Central Great Lakes chapter announces this year’s scholarship recipients
CLEVELAND – The Central Great Lakes Chapter of NATAS is proud to announce this year’s scholarship recipients: Alana “Ali” Butts, Chloe Bass, Henry “Hank” Kopack, and Jonas Walker Jr.
Alana “Ali” Butts is a rising senior at Huntington University majoring in TV production. She’s a graduate of Carroll High School where she first developed a passion for working in broadcasting. Since then, Ali has continued to build her portfolio through her internship at 21Alive in Fort Wayne, where she works as a reporter, and went live on air on day three of her internship.
At Huntington, Ali has taken on leadership roles in her school’s news program, Forester Digital Network, while also contributing as a teaching assistant and orientation leader. Her work has garnered awards from our Central Great Lakes Student Production Awards and the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters.
The Central Great Lakes scholarship committee noted Ali’s impressive skill set reporting for local news and her ability to take full ownership of a story from concept to final edit. This summer Ali is working at Cedar Point on their social media team, and in the fall she will return to 21Alive to continue working in their newsroom.
Chloe Bass is a recent graduate of Noblesville High School with plans to pursue journalism at Indiana University Bloomington this fall. Her interest in media began through classes in mass media and student broadcasting, where she learned about the importance journalism has on the world.
Chloe has balanced academic excellence—maintaining a 4.0 GPA—with community involvement and work experience. She plays violin in the school orchestra and volunteers through the Leo Club, assisting with events that serve children and individuals facing housing insecurity. Chloe’s faculty recommendations note she’s a person who models a good work ethic and inspires others to work hard.
The Central Great Lakes scholarship committee also noted Chloe’s dedication to community-minded storytelling, and her passion for work on both sides of the camera.
Henry “Hank” Kopack is a recent graduate of Delphos St. John’s High School and plans on attending Butler University to major in sports media. He developed a passion for media through his interest in sports broadcasting from an early age and has spent time in high school involved in student media clubs creating sports content.
At St. John’s, Hank maintained a 4.0 GPA while serving as class president for three years. In his senior year he was the first student at his school to complete an internship at WDOH-FM, where he was given the opportunity to do on-air broadcasts and eventually call a girls’ basketball regional semi-final game for the station.
The Central Great Lakes scholarship committee noted Henry’s commitment to sports broadcasting and highlighted his well-rounded communication abilities. His dream job is to perform play-by-play for professional sports in Indianapolis.
Jonas Walker Jr. is a recent graduate of Ben Davis High School and plans on attending Ball State University to study communications and join the NewsLink program. Jonas has wanted to work in broadcast journalism from a young age because he grew up watching the local news in Indianapolis.
During his time at Ben Davis, Jonas gained hands-on experience through programs like Wish-TV’s Multicultural Media Producing Program and the 300 Cameras for 300 Kids initiative, where he was named top student in his cohort. In May 2025 he and two classmates won first place for multimedia news reporting by a team from Youth Journalism International.
The Central Great Lakes scholarship committee noted Jonas’ potential as a future leader in our field. He’s already launched his own business – J2 Media – where he performs as a freelance videographer and photographer for clients. His goal is to start a production studio that supports music, video and photography.
You can read more about our scholarships and our recent scholarship recipients here or watch the video below to see last year’s recipients being recognized at the annual Great Lakes Emmy Awards: