Post Date: February 10, 2006
First-year student Elizabeth Barchas recently won the Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholarship, an award given to students who aspire to become foreign correspondents. From a pool of more than 175 applicants from 65 different schools, Barchas and 12 students were chosen by a panel of leading journalists. Her winning essay described the human cost of press censorship in Russia.
“HLS allowed me to defer admission so I could study Russian media and censorship on a Fulbright grant,” said Barchas. “My experience abroad gave greater shape to my interest in law school, and I was really excited to receive the OPC award because I hope to use my legal education to promote free speech in Russia both by reporting on the challenges faced by the Russian media and through legal advocacy.”
Barchas won the Flora Lewis Scholarship, named for the Paris bureau chief of the New York Times. The award was presented at a ceremony in New York. More information on the foundation and its scholarship program is available on the OPC Foundation website.