LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 4, 2021) — Kentucky Kernel Editor-in-Chief Natalie Parks, a University of Kentucky English major, placed fourth in the Hearst Sports Writing Competition of the 2020-2021 Hearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards Program. In addition to being recognized among top journalists in the nation, Parks has received a $1,000 scholarship.
In a story titled "Breaking down the UK cheerleading hazing investigation,” Parks investigated the 2020 UK cheerleading probe that resulted in termination of the cheerleading coaches. Her story discussed UK’s decision to turn management of the cheerleading program over to the UK Athletics Department and analyzed the reports in question.
Although honored to win a Hearst Award, Parks says that she wants Kernelites’ work to be appreciated by the community. “Awards are announced once or twice a year, but we put in the work day in and day out,” Parks said. “I would much rather know that the Kernel makes a difference to our community than I would win any award.”
Ryan Craig, student media advisor for the Kentucky Kernel and KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion, said that Parks’ work is a “classic example of Natalie taking a breaking news story that was about sports and making it understandable to anyone who read it. She showed a lot of skill in her fact gathering to be able to write on such a complicated matter in such a short period of time. Both the readers of the Kernel and the UK community should be proud of the work she does.”
Parks also congratulates fellow Kernelites Arden Barnes and Bailey Vandiver, who both won Hearst Awards in February.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded as a way to support and assist journalism education at the collegiate level. The program awards scholarships to students with outstanding performance in divisions including writing, photojournalism, audio, television, and multimedia competitions. To enter any competition hosted by the Hearst Awards, students must be involved in campus media and must have published articles, photographs or newscasts that can be submitted.
The School of Journalism and Media is part of the University of Kentucky’s College of Communication and Information. The Department of English is in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky. The Kentucky Kernel and Student Media are also housed in the College of Communication and Information.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.