American University (AU) senior Maya Cederlund has been named the 2025 AU School of Communication White House Correspondents’ Association Investigative Journalism Scholarship winner by a panel of judges made up of SOC faculty and alumni.

Cederlund is the DEI and Community Engagement editor at The Eagle, AU’s award-winning student newspaper, and a reporting fellow at the Investigative Reporting Workshop. The journalism major and Denver native is also the co-founder and co-president of AU’s Asian American Journalists Association chapter.

"I'm honored to have been selected for the 2025 WHCA Scholarship. I'm excited to join a talented group of passionate student journalists, and I'm especially looking forward to the WHCA dinner and mentorship opportunities. Post graduation, I'm hoping to pursue a full-time career in investigative and accountability journalism," said Cederlund.

Student applicants were asked to submit examples of their investigative reporting work and an essay about how it exemplifies their career paths. Judges said Cederlund’s years-long Title IX investigation showcased tenacity and promise in the field of investigative reporting. Her application essay spoke about her passion for “holding institutions accountable and amplifying marginalized voices through journalism.”

The award carries a $6,000 scholarship this year, the highest monetary award to date. The funding for the award is split between $3,500 from the WHCA, $1,000 from SOC’s Journalism division, and $1500 from SOC Dean’s office.

In addition, the honor includes mentorship from a White House press corps journalist, a ticket to the WHCA black-tie awards dinner on April 26, and a scholarship luncheon tentatively set for the day before.

Judges this year included professor Amy Eisman, who also judges the professional division of the WHCA awards; Dan Merica, an SOC alumnus and investigative reporter covering politics and artificial intelligence for the Associated Press; Chris Halsne, SOC Investigative Reporter in Residence; and Whitney Harris Christopher, SOC's associate division director for journalism.