Meet the 2026 NYU Center for Publishing Penguin Random House Scholarship Recipients
We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 New York University Center for Publishing Penguin Random House Scholarship: Kyle Irish-Hall, Isabella Morgado, and Alondra Salcedo Ponce.
As scholarship recipients, they will participate in NYU’s 2026 Summer Publishing Institute (SPI), a four-week, in-person program taking place from June 1–26, 2026. Designed for students interested in careers in publishing and media, SPI offers an immersive introduction to the industry through hands-on learning and professional development opportunities.
Throughout the program, participants will engage in interactive workshops, strategy sessions, networking events, lectures led by industry professionals, and virtual or in-person visits with publishing teams. Students will also gain exposure to both book publishing and digital and magazine media, helping them build industry knowledge and connections as they explore future career paths.
The Penguin Random House Scholarship at NYU was established to help foster greater diversity within the publishing industry and expand access to publishing careers. The scholarship supports college juniors, seniors, and recent graduates who are interested in pursuing a future in publishing by enabling them to attend NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute.
Join us in congratulating Kyle, Isabella, and Alondra on this achievement.
Kyle Irish-Hall
Kyle Irish-Hall is a recent graduate of Bradley University, earning a Bachelor of Science in English: Creative Writing with a Theatre Arts minor. His writing has been published in the on-campus publication Broadside: Literary Arts Journal, where he served as a prose evaluator, providing constructive criticism to writers and selecting pieces to be sent forward for final revisions. In addition to his writing, Kyle served as President of Bradley University’s Ministry of Experimental Theatre, which enables students to produce their own performances. He seeks to raise the voices of writers who belong to all different types of communities to connect society in times of controversy and struggle.
Isabella Morgado
Isabella Morgado is a public relations student at the University of Florida, entering her fourth year. She previously completed a marketing internship at the original publisher of Sherlock Holmes, The Strand Magazine, where she created weekly social media content, refined the website, and improved SEO, and has also worked as an Administrative and Marketing Assistant for CM Glass. Isabella currently serves as an editor for her university’s branch of Her Campus, where she edits the weekly submissions from a dedicated team of writers. As a Cuban American born and raised in Miami, she advocates for representation and diverse voices in media. She seeks to apply her studies to a career in publishing.
Alondra Salcedo Ponce
Alondra Salcedo Ponce is entering her senior year at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, majoring in creative writing and literature. She served as President of the University’s Creative Writing and Literature Association Epilogue (Epîlogo). Alondra’s publishing experience includes short story contributions to Peru’s bilingual magazine Revista Kametsa, Rizomag, and the 2024 anthology Cuentos a la Goyco, which addresses the social displacement of the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan. In January, she was selected by the University’s STARS program to create a Puerto Rican Christmas anthology, which involves her managing a team of 10 writers and designers. Alondra embraces her unique neurodivergent perspective and champions inclusivity and the belief that diverse ways of processing the word lead to profound and essential storytelling.