FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, Nov. 2, 2026
Contact: Clare Lefebure clare@nlgja.org
WASHINGTON, DC (November 2, 2026) — NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists has named CONNECT students Mary Rasura and Eliot Faine the recipients of the 2026 Phillips-Green Family Scholarship. These scholarships provide financial assistance to two CONNECT participants to support their involvement in the CONNECT Student Journalism Training Project and help launch their journalism careers.
“Mary and Eliot are already doing the kind of reporting our field needs: rigorous, rooted in community and unafraid of hard questions,” said NLGJA Executive Director Adam Pawlus. “We’re grateful to the Phillips-Green Family Fund for making it possible for students like them to take part in CONNECT and keep building their careers.”
The CONNECT Student Journalism Training Project provides real-world, hands-on experience to students and recent graduates pursuing journalism careers. This year’s participants reported from San Francisco alongside NLGJA’s 2026 National Convention. Robin Phillips and Sue Green, former NLGJA board members and lifetime members, established the Phillips-Green Family Fund in 2019 to honor the legacy of Robin’s father by supporting the training and education of future journalists. Each year, the fund subsidizes CONNECT participation for up to two students with financial need and awards each of them a $1,000 tuition scholarship.
About the Recipients:
Mary Rasura (she/her) is pursuing a master’s degree in sociology at Florida Atlantic University, where she founded OutFAU, an LGBTQ+ student newspaper, after the university eliminated its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Her reporting covers housing insecurity, public policy and LGBTQ+ communities, and her work has appeared in OutSFL, PRISM, Homeless Voice, Stet News and South Florida Gay News. For CONNECT, she reported on the Castro Country Club, a queer recovery space in San Francisco. Read Mary’s CONNECT story.
Eliot Faine (any/all) is an Oakland-based journalist who covers education, local government, public safety and breaking news, as well as investigative stories. After completing two journalism certificates at Laney College in fall 2025, Faine served as co-editor in chief of The Citizen in spring 2026. That reporting has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Journalism Association of Community Colleges and the Community College Public Relations Organization. For CONNECT, Faine reported on San Francisco’s queer neighborhoods and community efforts to address housing instability. Read Eliot’s CONNECT story.
To learn more about the CONNECT Student Journalism Training Project, visit nlgja.org/connect-a-student-journalism-training-project. Applications for the 2027 program open in March.