Nikole Valiente, who served as the editor-in-chief of The Reporter during the 2023-2024 school year, won the Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship.
The $3,000 fellowship is an opportunity for student journalists to spend a summer writing long-form news articles about Harrison County in Kentucky; it’s in partnership with the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Valiente, the seventh winner of the Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship, will begin on May 26.
“I’m so excited to be able to step foot in Harrison County, which is where I’ll be reporting, and I look forward to getting to know the people there,” Valiente said. “I look forward to improving as a journalist, growing in how I write, the questions I ask, and learning how to find news stories.”
In November of 2024, Valiente earned first-place honors in sports writing, feature story and sports column from the Florida College System Publications Association for her work at The Reporter.
Valiente graduated from North Campus in 2024 with an associate degree.
The 22-year-old is currently a senior at Florida International University and a contributor to Caplin News, their student-led media outlet. She is expected to graduate in April of 2027 with a bachelor’s degree in digital journalism.
