(Click the students’ names to view their portfolios.)

ATHENS, GA (May 8, 2015) – Seven college students have been selected by the National Press Photographers Foundation to each receive $2,000 scholarships, professor emeritus Dr. James W. Brown of Indiana University announced today. Brown is the Foundation’s scholarship chair.

Matt Eich, a graduate student at Hartford Art School, is the winner of the Bob East Scholarship, which may be awarded to either a graduate or undergraduate student.

Akash Ghai, from Pennsylvania State University, is the winner of the Jimi Lott Scholarship.

Brittany Greeson, of Western Kentucky University, is the winner of the Reid Blackburn Scholarship.

Taz Lombardo, Master’s student at the University of Missouri, is the inaugural Rich Clarkson Founders Scholarship (added 08/13/15).

KC McGinnis, of University of Iowa, is the winner of the Kit C. King Scholarship, which is exclusively for photojournalists who are pursuing an advanced degree.

Emily Schweich, of the University of Maryland at College Park, is the winner of the NPPF TV News Scholarship.

Sarah Shaw, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the winner of the NPPF Still & Multimedia Scholarship.

And Ray Whitehouse, a graduate student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the winner of the Bob Baxter Scholarship, which may be awarded to either a graduate or undergraduate student.

The Bob East, Reid Blackburn, Bob Baxter, Kit C. King, and Jimi Lott Scholarships are endowed by donations from friends, family, and news organizations, while the Foundation funds the Still & Multimedia Scholarship along with the TV News Scholarship.

The Foundation’s scholarships are named after people who played an important role in visual journalism or in the history of the National Press Photographers Association, and their memories live on by supporting undergraduate and graduate students’ educational goals.

Bob East was a colorful and widely known veteran photographer for The Miami Herald who died in 1985 after more than 45 years in the profession. He was NPPA’s national secretary, and he mentored many interns.

Reid Blackburn was only 27 when he died on assignment while covering the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. The scholarship was established in his memory by his newspaper, The Columbian of Vancouver, WA.

Bob Baxter was director of photography for the Suburban Publishing Co. in Union, NJ. He was a U.S. Navy veteran who served during World War II. In 1971, a swimming accident left Baxter a paraplegic. He spent the last eleven years of his life in East Orange Veterans Hospital where he became the hospital’s photography instructor and commentator on the in-house radio station. He died in 1982. The scholarship was established in 1979 with Baxter’s own savings along with contributions from his family, friends, and professional colleagues.

Kit C. King was chief photographer for The Spokesman Review and Chronicle. A compassionate photographer who cared about the people he covered, gritty documentary photojournalism was his trademark. He died in a Snake River fishing accident in 1991.

Jimi Lott was a Seattle Times staff photographer for more than 20 years. Known for his keen eye, compassion, and boundless energy, his work focused on the less fortunate in the Seattle community, including the homeless and those with mental illness. He died in 2005 at age 52.

The NPPF Booster Club, made up of NPPA Life members, has provided significant funding for scholarships over the years.

Brown asks people to please consider making tax-deductible contributions to support the Foundation’s scholarship program.

Scholarships can also be supported by shopping through Amazon Smile and picking the NPPF as the recipient of benefits.

More information is available on the Foundation’s Web site at https://nppf.org.