First-year student Cally Gudroe awarded prestigious Guy P. Gannett Journalism Scholarship

Just two months into her first semester at the University of New England, Cally Gudroe (Communications and Media Arts, ’28) is already making her mark as a young journalist, having been recognized with one of Maine’s most prestigious journalism scholarships.

Gudroe is a 2024 recipient of the Guy P. Gannett Journalism Scholarship from the Maine Community Foundation (MCF). The Gannett Scholarship provides support for students majoring in journalism or a related field and helps pay tuition for undergraduate or graduate studies.

This year, MCF awarded $211,000 in Gannett Scholarship funds to 21 students from Maine, and Gudroe’s selection reflects both her talent and commitment to community-focused storytelling.

Guy P. Gannett, a champion of local journalism, built his career on the belief that small communities deserve compelling news coverage just as much as larger cities. Gudroe embodies that same spirit. In high school, she co-founded her school’s first-ever newspaper with friends, realizing the importance of sharing stories that might otherwise go untold.

“We knew our school needed a newspaper, so we went to an administrator and built it together,” said Gudroe of Dexter, Maine. That early experience cemented her passion for journalism, which was further fueled by a multimedia production class at a local technical school. 

And Gudroe’s drive hasn’t slowed since arriving at UNE: mere weeks into her college career, she is completing paid work in UNE’s Community News Fellows program, where she reports for Saco Bay News, an online outlet founded by publisher and storied local reporter Liz Gotthelf to fill the gap in local news coverage in York County. 

Gudroe recently published her first article, a piece on how an elementary cross-country program benefits young runners.

“Community news matters because it focuses on the stories that are local and personal to the people who live there,” Gudroe said. “Larger outlets sometimes miss these important stories when they prioritize broader topics.”

Gudroe’s journalism pursuits extend beyond the newsroom. She recently participated in a groundbreaking project at UNE’s new Nor’easter Production Studio, where she served as an assistant director during an interview with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rick Goldsmith. The experience was especially meaningful for her, she said, as she worked alongside an all-woman crew.

“Being in a setting that was not only professional but also welcoming and woman-led felt really empowering,” she said. “The journalism field has a history of misogyny, and being part of this experience felt like we were setting a new standard at UNE for what women in journalism can achieve.”

Gudroe reflected on the foundational experiences that led her to UNE, including her time as a high school tri-varsity athlete, plus her love for history, sports broadcasting, and community reporting. 

She said those experiences are shaping her ambitions for the future, which will hopefully include global travel — in fact, she chose UNE in part for its one-of-a-kind global education experiences, where 32% of undergraduates study abroad for a semester or take a travel course.

“I love Maine; it’s home,” she reflected. “But I also have a traveler’s heart.”

That said, she remains deeply connected to her home state.

“I’ve lived in Maine my whole life, and I love it here,” Gudroe said. “I’d like to explore and see what’s out there, but if my career brings me back to Maine, I’d be happy with that, too.”