Johnathan Rodgers fellows visit the J-School

It’s officially spring once the courtyard at North Gate Hall fills up with wide-eyed new admits visiting for Spring Welcome Week. This year, 15 potential new J-Schoolers from around the country attended the annual event as Rodgers Fellows. Funded by renowned media executive and Berkeley alum Johnathan Rodgers (’67), the Rodgers Fellowships are designed to increase diversity at the School by covering all travel expenses associated with attending Spring Welcome Week for a select group of admits.

After studying journalism at Berkeley, Rodgers made a name for himself in broadcast journalism and went on to become the President of CBS Television Stations and Discovery Networks U.S. He was the CEO and president of TV One for more than six years and currently serves as a board member for both Nike and Comcast. He has been funding the Rodgers Fellowships since 2000.

“The Rodgers Fellowships are uniquely targeted to enable promising minority students, who usually have a number of graduate school options, to take a close look at Berkeley so they can make a fully informed choice,” said J-School Dean Edward Wasserman. “The fellowships enable us to make a persuasive pitch to the students who will play a powerful role in defining the character of this institution.”

Many of the Rodgers Fellows would have faced the financial burden of flying across the country and staying in a hotel in order to participate in Welcome Week. Prospective student Mahlia Posey, from Las Vegas, Nevada, said she would not have been able to attend had it not been for the fellowship.

“I work with low-income high schoolers who are also applying to college, but without any financial aid they won’t enroll in their dream school, so I feel extremely blessed and humbled that Cal awarded me the Rodgers fellowship,” Posey said. “The genuine kindness of the faculty and students allowed me to let my guard down and truly embrace this experience.”

2015 Rodgers Fellowship Recipients:

Bradford Bailey – Los Angeles, CA

Angelica Casas – San Antonio, TX

Leslie Cory – Porterville, CA

Katharine Haber – Valley Village, CA

Sam-Omar Hall – San Francisco, CA

Trinity Joseph – Alhambra, CA

Agatha Kereere – Chester, NJ

Akira Kumamoto – Davis, CA

Nailah Morgan – San Mateo, CA

Danielle Parenteau – San Francisco, CA

Mariela Patron – Baldwin Park, CA

Kendra Pierre-Louis – Astoria, NY

Mahlia Posey – Las Vegas, NY

Juan Reyes – Watsonville, CA

Peirce Roberson – Chicago, IL

Gabriel Tolliver – Los Angeles, CA