National Press Club awards Katrina Machetta with the 2022 Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship

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Jul 15, 2022, 16:07 ET

WASHINGTON, July 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Press Club, the world's leading professional organization for journalists, has chosen Katrina Machetta of Houston, Texas, as the recipient of its Richard G. Zimmerman Journalism Scholarship. The award is given to an exceptional high school senior who plans to pursue a career in journalism.

Machetta impressed judges with the quality and breadth of her work. She has been Editor-in-Chief for her high school's Legacy Press newspaper, Senior Reporter for Youth Journalism International, a reporter/contributor for the Los Angeles Times and PBS, an award-winning poet, and more.

The judges appreciated Machetta's ability to speak to multiple audiences and her vision of journalism as a path for social progress.

"To me, journalism is more than just a story. It is about reporting with a keen sensitivity to a multitude of perspectives, cultural backgrounds, and diverse outlooks on a specific situation and relaying it in a way the audience will understand," Machetta said in her application essay.

Stories have the power to shape people's lives, she wrote. "I want to tell stories that matter – and to tell them in a way that inspires and activates change. I want to use the power of my words to empower, uplift, and encourage others."

Machetta models those values, said school counselor Melba Villarreal in her recommendation letter. "Katrina's passion for journalism and helping others has taken her to transform children's lives through mentoring. She has tutored many students to learn advanced concepts in writing, grammar, editing process, and digital platforms to give students more confidence in their writing skills and connection through the power of words and storytelling."

The National Press Club is excited about Machetta's selection.

"Katrina's commitment to community and compassion for others will help elevate journalism and diversify the stories we tell," said Jen Judson, National Press Club president. "We are thrilled to support Katrina as she begins the next phase of her promising career."

The Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship is named for a long-time National Press Club member who died in 2008 and endowed a scholarship in aid of high school seniors who wish to pursue a career in journalism.

This year's runner-up is Madison Flewellyn of Sacramento, California.

Scholarship winners are awarded one-year complimentary membership to the National Press Club.

CONTACT: Julie Moos, National Press Club Journalism Institute; [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club