For Immediate Release

AUSTIN – Journalism student Christine Vo of the University of Texas at Arlington has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Ralph Langer Scholarship by the nonprofit Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.

Vo, an award-winning photojournalist and multimedia editor, has worked for The Shorthorn student newspaper at UT-Arlington, capturing the Texas Rangers’ World Series victory parade, Pride events, Palestine protests and other breaking news. Vo will receive a $6,000 scholarship for the 2024-25 academic year.

The FOI Foundation’s scholarship committee is presenting an additional $1,500 Langer Scholarship to Christian DeBrady of the University of Texas at Austin. DeBrady is currently working with the Dallas Morning News Journalism Innovation Endowment at UT-Austin and in the Center for Media Engagement. He has been a projects reporter for The Daily Texan, interned with a television digital media team through the Emma Bowen Foundation and participated in the New York Times Corps for college students.

“Christine Vo and Christian DeBrady have each demonstrated a passion for a career in journalism. Through their studies and news activities outside of classes, they have already begun working hard to inform the public about the important issues of our times,” said Kelley Shannon, executive director of the FOI Foundation.

The scholarship for undergraduate journalism and photojournalism students was created in memory of Ralph Langer, a guiding light as the FOI Foundation became the state’s leading voice on transparency and the First Amendment.

The FOI Foundation also announced the presentation of a $1,000 Joel White Scholarship for 2024-25 to Dalia El-Giar of the Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth. El-Giar is focused on public interest law and is scheduled to graduate in May 2025.

El-Giar has interned with Catholic Charities of Dallas and with attorneys and judges in Texas and Louisiana. She works with her law school’s Innocence Project Clinic and plans to intern this summer with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

“We applaud Dalia El-Giar’s commitment to her legal career and her strong belief that the First Amendment is essential to amplifying the voices and interests of her clients,” Shannon said.

The law school scholarship honors the late attorney Joel White, a past president of the FOI Foundation of Texas. White was a longtime champion of open government and the First Amendment rights of free speech and free press. He remained on the FOIFT board until his death in 2018.

Ralph Langer, who died in August 2021, was executive editor and vice president of The Dallas Morning News before his retirement in the late 1990s. He led the newspaper to six Pulitzer Prizes. Langer was a president of the nonprofit FOI Foundation of Texas and served as the founding president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. He continued to support the FOI Foundation of Texas by serving on the board of the FOI Supporting Foundation board until he passed away.

Kathy Langer, his wife of 61 years who has also been a dedicated volunteer with the FOI Foundation, provided a generous contribution to create the Langer memorial scholarship. “Ralph’s professional life revolved around the importance of freedom of information and what it means to every American,” she has noted. Others have also contributed to her effort to honor Ralph Langer and assist today’s up-and-coming journalists.

Contributions continue to be accepted for both the Langer and White scholarships to help fund the awards in future years.

The FOI Foundation of Texas, founded in 1978, is dedicated to protecting the rights of free speech and free press and to enhancing the public’s right to know about government through access to records and meetings.

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Contact: Kelley Shannon, Executive Director
Phone: 512-377-1575
Cell: 512-914-9222
Email: [email protected]