Communication major brings home major broadcasting award and scholarship

by Kristin Leonato

Communication major brings home major broadcasting award and scholarship
Ashley Whimpey with Armin Salehipour.

Communication major Ashley Whimpey is a woman who describes her relationship to George Mason University as being “kind of all over this place,” and it’s no exaggeration. Whether it’s in the Department of Communication where she is focused on media production and criticism, the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being where she has been working as a research assistant, or with the Mason Recreation team where she shares her love of yoga and well-being with the university community, Whimpey is known for being highly-motivated with boundless energy.

Whimpey is making the most of her time at Mason and it’s really paying off, literally. On June 24, she was awarded the 2017 Betty Endicott Scholarship from the local chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Science.

The Betty Endicott Scholarship is named for the first female news anchor in Washington, D.C., who became a pioneering news director and general manager of WTTG, the local Fox affiliate. The scholarship opportunity is open to graduate and undergraduates studying for a career in communication or broadcast journalism in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia.

Whimpey was encouraged to apply for the scholarship by her professor in the Department of Communication, David Miller. Miller said he recommended that she apply because of her “love and interest in [media] production and broadcasting.“ He noted that “anyone who knows Ashley wouldn’t be terribly surprised that she would get this award: she’s a real go-getter; she’s a very positive person, [and a] hard worker.”

Whimpey is the sole recipient of this year’s award and will receive the full amount available of $5,000. She received the award at the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter’s 59th Emmy Awards Gala hosted by NBC4’s Barbara Harrison on June 24, 2017 in Bethesda, Maryland. Originally drawn to Mason because of her interest in media, she hopes to meld her interests in communication and production with her passions for well-being and mindfulness.

Among her many activities at Mason, Whimpey works part-time with the university’s Office of Communication and Marketing, which has memorialized her award for the Mason website