by Alli Inglebright
Anna Fobair has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 McCaffrey Emerging Media Scholarship. The scholarship will allow Fobair to complete her senior year without having to worry about tuition.
The $4,000 scholarship is awarded every year to a student in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications who is minoring in computer science, informatics or another tech-related field. Fobair is a senior double majoring in broadcast journalism and advertising and public relations, and minoring in informatics and English.
“I was really surprised that I won because I didn’t think I should have,” Fobair said. “I’m very grateful and humbled to receive the scholarship. I’m not someone who like to brag about myself, but it’s nice to be able to take a moment and be proud of myself. My parents are also very excited for me.”
Being a McCaffrey scholar has opened many doors for Fobair, including the possibility of pursuing a master’s degree.
“My parents have been gracious enough to set aside money for my college education,” Fobair said. “Since I don’t have to worry about tuition this year, I can use the money my parents have been saving and put it towards a master’s degree if I want. The scholarship has also allowed me to take extra classes that aren’t counting towards my degree but are providing great experience.”
Fobair is part of Jacht Ad Lab this semester, which doesn’t count towards her degree but is allowing her to get hands-on experience with real world clients. She is an account executive and is learning how to lead her team.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself in Jacht,” Fobair said. “I’m learning there are different ways to be a team leader. You can be really strict or you can be more laid back and casual.”
Upon graduation in May, Fobair isn’t sure what she wants to do. Right now, she would like to find work at an advertising agency, preferably in New York. She spent her summer interning with Weber Shandwick in New York as part of their technology team. She is considering continuing down that path or switching to working with consumer products.
“I also have two dream jobs,” Fobair said. “The first one is to be an anchor on the Today Show. The second one, which would be more feasible, is to work for an international adoption agency on in the communications department. I was adopted from China when I was almost 2 and would love to travel and tell the children’s stories.”
Fobair grew up in Bettendorf, Iowa, and followed in her grandfather’s and father’s footsteps when she decided to attend University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
“The decision to attend University of Nebraska–Lincoln was a heritage thing, but the journalism program also won me over,” Fobair said. “I knew I wanted to do something that was creative and involved writing. I liked that PR combined both of those things and would give me a lot of options.”
The McCaffrey Emerging Media Scholarship was created in 2013 by Cindy Coglianese McCaffrey. McCaffrey, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln aluma, created Google’s early marketing communications strategy. She created the scholarship to help students as they embark into the unknown world of emerging media.
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