- Be a graduate of a high school in Sangamon, Menard, Macoupin, Montgomery, Cass, Morgan and Greene counties
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a non-weighted 4.0 scale
- Be an extraordinary example of service to others and to the community
- Will be a full-time student in the coming academic year at an accredited, nonprofit, public/private college/university, or vocational/technical institution, with no limitation as to the location of that institution
- Must be a 1st – 4th year college student in the fall of 2018
Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.