenton. The show discusses social, personal and global issues through a faith perspective. It currently syndicates in New Jersey, parts of New York, Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia and Baton Rouge, La."
Raia has contributed articles to the Mid-Atlantic State Tide, which is the Junior Statesmen Foundation’s newspaper for the Eastern Coastal Region and she has been published in the Junior Statement, the Junior Statesmen of America’s national newspaper.
A description of her experiences in the Freedom’s Answer project was published in a book titled Freedom’s Answer: Too Young to Vote But Old Enough To Lead.
Raia said she was honored and excited to learn that she had won the Robert Stevens Memorial Scholarship.
"I feel that the past four years have been characterized by great journalistic development, as well as the opportunity for me to work on various types of publications. I am very thankful to advisers Nancy Francese and Kimberly Aleski for their contribution to my confidence, abilities and experience. I am also grateful to Realfaith TV producers Marianne Hartman and Ken Perry for providing me with the freedom to expand my experience and skills.
"Winning this scholarship will assist in my acquisition of an education that will prepare me to be an effective and civic journalist. I hope to use these journalistic skills to enlighten, inspire and empower the viewers and readers that encounter my work," she said.
Raia was selected for the honor by a panel of judges from professional New Jersey newspapers under the direction of Tom Engleman at the New Jersey Press Foundation. Her portfolio included samples of her work and an essay, said Ron Bonadonna, president of the Garden State Scholastic Press Association.
— Linda DeNicola