2021 Friends Scholarship Recipients

Meet the 2021 winners of Friends scholarships: Alanna Flores ’22, Kate Selig ’23, Mikayla Tillery ’25, Valerie Trapp ’22, Ellie Wong ’23, and Cybele Zhang ’22 Check out their bios and work below.

To learn more about these scholarship opportunities, click here.


Alanna Flores ’22
George Caulfield Award Recipient
Alanna Flores is a rising senior from New Jersey pursuing an M.S. in Management Science and Engineering and a B.S. in Computer Science. She has run The Grind, The Stanford Daily’s lifestyle section, and worked for Stanford Social Innovation Review. Presently, she is an intern on The Washington Post’s newsroom engineering team. In her spare time, she loves to cook and drink copious amounts of coffee. Check out her writing for The Daily here.
Kate Selig ’23
Julius Jacobs Award and Mercury News Internship Recipient
Kate Selig is a rising sophomore likely majoring in philosophy, originally from central Massachusetts. She is the incoming editor in chief of The Stanford Daily, having previously served as a news editor for two volumes and inaugurated the publication’s diversity, equity and inclusion team. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, caring for her plants and tracking down the best iced mochas. Check out her writing for The Daily here.
Mikayla Tillery ’25
William F. Woo Award for Opinions Writing Recipient

Mikayla Tillery is a freshman majoring in International Relations from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is an opinions columnist for The Stanford Daily and has contributed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Malala Fund. In her spare time, she enjoys doing the NYT crossword, writing pen pals, and traveling. Check out her writing for The Daily here.
Valerie Trapp ’22
Julius Jacobs Honorable Mention Award Recipient
Valerie Trapp is a rising senior from the Dominican Republic and Florida majoring in English and International Relations. She writes for Arts & Life and has contributed lifestyle articles to the Grind and USA Today’s Reviewed. She has edited and researched for the Council on Foreign Relations, the Hoover Institution, and Argentina’s Social Security Administration. In her spare time, her days are spent reading contemporary novels, dancing, and locating the nearest beach. Check out her writing for The Daily here.
Ellie Wong ’23
Julius Jacobs Honorable Mention Award Recipient
Ellie Wong is a rising junior majoring in English Literature, and she is originally from Georgia. She is a former podcast editor for The Stanford Daily and has contributed to the Arts and Life and Grind sections. She also takes photos and edits videos for The Daily and finds a wonderful community among the multimedia staffers. Outside of journalism, she enjoys dancing with Cardinal Ballet Company and reading. Check out her work for The Daily here.
Cybele Zhang ’22
George Caulfield Award Recipient
Cybele is a rising senior from Los Angeles, double-majoring in English Literature and German Studies.  She served as sports editor for The Stanford Daily for three volumes and now is a sports senior staff writer.  Her recent articles focus on women in sports, Stanford football, and the intended cutting of men’s volleyball. Check out her writing for The Daily here.