AWARDS

I am thankful and humbled to have received the below recognition from peers, employers, academic institutions and industry-leading organizations.

  • Spotlight Awards (a three-time recipient) – Change Healthcare (2022)

  • Best of the Southwest Honorable Mention (for photography and videography work published in 2016) – Southwest News Media (2017)

  • Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting (for Gambling on Growth) (2011)

  • Frank Premack Public Affairs Journalism Award (for Gambling on Growth) (2011)

  • First Place (for excellence covering the Great Recession) – MNA (2011)

  • Gannett Awards of Excellence for Watchdog Reporting (for Gambling on Growth) – Finalist (2010)

  • Harold Schoelkopf Award – St. Cloud Times (2009)

  • Fellow at the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism (2009)

  • Associated Press Award for Investigative Reporting (for a story on student drug use) – Third Place (2008)

  • Associated Press Award for Investigative Reporting (for a story on a challenging school climate) – Second Place (2007)

  • Lee Enterprises President’s Award (for team coverage of deadly flooding) (2007)

  • Investigative Reporters and Editors Scholar (2007)

  • New York Times Company Foundation Fellow (2006)

  • Education Writers Association Scholar (2006)


To learn more about each of these honors, please see my LinkedIn page.

Note about the award process: For all awards except fellowships and scholarships, my supervisors and/or colleagues nominated me and/or submitted my work for consideration. From there, industry judges make selections based on an objective set of criteria representing excellence. For all fellowships and scholarships, I submitted an application to show interest in studying certain subjects. Once accepted, I had to go through an approval process from my editors to take time off for learning and travel.