By Tabitha Redder/nw news editor
TCC students won 19 awards at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association conference April 10-12 with The Collegian editor-in-chief Kenney Kost winning the prestigious TIPA Reporter of the Year for Individual Excellence.
“It’s awesome. It’s amazing to win, to get recognition for the work that I’ve done,” Kost said. “I guess every time I win an award, it’s just another reassurance that I’m doing the right thing with my life.”
The judges noted that Kost’s stories were informative, investigative and handled well. He was also awarded a $400 scholarship.
Kost also won two awards for his work in news and opinion writing. He tied for first place for his reporting about a Grand Prairie police officer who shot and killed a theft suspect on SE Campus in January 2013 and received an honorable mention in editorial writing with a piece about the new voter ID law.
Alex Bihm, who won five awards, tied for third place in photo illustration with “Cyber Bullying,” won second place in illustration for “Burnout” and third place in editorial cartoon with “NSA.” He also received honorable mentions in editorial cartoon for “Olympics” and in news photo for “Man Hunt.”
Daphne Reese tied for second place in feature page design for a page on free NW Campus dance classes, and Eric Rebosio tied for second place in page one design.
Taylor Jensen placed third in critical review for her look at A Good Day to Die Hard, and Rhiannon Saegert, The Collegian’s managing editor, received an honorable mention in the same category for her review of Machete Kills.
Yesenia Santillan received an honorable mention in sports feature photo for a shot of costumed weightlifters, and Karen Gavis tied for second place in feature story with a story of a TR student who escaped war-torn Congo to get a degree.
Additionally, SE Campus’ The Compass won first place in Overall Excellence for Literary Magazine, and Carla Medeiros Lopez won third place for her short story in the magazine.
The Collegian won second place for Overall Excellence and received an honorable mention for opinion/editorial page design.
“The field that we were in had a lot of four-year schools, so we’re doing top-of-the-line-work,” Kost said. “It shows that we have a good staff that cares to be able to achieve that.”
Conference attendees competed in various live on-site competitions testing their journalism skills. Saegert won first place in editorial writing during the competition.
