Robinson Student Awarded Journalism Scholarship

A Robinson Secondary School student recently was awarded a $5,000 scholarship for her work as a student journalist.

Katherine Dempsey, 18, was awarded the Richard G. Zimmerman scholarship by the National Press Club, a Washington D.C.-based professional organization for journalists.

“I found out about scholarship online and figured I’ll give it a shot,” Dempsey said. “I ended up getting it. It was really cool and surprising.”

Dempsey is on track to attend Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in Illinois. She got involved in journalism her sophomore year. Her senior year, she became managing editor of her school paper, Valor Dictus.

“When you are a reporter, you’re able to learn something new everyday,” Dempsey said. “You meet people you don’t talk to normally.”

One of her most memorable stories was earlier this year. Dempsey was charged with finding Robinson students who were affected by the protests in Egypt.

“At first when I was assigned the article, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to found anyone, but I was able to find three different girls and I was able to give them a voice,” Dempsey said.  “They were so proud of their people and wanted to be able to voice some of the fears that they had for their family.”

In addition to her journalism involvement, she also participates in her school’s track and field hockey teams.

Her parents, meanwhile, are proud to see that their daughter has gotten several scholarships.

“Even at a young age she has been really been able to make a difference,” said her father, Jim Dempsey. “ She’s always seemed to be very gifted in writing and she’s loved journalism.”