Abbey Malbon, Spotlight Editor for The Stampede, was selected as a finalist for the Individual Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association.

The Individual Award is given to students involved in scholastic journalism. It is based on several categories that are common in newspapers. The entries are judged by professionals in the field and in each particular category.

Malbon’s article that was nominated for the award, ‘Birth Control is Basic Healthcare. Period.’, is part of her Metea Media column, Girl Talk. “It was significant to me because it started my Girl Talk column and I got a lot of hate for that article. It’s really rewarding to see that my efforts and my writing is paying off,” she said.

Malbon decided to start writing Girl Talk because she feels strongly about women’s rights and thought that others would want to know about it. “As an activist in a high school, at times it’s discouraging to vocal,” Malbon said. This helps her feel like she did something right by speaking out to the school.

Journalism has had a large impact on Malbon’s writing. “The staff has encouraged me, not only to be a better journalist, but to be a better human, and I think Mr. Page has done a really good job making me pursue my passions,” Malbon said.