"It's just something I was drawn to," said sophomore Elizabeth Aguilar about her love of journalism. "I would really love to be a professional journalist one day." Aguilar is one of four students who have won scholarships from The Stanford Daily for their dedication to the student newspaper and journalism.

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Grant Hochstein

Sophomore David Herbert, senior Devon Maylie and junior Katie Bearman (left to right) are all smiles after winning their respective journalism awards.

Aguilar received the $1,000 Julius Jacobs Friends of The Stanford Daily Award, which is given to a Daily staff member who demonstrates journalistic talent and has made significant contributions to The Daily. She said that the funds will help her afford housing, and hopefully, tuition for next year.

"I was actually really surprised, because when I applied I figured they would give it to someone in news, so I figured my chances weren't that great," said Aguilar, who is a sports editor for The Daily. Aguilar, who will intern at the The Sacramento Valley Mirror this summer, added that she hopes to one day be a professional sports writer.

Senior Devon Maylie received the Newton and Nancy Wise Stanford Daily Award, which is given to someone who has shown promise as a writer or editor and intends to become a professional journalist.

In the coming months, Maylie will work as an editorial intern for the McMinnville News Register, which is based close to her home in Portland, Ore. Maylie has worked at The Daily since the beginning of her freshman year and has since worked as an editor for several volumes.

"The Daily was a really great experience because I got to work with a lot of really great editors over the years, who encouraged me to get involved -- which is how I became an editor," she said.

Maylie said her dream is to become a foreign correspondent in an Asian country. She will be one step closer to her goal this fall, when she interns with the Associated Press in Rome.

Junior Katie Bearman said she almost missed the deadline for the George Caulfield Stanford Daily Award. The $2,000 award is given to a Daily staff member who has contributed to the quality and success of the newspaper.

"I had fun working at The Daily, and it got me really interested in journalism," said Bearman, a news editor for The Daily. She will intern at The Almanac this summer.

"I didn't expect it," she said. "It was a nice surprise."

The three awards are named for the former Daily staffers who fund the scholarships.

Sophomore David Herbert was alone in his boxers eating a block of cheddar cheese over spring break when he received an e-mail that lifted his spirits -- he had won the James S. Robinson Award for Student Journalists, worth $1,000. He immediately called his mother.

"From everything I've heard about Mr. Robinson, it's an incredible honor to win this award," he said. Herbert is also the recipient of the Friends of The Stanford Daily/San Jose Mercury News Internship, offered through the Friends of The Stanford Daily Foundation. He will intern at the Peninsula bureau of the Mercury News, located on University Ave., this summer.

The Robinson Award was established in memory of the former editor of The Stanford Report, who passed away in January 2004.

Herbert donated some of his winnings to UNICEF for Darfur relief and plans to use the rest to pay for housing this summer.

"I am continually impressed by and thankful for the support young journalists receive at Stanford," he added.