The Gracie Awards recognize outstanding contributions by women in news and entertainment--both in front of and behind the camera and microphone--and this year, two members of the KPRC 2 News team are being honored. Manager of News Special Projects & Producer Development Erica Young won a Gracie Award in the Producer – Scripted category, and investigative reporter Amy Davis received an honorable mention in the On-Air Talent category.
Eric Young won for her work on a story about Melodie Chandler, an inspiring woman who had an incredible calling to teach children with special needs. That journey took her to China and back to the Houston area. She now has a school in Spring for children with special needs. It’s called the Journey School for the Uniquely Gifted and Talented. Young says what stood out to her the most was the transformative way Chandler’s school meets the needs of the students and their families. She says the parents she spoke with said it was a challenge finding a school that would meet all their needs, giving their children an education as well as therapy. The Journey School has teachers on staff to handle traditional classroom education, but it also has therapists on site who work in a contract capacity. Some of the therapy techniques those therapists can also be considered transformative. It was amazing to see the difference this school is making in so many lives, says Young.
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The Gracie Awards were founded in 1951 by the Alliance for Women in Media (AWM), an organization dedicated to advancing women in media through networking, education, and celebration of achievements. The awards were named after the late Gracie Allen, an influential comedian and businesswoman. The Gracie Awards honor her legacy of challenging gender norms and inspiring women in the entertainment industry.
Michelle Obama, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Maria Shriver, Selena Gomez, Gayle King and Nicole Kidman are just a few of the many famous Gracie Awards recipients.