Chris Carr: 1998 Devroy Fellow

The Ann Devroy Fellowship has had the impact on me and on my journalism career that I hoped it would, if not more. It’s a treat now to look back and think about the fellowship. What journalism student at UW-Eau Claire would not dream of being invited to start his post- college newspaper career at The Washington Post? Who would not want to receive the fellowship carrying the name of one of his school’s most respected professionals? It didn’t seem real then, but it’s easy to see now what a gift the fellowship was to me and continues to be for our journalism department. The fellowship was more than a once-in-a-career opportunity — it was motivation, it was the good kind of pressure, and it was a career head start unlike any other in journalism.

I arrived in Washington ready to be a sponge and a workaholic and with a strong desire to live up to the expectations of Devroy’s former coworkers. I left with a much better understanding of how a daily newspaper operation works and a good idea about how the best in the business got to be just that. My experiences in Washington and later in Milwaukee prepared me well for a career in print journalism. Today, nine years later, I have a job I love for the paper where I always wanted to work. Would I have arrived at this place without the Ann Devroy Fellowship experience? It’s a question I’ve raised to myself plenty of times, and the only conclusion I come up with is thank goodness I didn’t have to find out.

Steve Hyden: 1999 Devroy Fellow

Winning the Devroy Fellowship was sort of like being asked to tour with The Beatles. Every single reporter and editor at The Washington Post was like a rock star to me. I sat next to Howard Kurtz in the newsroom. I ate in the lunchroom with David Broder. I talked shop with Len Downie. To call it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity doesn't go far enough — most journalists will live their whole lives and never get the chance to be part of one of the world's great news organizations, if only for a month.

Lori Kurtzman: 2000 Devroy Fellow

I got the letter junior year. Congratulations, it said. You’ve won the Ann Devroy Fellowship. And I remember standing there, my hands shaking, thinking: How will I ever prove I’m worthy of this? Well, here I am, seven years later, still trying.

What the Devroy award meant to me was a chance to learn more about a great journalist, to explore the power and impact of newspapers, to sit amid the energy and cluttered desks of a professional newsroom and understand what this business of digesting and sharing information was all about.

It got me hooked. I left for Washington with a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do. I came back without a doubt in my mind. My time at my internship in Madison only reinforced it: Yeah, journalism was definitely for me.

In the time since, I’ve written hundreds of stories at three different newspapers, covering the big issues and the small ones, always looking for what’s important, always trying to tell it in a way that matters. This journalism bug — what I picked up at the Spectator and what became inflamed in Washington and Madison — has stubbornly failed to respond to treatment. I sit at a cluttered desk in the Cincinnati Enquirer newsroom just loving this. But am I worthy yet of the Ann Devroy Fellowship? No way. Check back in another seven years.

Leah Thorsen: 2001 Devroy Fellow

During my fellowship at The Washington Post, I got my first taste of reporting on crime. I spent several days with two talented criminal justice reporters who not only let me tag along with them, but who took the time to talk about their work and answer my questions. It made me realize that this was the kind of reporting that I wanted to do. My seven months at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, also part of the Ann Devroy Fellowship program, further cemented that notion.

Today I cover 16 police departments and a bustling criminal courts system as a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter. I’m grateful for the experience the Ann Devroy Fellowship gave me.

Tim Ruzek: 2002 Devroy Fellow

Excitement and anxiety filled me on my way to D.C. I was a small-town, southern Minnesotan heading to a three-week venture in a major U.S. city to work at one of the nation’s biggest newspapers.

My fellowship was amazing and unforgettable thanks to my hosts and The Post staff. It was a journalism and history geek’s dream come true, seeing famous D.C. sites, big-wig reporters and journalists and President Bush at the White House.

I think about my time there quite often. With snow and frigid temps, though, you could say I’m still bitter I didn’t have the so-called mild D.C. winter for my walk to the subway and work. But, in seriousness, I always will be grateful to UW-Eau Claire, The Post and Ann Devroy’s family for the opportunity.

Kelly McBride: 2003 Devroy Fellow

My experience as a Devroy fellow has served me well in my early career as a journalist. Spending time at The Washington Post, I was able to learn from the best reporters in the business, gaining from not only their wealth of experience, but also from their stories about the legendary Ann Devroy. My time in Washington — the people I met, places I saw and what I experienced — was positively indescribable.

In addition to three wonderful weeks at The Post, the summer internship I earned literally helped launch my career. I spent three months as an intern at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, where I am currently employed as the paper’s education reporter. It’s given me a great start.

Gina Duwe: 2004 Devroy Fellow

I am still amazed at how much knowledge and confidence I gained in such a short time during my internships. The Devroy Fellowship offered many opportunities — from reporting at President Bush’s second inauguration for The Washington Post to writing lead stories for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

My experiences cemented my passion for reporting and gave me a solid foundation as I entered the profession. Topped with inspiring stories about Ann Devroy’s talent and determination, her career has been the perfect example as I begin my own as a reporter at the Janesville Gazette.

Dennis J. (D.J.) Slater: 2005 Devroy Fellow

Words do not do justice to the significance the Ann Devroy Fellowship has had on my life. It sent me on a journey very few can walk this early in their careers, and it’s provided me with a perspective I will never forget.

Ann Devroy set a high, yet brilliant standard in journalism, and I’m humbled to have been honored with the award named for her. With the Devroy Fellowship, I’ve been able to make impressive strides in my young career. No matter how far I advance, I will always remember the lessons from this honor.

Devroy made a lasting impression in the field because she always stayed determined and worked beyond the limitations of her abilities. I hope to leave a similar impression as I walk in the footsteps of Ann Devroy, and possibly, leave a few of my own along the way.

Sara Boyd: 2006 Devroy Fellow

Having the opportunity to participate in a fellowship in the memory of Ann Devroy has been a great honor. The people I’ve met through working at The Washington Post have made this experience invaluable and have fueled my passion for journalism.

Nicholas Halter : 2007 Devroy Fellow

Much as the other Devroy fellows will tell you, this opportunity has already had a huge impact on my career and life. The things I learned at The Washington Post have been so valuable to me and equally important to The Spectator. Being able to take some of the skills I learned and apply them to the paper will hopefully leave it in better shape than before I went to D.C.

On top of that, I will be heading to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this summer, which will do wonders for my career. I’m sure I don’t speak alone when I say thank you to Ann Devroy and everyone who made this fellowship possible.

Janie Boschma : 2008 Devroy Fellow

After returning from Washington, it’s been hard to answer the questions: How was Washington? How was the inauguration? What was it like?

Well, I’d ask, how much time do you have? I still can’t pinpoint the highlight because there were so many of them! Following reporters around at the inauguration and the Supreme Court, spending the day at Capitol Hill sitting in on press conferences and listening to Vice President Biden’s farewell speech to the Senate, witnessing Obama mania, talking about journalism almost nonstop with Mark Matthews, Craig, Carol and the boys, and meeting so many talented individuals… they all stand out to me. It really felt like a dream for me, to spend so much consecutive time doing and learning about what I love. Most of all, though, I enjoyed hearing from Ann’s colleagues stories about her and the tremendous impact she had on The Washington Post newsroom and the overall political climate. I was reading about her on the ride back to Arlington after a late night with the Post and was so engrossed that I missed the metro stop, only to wait another half-hour for the next train.

Being there in Ann’s honor was sometimes a bit overwhelming. I’ve never felt so humble and empowered at the same time. I know one thing for sure, though. Whatever shape journalism takes in the next few decades, I want to be part of it. It’s tempting to be discouraged in today’s tumult, but the world needs strong journalists now more than ever. If we can’t individually match Ann’s legacy, we can together as solid, determined reporters. Thank you, everyone, for making this opportunity possible.

McLean Bennett : 2009 Devroy Fellow

I think the biggest lesson I learned while staying in Washington, D.C. is this: Journalism is all about details.

As one Washington Post staff writer told me: Take note of the type of shoes your sources wear and the type of cigarette they smoke; and always ask them where they grew up and what their parents do for a living. The essence of good journalism, that reporter told me, lies in asking not just the obvious questions, but in asking the unexpected ones and rooting up facts most other reporters overlook.

There were a lot of other things I learned in D.C., though: I discovered that Facebook is much more than a a social networking tool to keep me connected with friends and family -- it can be an invaluable tool to help track down leads and sources; and Twitter, in the right hands, can be a rich wellspring of hidden news tips.

But the overall experience of living and working in D.C. was just as important and beneficial as were the lessons I learned there. I remember remarking to my dad after returning home that my trip had been one of the best experiences of my life -- the people I met (whether in the newsroom or in a taxi cab) and the lessons I learned were immeasurably beneficial to me as a professional and as a student.

I cannot thank enough the professional reporters and editors who took me under their wing that January and showed me what made their jobs and The Washington Post so amazing. The lessons I learned, and the experience as a whole, will not be soon forgotten.

Breann Schossow : 2010 Devroy Fellow

Immediately after the13th Ann Devroy Forum ended, I was juggling my laptop (which was used to send tweets about the event for an assignment) while receiving hugs and well wishes, glowing with excitement. A man approached me, and held out his hand, introducing himself as a family member of Ann’s. I’ll never forget what he said to me.

“I see Ann in you.”

And then he stepped out of line, letting the next person step up to greet me.

That, in itself, is what makes this Fellowship so fantastic. Ann was simply amazing. Knowing that her legacy, determination and thirst for the truth live on in each of the fellows is good for our profession. It is an immense honor to be named as an Ann Devroy Fellow.

With that in mind, I headed to The Washington Post  January 2011.
Spending three weeks there has left me with an unquenchable thirst for this profession. I had the chance to learn the ins and outs of the newsroom, while shadowing some of the most remarkable reporters I have ever met. People who, like Ann, strive to be even better than is possible to do their jobs.

From my day in the Supreme Court to sitting in on the beginning of the health care repeal debate in the House to helping a reporter interview neighbors of a young mother dead before her time, I have changed. I am not the same journalist I was, because learning more about the profession I love has made me better. I will strive to be better than my very best to carry on Ann Devroy’s legacy, determination and thirst for the truth.

It’s an amazing way to begin a journalism career, and something that I’m indescribably grateful for. Thank you.

Frank Pellegrino : 2011 Devroy Fellow