Kimberly Stark is one of three recipients of a $1,000 Stars and Stripes scholarship. (Courtesy of Kimberly Stark)
GRIESHEIM, Germany — One recipient wants to write her way to The Washington Post. Another has set her sights on becoming a broadcast journalist. And the third recipient of the 2003 Stars and Stripes journalism scholarship loves both prose and politics, and hopes to keep both in play.
“I like getting news to people,” said Katherine Vu, the aspiring scribe.
Vu and two other students were notified last week of their selection for the annual award, which is available to graduating Department of Defense Dependents Schools seniors. Each will receive $1,000.
The recipients are: Vu, of George C. Marshall High School in Ankara, Turkey; Kimberly Stark, of Gen. H.H. Arnold High School in Wiesbaden, Germany; and Charles Hogle, of Patch American High School in Stuttgart, Germany.
Deborah Absher, managing editor of the European Stars and Stripes, notified the three students of their selection.
“The candidates this year were outstanding,” Absher said. “But the three who were selected really stood out. Each … shows great promise as a journalist.”
Stark’s interest in the written word initially centered on a script and a stage. She wanted to become an actress. A script and set are still part of the scene, but the venue has changed.
“I couldn’t get into the drama class, so I took journalism instead,” Stark said of her freshman year. “It has turned out to be very, very beneficial.”
The 17-year-old now aspires to become a broadcast journalist. But before she steps before a teleprompter for real, Stark will channel her energies on her studies at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.
Stark is the youngest of three children. Her father is an environmental engineer with the 233rd Base Support Battalion in Darmstadt, Germany, while her mother is a fourth-grade teacher in nearby Babenhausen.
Hogle has a pleasing four years ahead of him.
The 18-year-old son of Army Lt. Col. James Hogle is bound for Dartmouth College, an Ivy League school.
The New Hampshire institution has “the oldest college newspaper in America,” Hogle said. “I was very impressed by the writing when I visited there in April.”
Hogle hopes to add to the paper’s tradition while working toward a degree in government. The plan is to somehow meld those two interests into an interesting and rewarding career.
Vu will journey to the University of Virginia this fall. The daughter of a computer engineer at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Vu has spent the past three years honing her writing skills on the high school newspaper.
The 17-year-old said she also has taken a fancy to newspaper editing and page layouts, explaining she likes to watch “it all come together.”
But Vu also likes to air her opinions, something she dreams of doing someday for The Washington Post.
“I’m not afraid of people disagreeing with me,” Vu said.
