Mitchell Wenkus is the 2010 winner of the Community Media Workshop’s $2,000 Studs Terkel Scholarship for his documentary “Joey & Jamal: A Chicago Public School Story.” “Mitch is concerned about the long term impact of a violent and failing school system, but he doesn’t preach about it, or whine about it,” according to Jeff Spitz, the faculty member who nominated him for the scholarship. “He allows viewers to come to their own conclusion after meeting [Joe & Jamal’s] family.”

Mitchell Wenkus is a senior Film & Video student at Columbia College Chicago with a concentration in documentary film making. He is currently interning at Groundswell Educational Films, where he has had the opportunity to work on multiple aspects of social issue documentaries. “Mitch is the kind of student Studs Terkel would adore,” says Spitz. Mitch is also the Vice President of Columbia’s documentary club, VivaDoc, which organizes students interested in documentary filmmaking. Last year, Mitch brought the directors of the Academy Award Nominated documentary about Hurricane Katrina, “Trouble the Water,” to Columbia for a screening and discussion. Mitch is graduating in May 2010 and is excited to use his skills in the field of social media.

The scholarship is awarded annually to faculty-nominated School of Media Arts students whose work illustrates Studs Terkel’s perspective of our city—one that recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments or visions of ordinary people. The award will be made at the Workshop’s annual benefit March 10, 2010 at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Back to the 2010 Studs Terkel Community Media Awards
Watch his award winning video below