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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The tempo of the discussion and the energy in his voice pick up a bit when Derrick Stilley discusses competition. He embraces it. Enjoys it. And sees it as a path to success.

For the soon-to-graduate ���ε��� journalism graduate — he’ll earn his bachelor’s degree during commencement exercises May 10 — there’s another competition on the horizon.

Stilley was one of 20 college students from around the country selected for the Ed Bradley Journalism Fellowship. The weeklong program, scheduled for June 2-8, offers a series of intensive training and mentorship workshops intended to increase the presence of Black men in newsrooms across the country by helping them be better prepared for the industry.

Named for respected journalist Ed Bradley, a Pennsylvania native best known for his work on “60 Minutes” and with CBS News, the fellowship is coordinated by New York University and the Dow Jones News Fund.

Stilley said he appreciates the hands-on work, mentoring and networking that will come from the program. He anticipates the competitive aspect as well.

“It’s exciting. This feels like something that can be an important career starter,” Stilley said. “With something like this it might be possible to knock some years off what you need to do to advance.”

Journalists from media companies like The New York Times, CBS, CNBC, ESPN and others will participate in the fellowship’s programming.

During his time at ���ε���, Stilley has completed the 400-level class that produces the award-winning “Centre County Report” newscast and he filled roles as an anchor and reporter for that show. He also contributed to student-run PSN-TV and completed an internship with the CW Network.

Stilley, who stated his academic career at ����� Altoona, worked as a freelance writer for the Altoona Mirror newspaper and is a member of the ����� chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

He also launched the .

“I’m really proud of that, something that’s my own, something that allows me to do a little bit of everything,” he said. “Still, so much of the foundation was ���ε���. There were so many opportunities, and supportive people like Steve Kraycik, Walter Middlebrook and Neda Toloui-Semnani.

“In just those three you have one of the best TV guys in the country, a journalist with connections and experience all over the country, and a journalist and EMMY award winner," he said. "That’s a good group to have supporting you.”

Those journalism faculty members provided strong recommendations for Stilley when he applied for the fellowship, he said. Kraycik, an associate teaching professor, serves as director of student television in the Bellisario College. Middlebrook is the Foster Professor of Practice and Toloui-Semnani is an assistant teaching professor.

Playing basketball helped instill Stilley’s competitive nature, but once he understood sports would not be a career path, he said, he embraced communications.

He’s from Piermont, New York, about 15 minutes from Manhattan, and he hopes he’s not all that far —��maybe just one weeklong fellowship — from taking an important early career stride.

“My goal is always to become a better journalist,” Stilley said. “So, it’s about keeping my eyes on the prize, maintaining connections and networking, and working hard to make things happen.”