LIBERTY TWP., Butler County -- Fighting her way back from sevenyears of disabling spinal trouble and corrective surgery, EliseBascom discovered that being a writer 'was a way for me to connect,emotionally, with something going on in my life. I began to look forstories that will make a difference, have an impact.'
Bascom, 18, the daughter of Kim and Charlie Bascom of LibertyTwp., has turned her writing interest into a career plan. She wasaccepted by the University of Missouri journalism program and hasbeen named winner of the 2006 Burick Scholarship.
The scholarship, named for famed Dayton Daily News sports editorSi Burick, who died in 1986, provides a $2,000 grant for therecipient's first year of college. It also promises the winner up tofour summer internships with the Daily News, where Burick was sportseditor for 58 years.
Bascom, a senior at Lakota East High School, said she will spendthis summer with the nearby Pulse-Journal -- a community newspaperowned by the same company as the Dayton Daily News -- where she'salready doing part-time work. Then she will join the Daily News stafffor
the summer of 2007.
'I was absolutely thrilled,' Bascom said. 'Just to get to be at afinalist level, I was competing against some talented people. To be awinner, I was so very excited, happy and thankful they chose me.'
Bascom's father is a biologist with Procter & Gamble inCincinnati. Her mother is a hospice nurse. She has a brother,Nicholas, a premed senior at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Her activities include National Honor Society, Hawk Ambassadors,the Hugh O'Brien Leadership Program and Cincinnati's Tri-StateJournalism Association. She has registered more than 2,000 hours ofcommunity volunteer service.
The leadership activity concealed some painful times as Bascomendured a deteriorating spinal condition accompanied by arthritissince she was 10 years old. Two herniated disks were repaired insurgery in December, and she says 'things are much better now.'
She calls the surgery 'a miracle, giving me my life back,' butsays there was much pain and might still be a need for moreoperations. Writing was a solace during times of pain and isolation,she said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2222 orbkline@DaytonDailyNews.com.