Welcome to the family

“It’s an incredible thing, this opportunity,” Maria Montoya said as she welcomed Scholars to the program on behalf of alums working across the country.

Montoya, a features reporter at The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, said the program provides a family of support, opens doors to careers and offers ongoing training. Montoya, who was married just Saturday in Louisville, Ky., told audience members that she begged for the opportunity to join them at dinner because she feels so strongly about the value of the program.

Montoya (shown above with Felix Gutierrez, journalism professor at the University of Southern California, left, and John Quinn) was one of five alums joining new Scholars at dinner. They – along with career coaches Colleen Fitzpatrick, Pearl Stewart and Mary Ann Hogan – will speak to the group throughout orientation.

The evening opened with co-founder John C. Quinn, who told the Scholars that he saw “the Chips spirit” in them. “One reason you’re here is that you are special.”

Quinn said the purpose of the program is “to change the face of journalism.” He told Scholars that “we’re counting on you to carry on the goals of this program.”

Blue and silver balloons decorated the Freedom Forum dining room, setting the stage for Karen Catone to mark the naming of the 1,000th Scholar. “The Chips Quinn Scholars Program is now more than 1,000 strong,” Catone said. “But it takes just one of you to make a difference.”