School of Mass Communications senior Lucy Dieckhaus received the Robert D.G. Lewis First Amendment Award September 5th from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Dieckhaus was honored for her reporting on Orleans Public Schools and open meeting laws.

She also served as the vice president of Loyola’s Student Media’s Society of Professional Journalists chapter.

“I have learned and continue to advocate that accuracy alone does not depict the truth, but accuracy and context equals truth,” Dieckhaus wrote in her application essay. “I am motivated to enter the professional world because of the passion and skill set I have learned inside and outside of the classroom, but I am always looking to expand my knowledge, refine my skill set and see multiple perspectives.”

As part of the award, the SPJ paid for Dieckhaus to attend its annual Excellence In Journalism conference in Nashville, Tenn.