Xavier senior Scott Lipscomb was named a fellow of Andscape’s sixth annual class of the Rhoden Fellowship. The year-long journalism training program is a partnership between Andscape, a Black media platform, and William C. “Bill” Rhoden, the award-winning Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) sports columnist.   

Lipscomb is a senior mass communication major that discovered his love of sports journalism after switching majors during the second semester of his first year. Lipscomb shared that switching majors during the academic journey is challenging but becoming a Rhoden Fellow gave him a huge confidence boost.   

“This means a lot to me; as a kid, I’ve always dreamed of being able to work for ESPN as a sports reporter, so this is putting me one step closer to my goal,” said Lipscomb. “I also feel this is a huge accomplishment because one of my high school classmates and I are now in the same Rhoden Fellow class.”   

The Rhoden Fellowship encourages its fellows to continue strengthening their skills by creating a curriculum that includes pitching creative storytelling ideas, writing for onsite events and producing weekly podcasts published on Andscape’s digital hub.   

“I’m honored to welcome the sixth class of Rhoden Fellows into the Andscape family,” stated Rhoden, Andscape columnist and editor-at-large. “You are a part of a great tradition of aspiring HBCU journalists who have come through our program. You will be working with an extraordinary team of professionals who will expand your horizons in ways you cannot imagine. Thanks to everyone within the Disney universe whose support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities continues to make this unique fellowship possible.”  

Lipscomb, a member of Xavier’s broadcast organization XU Media, is often found courtside capturing Xavier’s sports games or interviewing the student-athletes about their performances after. He shares that the fellowship has allowed him to connect with many trailblazers in the journalism industry. His favorite part of the fellowship is conversing with the guest speakers during one-on-one sessions.   

“I hope to use this opportunity to inspire others that no dream is too big; high school students, you can come to Xavier for a non-STEM field and still excel,” said Lipscomb.   

The aspiring sports broadcaster acknowledges the importance of having a solid support system, sharing a few particular individuals that kept him going along the way.   

“This wouldn’t be possible without the support from all my professors in the mass communication department. I want to thank all the players I have gotten the chance to form relationships with and hope to use my platform to spread raise awareness about Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) and National Association Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA),” said Lipscomb. “Lastly, I want to thank La’Shance Perry, Kai Jones, and Langston Fulmore for making the switch to mass communication easy, as well as their continued support and encouragement.”