The award is given to a deserving journalism student in his sophomore or junior year who has held an internship or job outside of college in the print journalism field. This year, there were two recipients, who each received a $1,000 cash prize to be applied towards educational expenses.
The other scholarship recipient was Stacey Perlman who works part-time at the Attleboro Sun Times. The Northeastern University student is from Mapleville.
URI Journalism Chairwoman Linda Lotridge Levin nominated Barrett for the award. The South Kingstown native has worked as a reporter for the on-campus newspaper, The Good 5? Cigar, and The Warwick Beacon. He has also held an editorial position at The Cranston Herald. Barrett has covered city council meetings, profiled prominent local citizens and investigated government cover-ups. One of his favorite assignments exposed election problems in Cranston.
“I continue to shake my head in amazement at what he has done and is doing with his passion for journalism,” said Levin. “I thank my lucky stars he is one of our students.”