KPRC TV Senior Scholarship

Emma Winburne (left) with Rachel McNeil.  Photo by Lucy Tomforde

Memorial grad and KPRC-TV 2 news anchor Dominique Sachse must be proud.

During May 21’s early morning newscast, Memorial High School senior Emma Winburne was named as the news station’s 20th, and final, recipient of a $2,000 KPRC-TV 2 Senior Scholarship for this school year.

Emma, a National Honor Society member who is also a highly regarded manager for The Anvil, the school newspaper, was surprised by morning co-anchors Owen Conflenti and Rachel McNeil in her English class with teacher Laura Kohlmaier.

A large poster of Dominique Sachse, one of many famous Memorial High alums, hangs outside the classroom. Emma showed enormous poise when surprised by the duo of brightly dressed news anchors.

The two professional broadcasters carried a poster size check into the classroom. Emma’s classmates erupted in applause when she was named.

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The financial help will follow her to Vanderbilt University, where Emma plans to major in communications and journalism.

“I was really confused,” she remarked of the classroom surprise. “I’m on the paper staff, and I do really work hard, so at this moment it looks to me like it all has paid off.”

“She’s just a fabulous student,” her English teacher said. “She is consistently one of the most polite and well-rounded students that I have ever had.”

A district UIL writing competition award winner, Emma will graduate in the top 5 percent of her competitive class. In addition to newspaper and yearbook duties, she has chaired fundraisers for the philanthropy minded MMOB, or Memorial Mustang Outreach Bunch, and she participates in spirit groups on campus.

She’s also worked with Rise School of Houston, which serves Down’s Syndrome children and their siblings, which she calls incredibly rewarding. She has also held leadership roles in National Charity League, a local mom-daughter organization.