El Camino College Union Newspaper and Warrior Life Magazine Win Big in National Media Competition
El Camino College’s student-run campus newspaper, The Union, continues its award-winning legacy as its staff brings home several awards from the virtual Fall National College Media Convention, co-hosted by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) and the Collegiate Media Association (CMA) last month.
Under the leadership of The Union newspaper’s current Editor-in-Chief and El Camino student Nicholas Broadhead, El Camino College won a total of seven awards including 1st Place for Best Website (eccunion.com), 2nd Place for Best Feature Magazine (Warrior Life Magazine), and 2nd Place for Best Two-Year College Media Outlet (The Union Newspaper). The staff also won the following:
- 3rd Place, Two-year Feature Magazine of the Year.
https://eccunion.com/category/warrior-life-2021/ - 4th Place Reporter of the Year, by Juan Miranda.
https://eccunion.com/warrior-life/2021/05/31/serving-the-community-through-warrior-pantry/ - 5th Place Story of the Year, Editorial, by Molly Cochran
- Honorable Mention: Best Viral Video
https://eccunion.com/top-stories/2021/05/26/ecc-fire-academy-training-during-the-pandemic/
El Camino students who submitted entries and also won awards in this year’s competition include the following:
- First place, news photo, by Gary Kohatsu
- First place, newspaper profile feature story, by Walter Jay Jr.
- Second place, magazine illustration, by Kendal Foreman
- Third place, newspaper editorial, by Nicholas Broadhead
- Third place, magazine photo, by Gary Kohatsu
- Fourth place, newspaper opinion story, by Maverick Marcellana
- Fourth place, magazine opinion story, by Manuel Guzman
- Fourth place, magazine design, by Jennifer Torres
- Honorable mention, environmental portrait, by Walter Jay Jr.
- Honorable mention, editorial, by Molly Cochran
- Honorable mention, magazine cover design, by Jennifer Torres
- Honorable mention, magazine profile, by Molly Cochran
- Honorable mention, magazine illustration, by Lauren Hadnot
“Here at The Union, we are always striving to provide news with events that are occurring on campus and outside of campus relating to El Camino,” Broadhead explained. “I need to thank my team both from last semester and this semester. Without them and their hard work, these awards never would have happened. I'd also like to thank Stefanie Frith for her continued help not only in our journalism classes, but also as an advisor helping us get through tough times and situations during inside and outside class.”
The confidence and success exhibited by the The Union newspaper and Warrior Life Magazine staffs during the three-day competition and convention were the results of hard work and determination to consistently put together a quality product. El Camino College journalism professor and student media adviser, Stefanie Frith, was excited to watch her students win big against some very competitive collegiate journalism programs.
"Our students have continued to cover the El Camino College campus, despite the incredible difficulties presented to them during this pandemic,” Frith expressed. To have them be recognized for that work on a national level is rewarding and exactly the kind of ‘pick-me-up’ they need to keep going."
The Union’s former Editor-in-Chief Juan Miranda, who died in January, posthumously won 4th place for this year’s Reporter of the Year award, further demonstrating how his newsroom legacy continues.
The ACP and the CMA are professional media advisory outlets for colleges and universities throughout the United States; they host two annual conventions aimed at providing journalism students access to research and resources from news and media professionals throughout the industry. This year’s convention was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.