Catharine Li, the former Communications Officer of New Voices Texas was named the Student Press Advocate of the year on Oct. 9, during the Texas Association of Journalism Educators’ (TAJE) annual Fall Fiesta Convention.

Li, who currently attends the University of Massachusetts — Amherst, accepted the award virtually in front of the 600 students and journalism advisers in attendance for the convention’s awards ceremony. Li, had previously served as the Communications Officer for New Voices Texas, for two years before receiving this award, which was the first such award given to a student from TAJE.

David Doerr, TAJE’s Legislative and Policy Committee Chair, introduced Li and shared examples of the important work she had done to promote New Voices legislation in Texas. Doerr, who also serves as NVT’s Adviser Officer, worked closely with Li in her communications role in which she oversaw the website and social media channels for New Voices Texas as the Communications Officer. Beyond her focus on communications work, Li was the go-to person for getting things done for all sorts of projects. 

Li’s talents and dedication were especially apparent when working with NVT’s legislative officer to organize an in-person Lobby Day event at the Texas Capitol during Spring Break this year. This event required communicating with various audiences, including volunteer student activists, lawmakers, and the public at large via our website and social media channels. Her work was invaluable in helping NVT make this event a success and achieving its lobbying goals at the Capitol. 

Below is an excerpt of her award acceptance speech:

When the New Voices Texas team led a lobbying effort at the State Capitol this past March, we were met with students who had never been involved in youth organizing before. The idea of speaking to lawmakers, running across the expansive and confusing Capitol grounds, and cold calling legislative staff did not deter them in the slightest. They arrived at the Capitol bright and early, (which I should also mention, was the first day of Spring Break) and buckled down to help us meet with as many representatives as we could in one single day. 

This is precisely what tethers my experience as a student journalist to community. The idea of showing up. Showing up in response to a call for action. To fight for student journalists’ rights to publish free from the fear of unduly censorship and restraint. Unfortunately, the state of student press freedom in Texas is vastly different across regions. Incidents of censorship are growing, posing significant implications for student journalists seeking to do their jobs without fear of retribution from their administration. 

What you may not realize is that your presence here today is a form of advocacy—your active participation in workshops to enhance the skills you bring back to your publication, sharing your experiences with your peers who may amplify your perspective—they all equip you to be a better, more robust advocate for yourself, and others. 

Now, you don’t need me to tell you why student journalism is important. But what I hope you can think about is just how crucial of a role you play in your school, and your greater community. Asking the important questions to shed light on the issues most pertinent to your peers, and what it means to be a student right now. Building a personal testimony, holding difficult conversations with administrators who are interfering with the student publication process. Standing your ground when you face pushback for coverage of a “controversial” matter, even when exercising the same standards of ethical, fact-based reporting and critical thinking as our professional counterparts. As student journalists, we fight for our communities. We fight for our voices, we fight for our stories, and we fight for our right to tell them. 

I hope you feel empowered to tap into your own story, because it is never too late to be an advocate for student press freedom. Student journalists have a unique responsibility to bridge the gap between news literacy and civic engagement for young people. Be proud of your work, and keep on fighting the good fight. 

Congrats to Catharine, who graduated from Westwood High School in Round Rock ISD in June after serving as the co-editor-in-chief of The Horizon student newspaper.