Batt Editor Receives Scholarship

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Amanda Casanova, editor-in-chief of "The Battalion," the student newspaper at Texas A&M University, has received a $3,000 scholarship from the Headliners Foundation in Austin. She was honored at a luncheon featuring Dan Rather as keynote speaker.

Casanova, a senior English major and journalism minor, is from Lufkin. As Battalion editor, she leads a group of about 80 student journalists.

Her interest in journalism began in the seventh grade. “She did a newspaper for our street called the 'Ginnway Gazette,'” said her mother, Teresa Casanova. “It was just a one-pager and she would feature one of the kids in the neighborhood or a family going out of town on vacation.”

Rather, a former CBS anchor and current host of “Dan Rather Reports,” shared advice with scholarship recipients, who in addition to Casanova, included students from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Christian University and Texas State University.

“It is always tough in journalism. To do it and enjoy it…more importantly, to make it, you have to burn with a hot, hard flame,” Rather said. “It’s tough to make it; tough to stay in it; it’s tough to climb the ladder. You have to be lucky; you have to be in the right place at the right time. To have that perseverance is very, very important.”

Casanova said she has a set of goals she hopes to accomplish while editor-in-chief. In addition, she believes that through the education of reporters and consistent communication with other student organizations and administrators, "The Battalion" will succeed.

“We are to be a watchdog of the administration and produce accurate and interesting content daily for readers,” Casanova said. “'Battalion' reporters are to be the eyes, ears and voice of Texas A&M and uphold the Aggie Honor Code through integrity of the press.”

Contact: Cheri Shipman, Battalion adviser, 979-458-1207; Amanda Casanova at 979-845-3315; Tura King, 979-845-4670 or tura-king@tamu.edu.

For more news about Texas A&M University, go to http://tamunews.tamu.edu.