Journalism Students Make Headlines from Coast to Coast
El Camino College journalism students continue to dominate the college news and reporting scenes by earning nearly 40 awards for their work at recent collegiate journalism conferences last month.
Staff members from The Union newspaper’s online edition, eccunion.com, and Warrior Life magazine received their first honors of the year as the results of judging that were announced during separate ceremonies at the combined annual conference of the California College Media Association (CCMA), the Journalism Association of Community Colleges, and the Associated Collegiate Press at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach on March 3-5.
El Camino student journalists received 15 awards from the California College Media Association, including four First Place finishes.
The California Journalism & Media Affiliates (California News Publishers Association, California College Media Association and College Press Association) also honored journalism professor and student media adviser Stefanie Frith with a Two-Year College Educator of the Year award during the California College Media Association banquet. The award recognizes leadership and support that goes beyond the journalism program and impacts the campus, local or regional groups.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by my peers across the state,” Frith said. “This award is only possible because of our amazing journalism students at El Camino College. Journalism is a difficult profession but our students are learning and producing so much incredible work. I’m proud of their accomplishments and that they are being recognized on both state and national levels.”
Judges in the Journalism Association of Community Colleges honored the El Camino students with a General Excellence award for eccunion.com and bestowed certificates in 17 additional categories. In Associated Collegiate Press judging done on site, Warrior Life was awarded a third place for Best of Show for feature magazine and seventh place Best of Show for eccunion.com.
El Camino student photographer Jose Tobar and student reporter-photographer Kim McGill received the most certificates in these competitions with six and four respectively.
Five students and Frith also traveled to the annual College Media Association conference March 9-12 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, where Warrior Life magazine was awarded a second place for Best Tweet and an honorable mention for Best Magazine Cover in limited competition.
The following is a complete list of all the 2021-2022 journalism awards and the students who won them:
College Media Association Apple Awards (New York City)
- Best Tweet, 2nd place, Warrior Life Magazine
- Best Magazine Cover, honorable mention, Warrior Life Magazine
California College Media Association (CCMA)
- 1st place, Best Magazine Photo, Mari Inagaki
- 1st place, Best Sports Photo, Greg Fontanilla
- 1st place, Best Infographic, Walter Jay Jr.
- 1st place, Best Feature Photo, Jose Tobar
- 2nd place, Best Non-Breaking News Story, Kim McGill
- 2nd place, Best News Video, Maverick Marcellana
- 2nd place, Best Non-News Video, Abigail Puentes
- 2nd place, Best Magazine Story, Elsa Rosales
- 2nd place, Best News Photo, Jose Tobar
- 2nd place, Best Photo Series, Jose Tobar
- 2nd place, Best Covid-19 Coverage, The Union staff
- 2nd place, Best Magazine Photo Series, Gary Kohatsu
- 3rd place, Best Newspaper Website, The Union Staff
- 3rd place, Best Arts and Entertainment Story, Kim McGill
- 3rd place, Best Illustration, Naereishee Jones
Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC)
- General Excellence, Online edition, Union staff
- 1st place, Magazine Illustration, Kendal Foreman
- 2nd place, Feature Photo, David Tran
- 3rd place, News Photo, Jose Tobar
- 3rd place, Magazine Profile Article, Elsa Rosales
- 3rd place, Profile Feature Story, Kim McGill
- 4th place, Illustration, Lauren Hadnot
- 4th place, Editorial, Molly Cochran
- 4th place, Magazine Design/Layout, Jeniffer Torres
- 4th place, Magazine Opinion Article, Manuel Guzman
- 4th place, Illustration, Mackenzie Matt
- Honorable mention, News Writing, Nicholas Broadhead
- Honorable mention, Magazine Illustration, Lauren Hadnot
- Honorable mention, Environmental Portrait, Jose Tobar
- Honorable mention, News Photo, Jose Tobar
- Honorable mention, Profile Feature Story, Walter Jay Jr.
- Honorable mention, Photo Story-Essay, Gary Kohatsu
- Honorable mention, Feature Story, Kim McGill
Associated Collegiate Press (ACP)
- 3rd place, Best of Show – feature magazines, Warrior Life
- 7th place, Best of Show – website, two-year campus, The Union