CA’s 2018 valedictorian is moving up the ladder as an award-winning multimedia journalist
Tara Lynch ’18 started her new job as a general assignment reporter for WJZ in Baltimore on March 25, 2024, just one day before the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. By her second week, she was on the city’s top story, standing on the chilly deck of a tugboat to show viewers how the tragedy affected the lives and livelihoods of those who work on the lower Patapsco River.
“It was definitely a quick learning curve during my first week in Baltimore,” said the Class of 2018 valedictorian. “Pulling together the data and facts on an ever-changing news story is difficult but something I really enjoy. But, I’ve I also had the opportunity to do some really interesting stories where we show the heart of the community.”
After earning her International Baccalaureate® Diploma, Lynch headed for Ithaca College, where she received her BA in journalism, summa cum laude in 2021. A Spanish minor who was in the honors program, she also holds a certificate in weather forecasting from Pennsylvania State University.
Lynch was host and producer of “The Next Big Thing,” a weekly infotainment news show she created on Instagram, before starting as a multimedia journalist for WETM 18 News in Elmira, NY. There she pitched, wrote, shot, and edited a variety of stories, including the state’s response to the coronavirus and post-pandemic stimulus and economic issues.
By early 2022, she moved to Buffalo’s WIVB News 4, covering breaking news, such as the Tops mass shooting and Salman Rushdie’s stabbing. She also reported during severe winter weather in Western New York, including the deadly Christmas blizzard of 2022. She’s provided reports for CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell, CBS Mornings, and NewsNation.
Lynch’s stellar reporting has not gone unnoticed: She won a Region 11 Edward R. Murrow Award as part of a news documentary one year after the Tops mass shooting and has been nominated for four New York State Emmys. This year she received three 2024 nominations for a retrospective on the Tops shooting, the remembrance of the deadly Christmas blizzard, and as a member of the News 4 team that covered a four-alarm fire that killed a firefighter. She has also won awards from the New York State Broadcasters Association and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Lynch said she gained early experience, skills, and confidence at CA, where she was encouraged to complete several video projects.
“My time at Cheshire Academy prepared me not only for college but also for my career as a reporter,” she said, noting her weekly show with Head Football Coach David Dykeman. “Combining that with my International Baccalaureate® Diploma made me extremely well-prepared for the opportunities I’ve had since graduating.”
