OXFORD, Miss. – Whitney Tarpy of Lebanon, Tenn., a senior journalism major at the University of Mississippi, was speechless when she heard the news that she had won a $1,000 scholarship from the Public Relations Association of Mississippi.
This is the third consecutive year that an Ole Miss student has won the award. Tarpy was nominated for the scholarship by Robin Street, UM lecturer in journalism
“I’ve taught Whitney in four classes. She has always distinguished herself as an outstanding student in each of those classes,” said Street, co-founder of the Oxford-University PRAM Chapter who recently earned the national Accreditation in Public Relations designation.
Winners of the scholarship are chosen based on faculty letters of recommendation, academic excellence, involvement in campus activities, community service and evaluation of future goals.
“You know, it just goes to show that working hard in the classroom pays
off,” said Tarpy, who is to accept the scholarship at a PRAM awards
banquet April 17 in Jackson. Besides the scholarship, she gets a
recognition plaque, as well as a complimentary registration fee,
lodging and lunch for two during the conference.
Tarpy not only is diligent in the classroom, but she also works as a
public relations intern, which helped Street with her decision to
submit her nomination.
“(Tarpy) is an impressive young woman who has managed to combine
academic achievement with her accomplishments in real-life work in
public relations, and very few students can successfully excel both at
work and at school at the same time,” Street said.
Tarpy interns with Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations, which has led her to develop an interest in sports information.
“I have learned so much in the past two years that I have been working
(at Media Relations),” she said. “I just know that, once I find a job,
I will be prepared, because the people over there have helped me so
much.”
Following her May graduation, Tarpy said she plans to pursue a career in sports public relations.
Street said she is thrilled that Ole Miss students have won three
consecutive PRAM scholarships. The faculty member who teaches a public
relations course at each university or college in the state gets to
nominate one student from their school, Street said.
“Whitney was competing with the top students at all the other
universities in Mississippi, and for the third year in a row, our
student has won, which says so much about the quality of our students.”
For more information on journalism programs at UM, go to http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/journalism/ .