2025-2026 ACES scholarship and Aubespin winners
By ACES Staff
Two students from The George Washington University’s Master of Professional Studies in publishing program are among the five winners of 2025-2026 ACES scholarships by the ACES Education Fund, including this year’s Aubespin Scholar.
The recipients will receive a total of $8,500 in scholarships.
The scholarships are given to students who excel in critical thinking about written materials in any field and aspire to a career involving editing. Graduate students and college students who have completed two years of schooling are eligible to apply.
For the Aubespin, a single $2,500 scholarship is given to the student who best demonstrates a commitment to a career in editing and exemplary academic achievement.
Aubespin winner Hind Berji, who plans to graduate from GWU in May 2026, is a freelance journalist and editor with a focus on global politics, contemporary art and cultural heritage. Berji is the former managing editor of the George Washington Journal of Ethics in Publishing, a student-run journal of which she currently serves on the editorial board, and she has been a staff writer and editor of student and independent publications since 2012.
“I’m deeply grateful to the ACES Education Fund for this generous support and recognition. As I pursue my Master of Professional Studies in publishing at The George Washington University, this scholarship will directly strengthen my ability to grow as an editor and operations-minded publishing professional,” Berji said. “I’m honored to be selected among such accomplished finalists, and I look forward to building a career centered on accuracy, ethics and storytelling that helps readers better understand the world.”
The ACES Scholars
Each of the other four ACES Scholars receives $1,500. The remaining 2025-2026 ACES Scholars are:
Alice Carlile is a sophomore pursuing a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and journalism at New York University. She was copy chief at NYU’s independent-run student newspaper, the Washington Square News, and will return to the staff after a semester studying abroad in Sydney, Australia.
Vivienne Germain is pursuing a Master of Arts in journalism in the cultural reporting and criticism program at the Arthur L. Carter Institute of Journalism at New York University. She was recently an editorial intern at Harper’s Magazine and graduated in January 2026.
Gabrielle “Ace” Hersey is working on their Master of Professional Studies from GWU and expects to finish in May 2027. Hersey is a marketing assistant for New Shelves Books and a freelance beta reader, ghostwriter, copyeditor and developmental editor.
Julia Senzon will graduate in May 2026 from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in communication and information science. She is the editor-in-chief of The Cornell Daily Sun and plans to pursue a journalism career with a particular focus on data-driven reporting.
“This year’s winners are an impressive group! I’m so pleased that ACES is able to support such talented young editors.”
—Lisa McLendon, President, ACES Education Fund, University of Kansas School of Journalism.