2019 Features (Medium Staff) Finalist: Chalkbeat Staff

“Ready or Not: Are Students From Struggling Cities Ready for College? And Are Colleges Ready for Them?”

About the Entry

Lori Higgins and Patrick Wall turned their attention to the college completion crisis and went beyond the statistics to show readers what the first year of college looks and feels like for low-income students.

Comments from the Judges

“This extremely well-reported and written package addresses a variety of critical topics on both a local and national scale.”

“Powerful storytelling. (I can) tell the reporters spent a lot of time finding great subjects to follow, spending time with them and their families and getting to know them. (These are) important stories that are difficult to tell, and that demand time and persistence.”