CMA Honors Journalism Student with Close Up Award

11/12/2007 Stephen L. Betts And the CMA Awards keep coming! The Country Music Association recently selected Belmont University junior Courtney Drake, journalism major and editor of the Nashville school’s Belmont Vision, as the first recipient of the CMA Close Up Award of Merit. The award was created this year to honor the student who demonstrated the most creativity, dedication and promise in covering the 2007 CMA Music Festival on assignment from CMA. Courtney was presented the award Wed., Nov. 7 during the backstage press conference coverage of the 2007 CMA Awards at the Sommet Center in Nashville. "As exceptional as all our student volunteer reporters were at covering the 2007 CMA Music Festival, Courtney stood out as a result of her dedication, quick comprehension of her assignments, resourcefulness, willingness to adapt to constantly changing demands, and of course her ability to craft stories that were both evocative and clear under great deadline pressure," said CMA Close Up editor Bob Doerschuk. "Quite obviously, she can look forward to enjoying a long and successful career in journalism.”