Meet HoneyRose Smith, WWF’s first Environmental Journalism Scholarship winner

HoneyRose Smith stands on a beach and looks to the camera

Above: HoneyRose Smith, winner of the WWF Environmental Journalism Scholarship

HoneyRose Smith, a second-year journalism major from Oakland, Calif., received WWF's inaugural Environmental Journalism Scholarship with her winning essay about waste management in Ghana. She will receive a $10,000 award and a year-long mentorship with WWF’s Communications and People & Culture teams to help launch her career.

In 2024, WWF announced a new partnership with Hampton University’s Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications to support the next generation of environmental journalists. The environmental journalism field is shrinking, with a record number of newsroom jobs eliminated over the past year, yet the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss are only escalating. Addressing these challenges requires talented journalists to educate the public and mobilize support for environmental action.

We spoke to Smith about her experience at Hampton so far and what she hopes to gain from this opportunity with WWF.

An aerial view of the Hampton University campus shows many brick buildings along a body of water

Hampton University in Hampton, Va.

Can you tell us about your journey as a Hampton student so far?

Hampton University wasn’t my top school at first, but I feel like it fought for me and led me here. I always knew I wanted to attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), but originally, I was trying to get into a program at Howard University. When I found out I had received a merit scholarship to attend Hampton, I started researching the school, and my mom told me that it’s known as ‘Our Home By the Sea.’ My dad knows how much I love the ocean, and he pointed out that Hampton is the only HBCU that’s coastal. After that, all the opportunities started aligning for me. Hampton has an incredible journalism program, and I felt at home here within just a few months. Being close to the water makes me feel connected to my environment and it encourages me to pursue environmental justice work.

What inspired your interest in journalism, and environmental reporting specifically?

It might sound funny, but I’ve always related to the Disney character Moana. Whenever I see or learn anything about the ocean, my heart flutters. When I was little, I wanted to be a marine biologist and I cherished our family trips to the beach. Throughout college, my passion has only amplified after learning about the social and environmental issues we’re experiencing. I see how topics like climate change are becoming controversial, and it frightens me because coexisting with nature is fundamental to our well-being. Even here at Hampton, where sea level rise is an issue, many people are unaware of the impact of climate change. That’s why I see a need for climate action and environmental justice. My parents raised me to believe I have a purpose in this world, and now I’ve found my purpose. 

Have you witnessed any environmental justice issues firsthand?

In Oakland, Calif., recycling and composting is a consistent and widespread practice: every house has recycling and composting bins in addition to their trash bins. That certainly wasn’t the norm where I grew up in Georgia. My elementary and middle schools didn’t even have recycling bins. Learning about sustainability in California was eye-opening because I realized that waste management is so inconsistent in America. That one moment made me more conscious of our environmental impact, and the services that are common in one place but rare in another. I hope that one day, sustainable waste management will be implemented across the country.

Are there any specific environmental stories that you want to cover?

I’m particularly interested in how we can recycle textiles and fabrics to address the enormous amount of apparel waste we’ve created. Many people today overconsume, and fast fashion makes it easy to do so. When our clothes are designed to be trendy and disposable, they often end up contaminating the environment with microplastics. Learning about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch made an impression on me and made me think differently about the waste I create. There are so many ways to use what we already have, and I believe there will be more technological innovations that help us recycle textiles. I want people to understand that we can still enjoy fashion sustainably, and we can upcycle clothing to make creative and beautiful pieces.

How do you think the next generation of journalists will influence the field as a whole?

I notice many of my classmates addressing common topics in a new way and finding new angles to explore. My peers can take a story that was covered before, but they use a different political, environmental, or economic lens to examine the issue. This way, you end up with a completely new and even more nuanced conversation. This approach can bring more depth to any type of reporting and can shed light on the interconnected aspects of our world. As we move forward, I think journalists will be able to connect topics that, on a surface level, don’t appear to be related. It’s more than just telling people the news; it’s making them think deeply and critically about current events.

How will receiving this scholarship help you achieve your goals?

In a practical sense, this helps support me. My parents work extremely hard and they’re also raising my two younger brothers. But the scholarship also affirms to me and to them that I’m capable of doing great work. I want my siblings to follow their ambitions and to see that they will be rewarded for their efforts. I also think this scholarship will influence my career trajectory. This was one of those moments where I felt that I was exactly where I needed to be in life. Now, I want to prove to the world that this award wasn’t in vain. I’m so excited for this opportunity to collaborate with WWF and I can’t wait to get started.

What impact do you hope to have on your campus community?

I want to inspire more of my peers to get involved and ultimately make a real impact. It’s easy to gloss over the problems we face today because people assume it’s none of their business. But if something affects you then it is your business. I want to bring people a more complex understanding of our society and prove that intellectualism is not our enemy. Here at Hampton, learning isn’t just about trying to memorize facts or increase our knowledge for self-serving purposes. We are expanding our knowledge so that we can change each other and the world.