TRIBEZA Awards Its First-Ever Austin Student Journalism Scholarship to Maya Tackett
The McCallum graduate believes the heart of journalism is understanding people and telling their stories with care
Maya Tackett has spent four years reporting with the belief that everyone has a story worth telling. The 2026 McCallum High School graduate and outgoing People Editor of The Shield is the first recipient of the TRIBEZA Austin Student Journalism Scholarship, a new $2,500 annual award for an Austin student pursuing journalism. She heads to Oberlin College this fall to study political science and journalism.
“It’ll not only help me, but also help my parents a lot, too,” she says.
Outside the newsroom, she carries a 4.5 GPA, has signed with Oberlin’s soccer team and is involved in PALS, National Honor Society, Link Crew and Key Club.
“We’re excited to award the inaugural TRIBEZA Journalism Scholarship and invest in an aspiring journalist here in Austin,” says TRIBEZA’s Senior Digital Editor Cassie Butterfield. “The applicant pool was incredibly competitive, but her outstanding writing skills, strong experience and clear passion for storytelling made her stand out. We look forward to seeing all she’ll accomplish in the years ahead.”
Finding her beat
Tackett didn’t set out to become a journalist. As a freshman, needing something to fill a period, she was placed in Mr. Winter’s digital media class — McCallum’s introduction to journalism. “Looking back, that class ended up changing the direction of my high school experience,” she wrote in her scholarship application. “One of the biggest lessons I learned was that everyone has a story, and it’s our job as journalists to tell it.”
By sophomore year, Tackett joined the staff at The Shield, McCallum’s national-award-winning student newspaper. “I was surrounded by talented writers who used journalism to highlight the people and events that make our community special,” says Tackett. As she tried different kinds of writing, the stories she kept returning to were about the people in her community. She became People Editor her junior year and again as a senior. Asked in the interview why she wanted the job, she gave a one-line answer: “I wanted to give people a voice,” Tackett recalls.
She went on to profile a classmate who writes, produces and performs her own music. Another who started a chocolate-dipped-strawberry business to pay for college while planning to study law. She interviewed Brad Stuver, the Austin FC goalkeeper and a TRIBEZA curator, after he spoke to her soccer team.
“McCallum has given me a sense of belonging after transferring from a charter school, and I wanted to give back by sharing the stories of the people who make our school what it is,” says Tackett. “As I continue to study journalism in college, I hope to keep telling stories that help people feel seen and understood. Whether it’s highlighting someone’s achievements, struggles or unique experiences, I want my writing to show that every person has a story worth telling.”
What Austin taught her
Tackett notes that Austin helped shape the kind of journalist she aims to be. “The city’s diversity, culture and history have introduced me to people from many different backgrounds and perspectives. Because of that, I’ve learned that some of the most meaningful stories are found in everyday conversations,” Tackett says. “Austin has taught me to be curious, listen carefully and appreciate the experiences that make each person unique.”
Looking ahead, Tackett plans to combine her studies in political science and journalism to report on the American foster care system, an issue that is deeply personal to her. Growing up in a family with several foster siblings, she has seen firsthand the challenges families navigate and hopes to use storytelling to illuminate opportunities for reform.
“Journalism has shown me the power of listening and storytelling,” says Tackett. “No matter where I go, I hope to continue using those skills to give people a voice and share stories that deserve to be heard.”
Her message to young writers
Tackett hopes young people interested in journalism understand that the field is broader than many realize.
“There is an area of journalism for everybody,” she says. “You don’t have to be someone who just writes breaking news stories. You don’t have to be someone who just writes about sports. There are so many different parts of journalism, and that’s why I love it. You can find a niche little thing and write about it and showcase that to the world.”
Today, she encourages aspiring journalists to remain curious and open to opportunities, believing that a willingness to listen is just as important as the ability to write. For those thinking about applying to TRIBEZA’s Austin Student Journalism Scholarship next year, Tackett says to go for it.
“Everybody who has thought about submitting to this is already an accomplished journalist,” Tackett says. “We’ve done the hard work. It’s now just time for the world to kind of see our work and push it out further.”
The 2027 TRIBEZA Student Journalism Scholarship will open for applications around January 2027.