A student from Plymouth High School who will begin studying journalism this fall was named the recipient of the 2017 Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association/Wisconsin Newspaper Association scholarship.

Natalie Britt was selected to receive the $500 award, which was contributed by the WNA Foundation. Britt will be pursuing a journalism degree at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh this fall.

In a letter to the WNA Foundation, NEWSPA Executive Secretary Barbara Benish wrote there were several talented applicants for this year’s scholarship and that Britt’s essay made her “the obvious choice for our judges.”

Britt said in her essay she had been writing stories since she was 5 years old, but became particularly interested in editorials as she grew older because “they combine all the skills of good newspaper writing.” She has written for the political column of the Plymouth Hi-Lights student newspaper, covering topics such as Citizens United, the Democratic Party, Sen. Ron Johnson and the lack of funding for higher education in Wisconsin.

Britt hopes to someday work for a newspaper like the Washington Post, Boston Globe or Miami Herald, or to do fact checking for PolitiFact or Politico.

NEWSPA began in 1969 with a small group of college students traveling to local high schools, teaching students about journalism. Today, nearly 500 people participate annually in NEWSPA’s spring conference, which is designed to teach students about the journalism field through workshops, speakers and the ability to network with other schools and students.