West Virginia University’s Ivy Smith was one of only 10 students across the nation awarded a $10,000 Scripps Howard Foundation Top Ten Scholarship.

It’s amazing,said Smith, a senior news-editorial major from Keyser.I really still can’t believe it. I’m honored that the panel thinks this highly of my work and of me.

Smith, the first Top Ten scholar from the WVU Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism, was selected based on academic achievement and a demonstrated interest in journalism as a career. She also submitted a personal essay on long-term goals and a portfolio of work and recommendations as part of her application. An independent panel of professionals judged the entries.

We are so very proud to have such an outstanding student as Ivy,said acting Dean Maryanne Reed.She is a truly exceptional student, a dedicated journalist and a student that every teacher loves to have in the classroom.

Smith has worked for The Dominion Post in Morgantown, the Cumberland (Md.) Times-News and the Mineral Daily News-Tribune in Keyser. She is the daughter of Bill and Amy Smith of Keyser.

Smith was also the first in the journalism school’s history to be chosen to attend the Scripps Howard Foundation’s Semester in Washington Program, which she will attend in the fall.

Your strong application, clips and recommendations make clear that you are ready to be a reporter in Washington,Jody Beck, director of the Semester in Washington Program, told Smith in her acceptance letter.

During the program, students report for work each day at Scripps Howard News Service prepared to report and write a variety of stories. In addition to perfecting their news writing skills, students talk with experts at the Capitol, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the Student Press Law Center, the Washington Post, the Federal Reserve, among other sites, in order to better understand how to cover the news.

I couldn’t have done it without the school and the help of Ogden Newspapers Visiting Professor George Esper,Smith said.He and the school have helped me make the contacts that I need in the field and have opened so many doors as far as writing opportunities and career opportunities.