Michelle Lang fellowship awarded to Carleton grad

Recent Carleton grad Thandi Fletcher has been awarded the 2011 Michelle Lang Fellowship in Journalism.

The 22-year-old is the second young journalist to receive the fellowship, which was created in honour of award-winning Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang, who was the first Canadian journalist killed while reporting on the war in Afghanistan.

Recent Carleton grad Thandi Fletcher has been awarded the 2011 Michelle Lang Fellowship in Journalism.

The 22-year-old is the second young journalist to receive the fellowship, which was created in honour of award-winning Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang, who was the first Canadian journalist killed while reporting on the war in Afghanistan.

For the fellowship, Fletcher will spend six months in Ottawa working for Postmedia, then another six months at the Calgary Herald. Following Lang's tradition of reporting on issues of great social significance, she will also pursue a special project — Fletcher's is on breast cancer and issues surrounding surgical procedures — as part of the fellowship.

"I feel incredibly honoured to have been selected," she told the Calgary Herald. "I just feel indescribably fortunate to have the opportunity to tackle an issue of such social significance and importance that is often overlooked . . . especially in Michelle's name as that is what she strived to do throughout her career. All I can do is hope to do it justice when I do tackle this special project."