Katherine Daugherty '23 receives four-year scholarship from the Cleveland Association of Broadcasters
The Cleveland Association of Broadcasters (CAB) connected Daugherty with Cleveland-area media members by expanding her network and supported her with a competitive scholarship that is only awarded to four qualified applicants around northeast Ohio each year.
"I am honored that CAB chose to rally with me as I pursue a career in sports information and media relations," she said.
Daugherty grew up listening to her dad as a radio broadcaster for high school football, Case Western Reserve University football and basketball, and Cleveland State University athletics.
“I was basically raised in a press box and, at 13 years old, my dad invited me to start working with him for high school football radio broadcasts as the On-Site Producer/Engineer, Spotter, and Game-day Coordinator”, she said. “These behind-the-scenes tasks allowed me to play a role in keeping the equipment working, checking the field for injuries, tackles, penalties, communicating with our radio station about commercial breaks, and checking Twitter for updates on other games. My experience with him later introduced me to the process of creating media guides and game note packages for high school football and basketball: the ‘sports information’ side of sports. I quickly learned that sports information was my career niche and loved the idea of working at the high school or collegiate level of athletics.”
Daugherty knew she wanted to attend a small, Christian college. She also wanted to enroll where she could pursue sports management and build her network within the sports industry, specifically college athletics.
“Malone fit all of these qualities and, after visiting campus, I fell in love with the campus atmosphere and culture,” she said. “I met with Mark Bankert, assistant professor of sport management, and learned about Malone's connections with local and regional sports organizations. Malone quickly took the top spot in my college-search list. I’m super grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to be the Women's Basketball manager as well. I can't imagine myself anywhere else.”
Daugherty has had two mentors inside and outside of the classroom that have impacted her career journey.
“Not only has Professor Bankert introduced me to different areas of sports that I hadn't fully realized yet, but he has also encouraged me to pursue my passion and supported me in my journey,” she said. “And Malone's Sports Information Director (SID), Donavon Martin Jr., has become a pivotal mentor for me in my specific field of interest. Last year, I emailed Donavon in hopes of gaining internship experience in the office. He has taught me different aspects of the job that I believe really prepared me for a career in a college sports information department role.”
The Cleveland Association of Broadcasters hosted a virtual awards event (25:49-26:28) to honor the scholarship winners on December 22. Read the biography that she drafted for their website.