FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2026
PRESS CONTACT: Clare Lefebure
press@nlgja.org or 202-588-9888
WASHINGTON, DC (July 8, 2026) – Today, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists announced that Camryn Bowden and Sreejita Patra are the recipients of its 2026 Leroy F. Aarons and Kay Longcope Scholarships, which support the next generation of LGBTQ+ media professionals.
Camryn Bowden (she/her) is the 2026 recipient of the Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship. She is a broadcast journalist pursuing a Master of Arts in Journalism at Hofstra University’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. She has worked in newsrooms at CNN, Yahoo Finance, NBCUniversal, and Nexstar. Bowden currently serves as Station Manager of WRHU-FM, Hofstra University’s five-time Marconi Award-winning radio station, and as a producer for the station’s 30-minute LGBTQ+ news and commentary program, Queerly Informed. Her work has been recognized by the Press Club of Long Island, the New York State Broadcasters Association, and the Alliance for Women in Media.
Established in 2005, the Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship honors NLGJA’s founder, who championed fair, accurate LGBTQ+ coverage and believed change begins in the classroom. The award provides up to $5,000 in tuition funding to an LGBTQ+ student pursuing a career in journalism.
Sreejita Patra (she/her) is the 2026 recipient of the Kay Longcope Scholarship. Patra is a prospective master’s student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism, where she will be reporting for the Center for Journalism Ethics this fall. Her previous work has covered issues such as mental health, domestic abuse, prisons, state politics and more. Currently, Patra is with the Arizona LGBTQ news nonprofit LOOKOUT, where she primarily focuses on investigative and political journalism. She has won multiple state journalism awards and has been a finalist for two national recognitions.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected for the 2026 Kay Longcope Scholarship which affirms my commitment to uplifting the LGBTQ community” said Patra. “It will also be my encouragement as I spend the next year preparing for a professional journalism career: an encouragement to become someone worthy of the trailblazer my scholarship was named for”
The Kay Longcope Scholarship, established in 2008, provides up to $3,000 in tuition assistance to an LGBTQ+ student of color committed to NLGJA’s mission. It honors Longcope’s legacy as a trailblazing journalist and co-founder of The Texas Triangle.
“It is always exciting to see the next generation of reporters who embody the principles of our organization,” said Executive Director Adam Pawlus. “Sreejita and Camryn have shown, through exemplary work, their commitment to fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ communities. Congratulations to these two bright young journalists!”
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