College Sports Information Directors of America

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) scholarships committee awarded undergraduate scholarships in the amount of $2,500 to Kimberly Folkes (Richmond, VA) of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Adam Holtz (Kaukauna, WI) of Bethany Lutheran College and Laura Schoenberger (Fort Scott, KS) of Pittsburg State University. The scholarships are awarded to outstanding undergraduates who are an integral part of his or her institutions sports information office and who plan to pursue a career in sports information profession. Folkes has served as an assistant in the sports information office at Virginia Tech for the past year. She coordinated radio, print and television interviews for Virginia Tech student-athletes, wrote press releases for football and men’s and women’s swimming and diving, wrote features for game-day publications and assisted with game-day operations for Virginia Tech’s volleyball, swimming and diving, wrestling, basketball, lacrosse and softball programs. Among her many duties, she also worked as an assistant contact for Virginia Tech football player Lee Suggs. “This scholarship really helps me get my foot in the door in the sports information business,” said Folkes. “I have only been around the profession for a little over a year, but this scholarship will definitely help me continue my education within the realms of sports information.” Folkes is working towards her bachelors degree in communication studies, with minors in psychology and sociology. Holtz has been an assistant with the athletics department at Bethany Lutheran, in Mankato, MN, for the past three years. In that timeframe, he has served as a football statistician and has been responsible for the administration of baseball stats and averages. “I want to thank CoSIDA and the scholarships committee for awarding me this scholarship,” said Holtz. “I realize the work students do in the sports information business is important not only to the college, but also to the industry. This scholarship is a great way of helping develop the SID profession to make it a more popular job choice in the future.” Holtz, a Mankato, MN, native, is majoring in business administration and is pursuing a minor in communications and management information systems. Shoenberger has experience in the sports information offices of two different university, assisting at Southwest Missouri State for two years prior to working at Pittsburg State University. At Pittsburg State, she has served as the primary media contact for the cross country and track and field programs and has also worked with the stat crews for football, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, track and field, baseball and softball. Shoenberger is working towards her bachelors degree in communications with a dual emphasis in public relations and news editorial. CoSIDA awards $45,000 annually through its scholarship and internship grant programs. The organization sponsors two post-graduate and three undergraduate scholarships that are awarded to individuals and two graduate and three undergraduate internships awarded to member institutions. The awards are meant to support the quality staffing of member offices and the development of young talent in collegiate sports information.