For Immediate Release:
Contact: Jess Davidson, jdavidson@aapd.com; 202-975-0960
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is proud to announce the eight recipients of the 2025 NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship. With generous support from NBCUniversal, the NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship was named after Tony Coelho, a former United States Representative and the primary author and sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The scholarship is provided to undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities who are interested in future careers in the communications, media, or entertainment industries.
“NBCUniversal is honored to continue supporting the next generation of media leaders through
the Tony Coelho Media Scholarship,” said Craig Robinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Inclusion Officer. “These students demonstrate talent, ambition, and a commitment to making an impact in the industry. We look forward to seeing the contributions they will make as they pursue their academic and professional goals.”
“Like disabled people, media is everywhere and touches every aspect of life. To combat ableism, which is also everywhere, we need accurate and powerful representations of disabled people in all kinds of media. This year’s NBCU Tony Coelho Media Scholarship awardees represent the breadth of opportunities for disability representation in everything from film and journalism to music composition and printmaking. I am extremely grateful to NBCUniversal for their ongoing partnership and support of these talented students,” said Maria Town, AAPD President and CEO.
Award recipients received $5,625 each to help cover the cost of education at their current college or university. Each recipient of the 2025 NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship was chosen for their demonstrated knowledge and passion in media industry. The recipients were also selected based not only on their commitment and contribution to disability representation in the media, but also their future aspirations to meaningfully include and engage the disability community in their careers. During the 2025-2026 school year, NBCUniversal and AAPD will collaborate to provide several opportunities to support the recipient’s growth in their academic pursuits and career development.
Please join us in congratulating the recipients of the 2025 NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship! You can read the recipients’ full biographies and learn more about the NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship on our website.
- Anthony McFarland-Smith (he/him), Gallaudet University: Undergraduate Freshman studying Communications Studies (Sports).
- Ashley Castillo (she/her), CUNY Craig Newmark School of Journalism: Graduate Student (Master of Arts) in Journalism. Broadcast Journalism, Concentration, Local Accountability.
- Itai Hershko (he/him), Indiana University: Undergraduate Freshman studying Media Entrepreneurship.
- John Bennett (he/him): University of Wisconsin, Madison: Graduate Student (PhD) studying Film Studies.
- Juniper Johnson (she/her), Loyola Marymount University: Graduate Student (Master of Fine Arts) studying Writing for Film and TV Production.
- Matthew Hua (he/him), Columbia College Chicago: Graduate Student (Master of Fine Arts) studying Music Composition for the Screen.
- Rosemarie Shamim (she/her), Glendale Community College: Undergraduate Senior studying Journalism and Film
- Shanelly Nunez (she/her), Rochester Institute of Technology: Undergraduate Senior studying printmaking.