Former UNC student and NCSMA alum Emma Davis recognized for distinguished service award

By Isaac Janiak Stein, Riverside High School ’23

Emma Davis attended the NC Scholastic Media Association (NCSMA) Summer Institute as a yearbook editor. Then when she got to UNC-Chapel Hill as a student, she spent four years making sure other students had the same experiences – even through quarantine – as a student worker in the NCSMA office.

This year, she is one of two recipients of the Kay Phillips Distinguished Service Award alongside Howard Spanogle. The award, named after former NCSMA director Kay Phillips, honors recipients for their contributions to NCSMA and scholastic journalism in North Carolina.

“Emma is a product of NCSMI,” said Monica Hill, NCSMA director and Davis’ supervisor. “She very much cares about scholastic journalism and she has worked very hard throughout her undergraduate years in the office to give back to the organization.”

Davis, a recent graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, has a part-time temporary position in the office until her full-time job at Participate Learning starts in August. She is well-regarded by her colleagues.

“She has been a tour de force in the NCSMA office for at least the last four years,” said Steve Hanf, journalism adviser at First Flight High School and president of the NC Scholastic Media Advisors Association Board. “She’s so dedicated to making sure that all of the advisers and all of the students have the best possible experience when they come here. And she is a tireless worker.”

Davis was key to moving the Summer Institute online during quarantine and ensuring a good experience for students, Hanf said. 

“She’s just a really phenomenal presence,” he said. 

Hill also praised Davis’ commitment throughout the pandemic. She said Davis is representative of the hard work student assistants have poured into NCSMA over two decades.

“In honoring Emma we honor the student assistants in the office, because they’ve never been honored with a distinguished service award,” Hill said, “and we couldn’t do any of the outreach that we do without (them).” 

NCSMA accepts nominations annually. Students, advisers, associates or other school officials wishing to nominate someone with five years of service to scholastic journalism can send in their pick to ncsma@unc.edu.