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Award-Winning BYU Student Broadcasters Honored with Gracies

By Bradley Public Relations

Gracie-award winning feature package by Kylee Knoles

 

Gracie-award winning sample of Anchoring by Natalie Tripp

 

Gracie-award winning samples of Sports Hosting by Lakia Holmes

 

Six BYU Broadcast Journalism students will be honored alongside Joan Lunden and Meredith Vieira this weekend as they receive awards at the 36th annual Gracie Awards Ceremony at the historic Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA on May 25.

“How wonderful it is to see BYU students honored at a national level, especially when all of the women being honored at this ceremony are so deserving,” said Broadcast Journalism professor Chad Curtis.

For 60 years, the Alliance for Women in the Media has promoted the multi-dimensional and realistic portrayal of women and has been a leader in celebrating and honoring programming created for women, by women and about women. The Alliance sponsors the Gracie awards, which strive to encourage the realistic and faceted portrayal of women in entertainment, commercials, news, features and other programs. This year’s awards ceremony will honor six talented BYU students, each of whom has made exemplary contributions to the student broadcast communications community.

The six BYU honorees include:

  • Kylee Knoles of Mesa, AZ, who will receive awards for best feature news story and best hard news story in the Outstanding Reporter/Correspondent category.
  • Natalie Tripp of Grantsville, UT, who will receive an award for Outstanding Anchor - News or News Magazine.
  • Anna Staker of Lehi, UT; Kathryn Hopkins of Logan, UT; and Becca Maughan of York, NE, who will receive a group award for their work on the documentary film “Eye of the Beholder.”
  • Lakia Holmes of New York, NY will receive an award for Outstanding Host-Sports Program.

Each year, the Alliance for Women in the Media receives hundreds of entries which are evaluated by a panel of judges comprised of industry influencers. Applicants are grouped into one of three categories: national, local or student, and entries are evaluated by category. A complete list of Gracie winners can be found here.

Holmes is looking forward to attending the ceremony and said she is excited to see the influence females have on the broadcast journalism industry.

“There are so many important women in the industry that will be at the Gracies, and then there’s someone like me who’s just starting out,” Holmes said. “For me, it’s an eye-opener to what could be in my future career.”

Tripp is excited for the opportunity to mingle with and learn from professionals she admires. “I am honored and touched by the opportunity to have my work recognized on a national level,” she said. “At times you’re exhausted and stressed about deadline,” Tripp said. “But this recognition helps me keep in mind that I’ve done hard things in the past, so I can do it again.”