Communications Students Sweep Region 11 SPJ Awards

Students in the Communications Department were honored for journalistic excellence on April 18 at a ceremony announcing the 2014 Mark of Excellence (MOE) Award winners. Hosted by the Society of Professional Journalists in San Francisco, the event celebrated excellence in collegiate journalism of students from throughout Arizona, California, Nevada and Hawaii (Region 11).

University of La Verne students won in the following five categories:

General News Photography (Small) 1-9,999 Students

Winner: Obama declares part of San Gabriel Mountains a national monument – by Helen Arase, University of La Verne

Sports Photography (Small) 1-9,999 Students

Winner: Leopards lose third straight game – by Helen Arase, University of La Verne

Feature Writing (Small) 1-9,999 Students

Winner: Demystifying disabilities – by Mariela Patron, University of La Verne

In-Depth Reporting (Small) 1-9,999 Students

Winner: The courage to heal – by Katie Madden, University of La Verne

Television News and Feature Photography

Winner: Depression: The hidden struggle – by Jetske Wauran, University of La Verne

All first place winners will move on to the national MOE competition among the 12 SPJ regions. National winners will be notified in late spring and will be recognized at Excellence in Journalism 2015 in Orlando Florida in the fall.

In addition, La Verne students were also designated as finalists in the following categories:

General News Reporting (Small) 1-9,999 Students

Finalist: Adjunct faculty unionization coverage – by Mariela Patron, Kristina Bugante, University of La Verne

Television In-Depth Reporting

Finalist: Depression: The hidden struggle – by Jetske Wauran, University of La Verne

Television Feature Reporting

Finalist: Harrison McIntosh – by Christian Reina, Scott Feuerhelm, Armando Tapia, University of La Verne