NEWS
NORMAN, Okla. – A University of Oklahoma student has received a prestigious Pulitzer Center Campus Consortium Reporting Fellowship to support international sports reporting.
Hannah Bryant, a senior in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication from Choctaw, Okla., will use the fellowship's funding and resources to report on women’s softball and international athletic participation as athletes prepare for global competition leading into the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“Receiving this fellowship is the biggest blessing I could have ever imagined,” Bryant said. “I know it's very competitive, and I know that this country and even this school are just ripe with so many talented young journalists.”
OU’s participation in the Pulitzer Center’s Campus Consortium is supported by Gaylord’s Nicole and Evan H. Katz International Reporting Program, which was established in 2022 through a $1 million gift from the Jerold B. Katz Foundation. Each year, Gaylord students are encouraged to submit story proposals to the Pulitzer Center, with one student from the college selected to pursue their story through the fellowship.
As part of her reporting project, Bryant aims to travel this summer and talk to softball players, coaches and fans, among others. Her work will examine the athlete experience and pathways to international competition.
“I love the human elements behind sports, as well as the intersection of sports with culture and with politics,” Bryant said. “It goes a lot deeper than what you just see as a product on the field.”
Bryant expects to finish her story by the end of the summer, with the goal of getting it published in news outlets. From there, she could continue reporting on athletes: her dream career is a sportswriter, building on her many years as a sports fan.
Bryant’s time at OU has taught her to have an open mindset and the value of showing up for others and accepting their help. Bryant also emphasized how important Gaylord was in acclimating her to the rapidly evolving world of journalism, where reporters often take on more roles in their work.
“I would just tell young people pursuing journalism to let go of any fear or apprehension that they have about it,” Bryant said. “Because even though the landscape is changing so fast, that also means that there are new opportunities – new jobs even – being created that people couldn't have imagined a few years before.”
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
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