Scholarship Spotlight: Nora Wesson
Staff Reporter, Student, Upper East Side
Personal bio:
Passionate about local stories and local people, Nora Wesson covers all things Upper East Side for online newspaper Upper East Site. When she’s not working, Nora is reading up on disability justice, knitting baby hats, and searching NYC high and low for the perfect iced mocha. A native New Yorker, she hopes to use her career to tell the stories that don’t get told, and expand newsroom representation of those not often given a seat at the table.
What year did you win your NYWICI Scholarship?
2022
What did receiving a NYWICI scholarship mean to you?
Receiving my scholarship made me feel uplifted in a community where I didn’t have to be perfect all the time. NYWICI is a organization that celebrates the moments of strength, and the moments of vulnerability that we as women experience in this male-dominated industry. Being honored in this way, and being welcomed into such a large but tight-knit community of women storytellers and changemakers has been transformative, and for the first time, I see so many paths stretched out in front of me, the footprints of those who walked them before me not yet faded. Even if I were to pave my own path, I know there are friends and colleagues and mentors in NYWICI that would lift me up and encourage me every step of the way.
How has receiving the NYWICI scholarship helped with your career?
Receiving the scholarship has increased my confidence exponentially. When I applied, I had not yet published a single article, yet now, after the panelists in my interview assured me I was a true journalist despite having no clips, I have published over 120. Should I change jobs, I know I can turn to NYWICI for advice, mentorship, and opportunities I would not have access to otherwise.
How do you plan to give back to the NYWICI community or pay it forward?
Whenever I meet a woman studying some aspect of communications, I point them toward NYWICI. I hope to volunteer further with the organization, as it has given me so much. Even small gestures, like reading and watching the work of my fellow scholarship winners, as they do for me, helps us all to encourage, advocate for, and inspire each other.
Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for future scholarship applicants?
Always go for it. Don’t be afraid of being vulnerable in the scholarship interview. I’ve never felt so supported and encouraged in an interview before. It was clear to me, and it will be clear to you, that every woman on that panel wants you to succeed.