Hofstra Student Wins Gracie Award

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A Hofstra University student from Little Neck has won a prestigious award that honors women in television, radio and online media.

Shannan Ferry, a junior who is majoring in broadcast journalism at Hofstra’s school of communication, has been given the Gracie Award in the student ratio market category for her work on a segment titled “Female Genital Mutilation: A Victim Speaks Out,” which aired last year on WRHU 88.7 FM.

“It’s a tremendous honor to win this award,” said Ferry, who is from Little Neck and is minoring in political science. “Many of the nationally recognized journalists that I look up to have won a Gracie Award. To be able to say that I now share that in common with them is very exciting.”

The award is handed out by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.

For her contribution to the winning segment, Ferry worked with Equality Now, a nonprofit that focuses on stopping violence and discrimination against women.

She interviewed Jaha Dukurey, a 21-year-old who moved to the United States from Gambia to escape the cultural practice of female genital mutilation.

“I polished my skills as a journalist and learned just how difficult it can be to interview someone about something so personal and life changing,” Ferry said.

Ferry has been with WRHU, which is Hofstra’s station, since her freshman year and was recently named station manager.

“Shannan recently was appointed station manager of WRHU, the highest position a student staffer can hold, and raised the standards of programming to new heights,” said Ed Ingles, WRHU’s professional in residence. “I expect we’ll hear a lot more about Shannan Ferry’s achievements in the years to come.”

Ferry and two other students reported live from last year’s Republican National Convention in Tampa. And she covered the second presidential debate at Hofstra in October between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney.

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