The Dow Program in American Journalism was recognized recently when six program students won in their respective categories in the Michigan Collegiate Press Association Newspaper Contest.
In addition to program members, two students were also rewarded for their contributions to the Collegian .
Stories published between Dec. 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, were eligible for the contest, a time which was shortened this year due to the MCPA's transition to the same judging schedule as the Michigan Press Association. Competing in the Division II weekly newspaper section of the competition, the Collegian earned several top honors.
Colleen McGinness, a 2004 graduate, nabbed the Journalist of the Year for Division II along with a first place finish for non-deadline writing.
Junior Nicole Stanley placed first in deadline writing, beating out five other contenders.
Senior Cheryl Heitzman added another first place finish in the sports feature competition.
Senior Sue DePassio also grabbed first place in the competitive feature writing category for her article “Junior Attending Officer Training School.”
“I was actually very surprised when I found out that I came in first place in the feature story category, but then I was like, ‘Take that!'” DePassio said.
“It honestly gave me a lot more confidence in my writing. My favorite articles to write definitely are feature stories, and, within that section, I like writing book reviews best.”
Junior Tyler Horning placed second in the sports photo competition. Stanley added another second place in column writing.
2004 graduate John Davidson also added a second place finish for his editorial work.
Finishing up the competition was another third place finish by McGinness in column writing.
2004 graduate Will Farnham, who was not a Dow Journalism program member, earned third place for his movie review of Big Fish .
December 2004 graduate Jacob Harrison rounded up the awards with a third place finish in non-deadline writing.
Also receiving honors was junior Katie Truesdell who earned the Michigan Press Association Community Journalism Scholarship. After filling out an application, writing a 500-word essay, providing a resume and submitting copies of newspaper clips, Truesdell was selected as one of 10 recipients of the scholarship.
“I applied last year, but didn't get it,” Truesdell said.
“I decided to apply again this year, with the hope that another year of experience would win me the scholarship, but I wasn't really expecting anything. I'm very honored to have received it, not to mention relieved financially.”