Journalism student scoops award
by Rodney Magazinovic
Being
recognised at the South Australian Media Awards as the best student
journalist came completely out of the blue for Katherine Yeo.
Yeo only found out she had won when she read about it the week after the presentation. She was unable to attend the awards because of interstate work commitments – the award was accepted on her behalf by journalism program director Kathryn Bowd.
"I was really excited when I found out that I won because I didn’t realise I had been nominated in the first place," Yeo said.
"It was great that all the work I’ve done at Uni has amounted to something."
Yeo received the Julie Duncan Memorial Award for Best Journalism Student, named in memory of the late Julie Duncan, who played a pivotal role in the early days of journalism at the Magill campus.
She started work three months ago for Le Cordon Bleu, the international culinary and management educators, who also have an educational partnership with UniSA.
"Le Cordon Bleu is a fantastic organisation," she said. "The facilities are exceptional and there are a lot of opportunities for employees – most of us get to travel both interstate and overseas as part of our work."
While she is content with her current position, Yeo hopes to study a Masters of Gastronomy to help expand her public relations role while using the skills from her journalistic background.
Associate Professor Ian Richards, who heads UniSA’s journalism program, said that Yeo was an excellent student.
"This award is highly deserved," he said. "During her time as a journalism student, Katherine demonstrated many times that she has considerable academic abilities, which are matched by her practical skills."
Yeo’s award was not the only success for the UniSA journalism program at the SA Media Awards. Channel Seven reporter and newsreader Jessica Adamson was named South Australian Journalist of the Year, the second successive year that a UniSA journalism graduate has received the award, after former ABC journalist Rebecca Morse won in 2005.