The National Association of Science Writers congratulates Anna Hu, Annika Inampudi, Celina Zhao, Elizabeth Walsh, Gaea Cabico, and Pratik Pawar on receiving their 2025 NASW Diversity Summer Fellowships.
Trainees in science writing and journalism must balance financial needs with new challenges, especially amid economic and journalism industry impacts. To ease this journey for students and early career professionals — and to encourage new talents of diverse identities and lived experiences — NASW began offering the Diversity Summer Fellowship program in 2017.
Led by the NASW Diversity Committee, the program provides supplemental income for trainees to pursue their chosen summer internship. Applicants must have been accepted for training in any medium by a newsroom or communications office; the NASW funds then supplement any stipend they receive from their summer employer. Awardees receive $3,000 — plus a one-year complimentary membership to NASW, which provides mentoring opportunities, job listings, and other professional development resources.
“Summer internships provide early-career journalists with the opportunity to cover science in the big leagues. But often, they don’t cover the full costs associated with relocating to a new city for a couple of months,” said journalist Nicholas St. Fleur, NASW Diversity Committee chair. “I’m proud that NASW continues to use this program to support and nurture the next generation of science journalists, especially at a time when the work they do is so profoundly needed.”
This year’s application review committee consisted of NASW member volunteers Amanda Heidt, Elliot Richman, Joe Rojas-Burke, Kelly Tyrrell, Nicholas St. Fleur, Niki Spahich, Peter Rejcek, and Rodrigo Pérez Ortega. NASW thanks these volunteers for making the Diversity Summer Fellowship program possible.
Anna Hu
Anna Hu (she/her)
Harvard Extension School
Internship site: Sampan newspaper
Instagram: @annahu.arts
Annika Inampudi
Photo by Emma Parrott
Harvard University
Internship site: Science magazine
Celina Zhao
Photo by Jinger Chong
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Internship site: Science News
Elizabeth Walsh
Photo courtesy University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
Internship site: Chemical and Engineering News
Gaea Cabico
Photo by Cherry Salazar
New York University
Internship site: Sentient Media
Twitter: @gaeacabico; LinkedIn: gaea-katreena-cabico-6bb574138
Pratik Pawar
MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing
Internship site: Vox Future Perfect
Twitter: @pratikmpawar
The NASW Diversity Committee focuses on special projects and programs that support diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in science journalism. The committee’s initiatives are intended to support writers from underrepresented communities and bring new members into the field. Connect with committee chairs at diversity@nasw.org.
*NASW members interested in supporting the Diversity Summer Fellowship can volunteer to serve on the NASW Diversity Committee. Find out more about NASW’s growing programs sustaining talented colleagues and untold stories at nasw.org/awards/diversity.
Founded in 1934 with a mission to fight for the free flow of science news, NASW is an organization of ~2,400 professional journalists, authors, editors, producers, public information officers, students and people who write and produce material intended to inform the public about science, health, engineering, and technology. To learn more, visit www.nasw.org and follow NASW on LinkedIn and Bluesky.
