Journalism student Carlie ‘Cal’ LaFauci has been awarded the prestigious Rising Researcher award, given annually to undergraduate students who "excel in research, challenge their intellect, and exercise exceptional creativity."
LaFauci, a senior journalism major with a political science minor, is the second journalism major to win the Rising Researcher award; the other was Bryan Bowman ’18, who won the award in the fall of 2017.
LaFauci also received the 2024 College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) LeBovidge Undergraduate Research Award. They are a member of the Kappa Tau Alpha honors society and are currently a teaching assistant for journalism professor Dr. Kelsey Whipple; they were working with one of her class when they discovered they had won the Rising Researcher award.
“I couldn’t really breathe for a minute because... I honestly didn’t expect it at all,” LaFauci said on receiving the email notifying them of the award. “I honestly was ecstatic…I immediately called my parents because I was so ecstatic.”
LaFacui has worked with Whipple on a number of research projects. The specific project LaFauci was recognized for was their work analyzing how the New York Times covered transgender individuals and trans-affirming care, and looking at the discourse that resulted around the Times’ coverage; they also created guidelines for how journalists and organizations can cover trans individuals and gender-affirming care in a more accurate, reliable and open way.
“It means a lot to me to see Cal receive this recognition for their hard work, because they just really deserve it — and because I’ve seen how much time, thought and respect they put into this research for a couple years now,” Whipple said. “I already knew they were going to continue to be a fantastic future researcher during their time in grad school and beyond, but this award adds additional validation and recognition to all the valuable work they’ve already done on their path to that future.”
LaFauci will present their findings at the 75th Annual International Communication Association Conference under the title, “Analyzing the Metajournalistic Discourse Surrounding the New York Times’ Coverage of Trans Communities” this June.
“It means everything, honestly,” LaFauci said on receiving the award. “The fact that I won this award stands as a testament to how far I’ve come in the past year and shows me that the work I’ve been doing truly matters. This award, more than anything, confirms that this is what I’m supposed to be doing in life and I truly couldn’t be happier.”