Baylee Krulewitz, a member of the Class of 2023 at West Hartford’s Hall High School, was chosen as the recipient of the Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford resident Baylee Krulewitz is the 2023 recipient of a prestigious $3,000 scholarship for aspiring sports journalists, given annually in honor of the former high school sports editor of the Hartford Courant.

Bohdan “Bo” Kolinsky died in 2003 at age 49. He was past president of the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance – now the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance – and the organization created a scholarship in his memory that given annually to a Connecticut high school student who plans to attend an accredited four-year college and study sports media or journalism. 

Krulewitz, who graduated from Hall High School last week, plans to attend Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in the fall. She was co-editor-in-chief of Hall’s school newspaper for the past year. She has also been a reporter for the global organization Youth Journalism International, and has contributed to other publications including serving as an intern for We-Ha.com during the summer of 2022.

Krulewitz looks forward to the excitement of covering sports at Northwestern, which is part of the Big 10 Conference, and said she would ultimately like to travel as a multimedia journalist.

Baylee Krulewitz (center) with her parents, Tammy and Josh. Courtesy photo

“I’m extremely honored to be winning this award, especially considering how many great things I’ve heard about the person it was named after,” Krulewitz told We-Ha.com. “I feel like winning this scholarship functions as encouragement to me, a sort of confirmation that I’m doing the right thing in following my passions for writing and media. I’m just so grateful and lucky to be recognized for simply doing what I enjoy.”

She said she was initially exposed to the field of sports journalism through her dad, Josh, who has had a career in sports and is currently vice president of communications for ESPN in Bristol.

“I’d say a catalyst was being able to visit his office at a young age and seeing all the hustle and bustle that’s so essential to the behind-the-scenes of sports media. Ever since then, my interest has blossomed because of opportunity,” she said. “I’ve been able to get my writing published by several different outlets, and each time I write a piece I’m just reminded of how much joy it brings me.”

John Holt, the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance vice president and scholarship chairman, said in a statement posted on the CSMA website, “We received 21 applications from around the state this year, many of them exceptional. Judges chose Baylee’s credentials to be most exceptional, and the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance is proud to award her the Kolinsky Scholarship. Baylee becomes the 22nd recipient of the scholarship since it was first awarded in 2004.”

She has already received the check, but will officially be honored along with other award winners at the CSMA Alliance’s 81st Gold Key Dinner, slated for Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.

Baylee Krulewitz’s mother, Tammy, has been a long-time leader for the local Friendship Circle program in West Hartford, most recently as director of Operations. She has a younger brother, Joelson, who is a rising senior at Hall.

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