ORONO – Four University of Maine students have been recognized for their commitment to careers in journalism with tuition scholarships from two newspaper organizations.

The Maine Press Association awarded a $2,000 scholarship to Jennifer Gundersen of Bangor and $500 scholarships to Amanda Bouley of Greenville and Michele Savage of Scarborough. Courier Publications, based in Rockland, honored Bouley and Tracy Collins of Bangor with $1,000 scholarships.

“Journalism at UMaine has been excellent,” said Gundersen. “The professors are really great and take an interest in you beyond the classroom by helping you find jobs. There are also outstanding opportunities to get involved with the university’s student newspaper, the Maine Campus.”

Gundersen will enter her senior year as editor of the Maine Campus. She plans to pursue a career at a daily newspaper and eventually teach journalism. This summer she is working as press coordinator for Sean Faircloth’s 2nd District congressional campaign.

Bouley, a senior, has worked two semesters for the Maine Campus and is interested in both print and broadcast journalism. She has had a summer internship at the Moosehead Messenger in Greenville.

Savage, a senior, has worked three years for the Maine Campus and will be its advertising manager in the fall. Last summer she was an intern at the George J. Mitchell Research Institute in Portland, and she has been an intern at Swardlick Marketing Group, where she participated in media relations work for OpSail Maine 2000. She hopes to use her journalism skills working for a nonprofit organization.

Collins, a sophomore, has been a writer and layout assistant for the Maine Campus and will be its production manager in the fall. A former editor of the Bangor High School Ram-Page, she is also student coordinator for the Maine Center for Student Journalism. Collins is currently a summer intern at the Bar Harbor Times.

The Maine Press Association and Courier Publications scholarships honor students who maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average while demonstrating interest in a newspaper journalism career. Recipients will be recognized at the fall conference of the Maine Press Association in Bar Harbor.