2025–2026 EFA Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarships Awarded

The EFA is pleased to announce that Mariah Mullins, Cameron Rice, and Ja'Dori Scott-Stanley are the recipients of the 2025–2026 EFA Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship. The EFA Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship was founded to support current students and alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) pursuing future careers in publishing and communications in an effort to promote equity in education and cultivate a more diverse publishing industry.

Ms. Mullins is a junior majoring in mass communications with a concentration in digital media at Delaware State University. "I want to say thank you because I've been going through a lot of obstacles in my life," she said. "It means a lot that you picked me not just because of my grades but for who I am as a person. I am all about graphic design and film. I want to take this scholarship to the next level and apply myself to certain things that I know I can get done!"

Mr. Rice is a senior majoring in mass communications at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. "I'm very thankful to be receiving the Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship," he said. "This will help lighten the financial burden of school and also allow me to focus on my studies and my goal of working at a news station."

Ms. Scott-Stanley is a junior majoring in communications (media, journalism, and film) at Howard University in Washington, D.C. "I am thankful that this scholarship not only provides financial assistance but also resources to help me develop my professional career and creative growth," she said. "I aspire to work in the entertainment arena, specifically film, to promote positive imagery in my community. Through my work, I plan to develop innovative projects, inclusive films, and implement programs that address what I feel is missing in the industry — be it multimedia journalism, music, film, or the arts. Your belief in me has ignited a spark within, and I am ever so determined to pay it forward by helping others and leading them to the same resources I have access to." 

EFA Executive Director Autumn A. Arnett said, "As a proud graduate of Clark Atlanta University and a former editor of the HBCU Digest (among other publications), I am thrilled about the EFA's specific commitment to supporting students at historically Black institutions. I will be rooting for the 2025–2026 Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship recipients this year and beyond, and I am so excited for them to have the opportunity to network and connect with other editors of color as well as former recipients of the scholarship."

The EFA Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship is named in memory of Ruth Mullen, longtime EFA member and volunteer. At the time of her tragic death in September 2021, Ms. Mullen was serving as an EFA co-executive.

The scholarship program is being administered by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black college community. TMCF member-schools include the publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), and Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCC). TMCF carries forward the legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall because where you are born should not determine who you can become.

Please consider making a positive impact through a tax-deductible contribution to the scholarship fund. To donate, visit the Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship page on the TMCF website or text EFAGives to 71777.