Meet Anna Colletto, the 2024-2025 Aubespin Scholar
By Anne Checkosky
When the 2024-2025 ACES Scholarships were announced in January, one of the recipients was Anna Colletto, who was named the Aubespin Scholar.
Colletto was a senior at the University of Missouri completing two bachelor’s degrees: one in journalism and one in political science. Her degree program included a reporting and writing emphasis and a minor in peace studies.
The ACES Scholarships are awarded annually by the ACES Education Fund to students who have demonstrated a career in editing. One of the recipients is chosen to receive special recognition as the Aubepsin Scholar, which comes with a scholarship of $2,500.
This award honors the late Merv Aubespin, a former president of the National Association of Black Journalists who, as a committee chair of the American Society of News Editors in the mid-1990s, greatly helped inspire the creation of ACES.
Colletto spent the summer of 2024 as a news and politics intern at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and was the assistant city editor of the Columbia Missourian and the afternoon newscast anchor for KBIA-FM.
Anne Checkosky, a member of the ACES Communications and Publications Committee, interviewed Colletto just after she received her degree and just before she started a job at the Tulsa Local News Initiative.
Name: Anna Colletto
College/university: University of Missouri
Field of study: Journalism, political science, and peace studies
Where from, originally: Loveland, Ohio, though I grew up in Orlando, Florida
Personal (family, pets, hobbies, interests): I’m very lucky to have a brilliant, supportive, and loving immediate family in my two parents and younger sister. I’m an avid art museum visitor and food tourist, frequently looking for a new, long hike or a book to tear into. I moonlight occasionally as a musician, having spent most of my life in choral music ensembles, including two at the University of Missouri. With MU Concert Chorale and University Singers, I traveled to London and across Italy for performance tours — both unbelievable experiences singing in awe-inspiring venues.
How do you feel about being selected as the Aubespin Scholar? I am completely honored. I began falling in love with editing within my first year of undergrad, returning again and again for the next several years to roles where I could dig into the written word. But impostor syndrome persisted, and pursuing a career as an editor seemed a goal too unrealistic to chase in earnest. Applying to this scholarship was a step forward in validating my passion and being selected gave me the confidence I needed to run toward it.
What motivates you? I believe we’re all at our best when we embrace a culture of care, and abandon apathy or inaction. That belief fuels and motivates me in every aspect of my life. I want to care, deeply and earnestly, about my work and community — inspiring those around me to do the same. If my work moves someone to connect with a stranger, to engage civically, to extend their compassion, that’s when I know I’m doing the right thing.
Who or what inspires you? Personally, I’m inspired a great deal by my family. I’m lucky to come from a long line of kind, hard-working people, always there with a helping hand when needed. Creatively and professionally, I find inspiration through music. Listening to great songwriters gets me out of writer’s block and sharing music with others restores my spirit.
What is your biggest accomplishment to date? I am a month-old college graduate! While at the University of Missouri, I worked three to four jobs every semester, while pursuing two degrees and a minor in a late-stage undergrad fascination, and I am profoundly proud of myself for accomplishing it. I pushed myself hard, and it paid off, graduating with honors in both degrees, professional experience, nationally awarded stories, and bigger dreams than I entered with. Also, a love for Mizzou (M-I-Z).
Share your favorite editing tip/best practice. Every time I think I’m done editing a story, I scan for crutch words: that, very, really, just, etc. I want each word in a sentence to serve a specific purpose. If it doesn’t, it’s gone!
What are your future plans? I started a new role on June 30 as an education reporter at the Tulsa Local News Initiative, a new nonprofit newsroom launching at the end of summer. I’m thrilled to be working in a beat I love and play a part in building a new outlet invested in community journalism.
Anne Checkosky is senior editor at the National Council on Compensation Insurance, where she reviews and edits publication content for all of NCCI’s products and services. She has a Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing and is a member of the ACES Communications and Publications Committee.
