Allison Mawn awarded A-Mark Scholarship

Allison Mawn (AB ’25), a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in journalism, has been awarded an A-Mark Foundation Scholarship, an award for students pursuing an interest in investigative journalism.

“Scholarships like this are what have made it possible for me to pursue my master’s,” Mawn said about the impact of this award. “This is legitimately life-changing for me because of the opportunities I can now consider that previously were prohibitively expensive for me.”

Mawn has had impressive internship experiences during her time at Grady College including jobs as a business reporting intern at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a digital producer intern at 11Alive and a freelance contributor for the Georgia Bulletin. She has served numerous positions at The Red & Black, the student run newspaper at UGA, including editor in chief, podcast editor and news editor.

Mawn is a National Merit Scholar and a Cox-SABEW Fellow, and has received other scholarships including the Georgia Association of Broadcasters E. Lanier Finch Scholarship and the Todd M. Bauer Memorial Award for Beginning Journalists Scholarship, among others.

She was also on the team that finished in the top three in the nation in the 2024 Reynolds Journalism Institution Student Innovation Competition. 

Mawn graduated in 2025 with degrees in journalism and economics and a minor in American Sign Language.

A-Mark Foundation is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in 1997.

“The A-Mark Foundation is proud to support the future of journalism through the A-Mark Journalism Master’s Scholarship,” said Tracey DeFrancesco, chief operating officer of A-Mark Foundation. “Investigative reporting is critical to keeping the public informed, and this scholarship will help strengthen the pipeline of reporters entering the profession. We’re honored to work with UGA’s Grady College as it continues to train the next generation of talented journalists.”

A-Mark Foundation currently has two major initiatives:  A-Mark Prizes for Investigative Reporting, recognizing the best journalism in every state, and the  A-Mark Journalism Master’s Scholarships for students in journalism master’s programs. They currently grant 21 scholarships in 14 states and the District of Columbia.

“With everything going on in the world right now, I believe it’s more important than ever that we have good journalists on the ground, doing the work,” Mawn concluded. “I am immensely appreciative of A-Mark and Grady’s efforts to support my mission to become one of those journalists.”

Author: Sarah E. Freeman, freemans@uga.edu