Future journalists at Texas A&M University-Kingsville were tired of being overlooked. This past week The South Texan staff proved their talents.
Every year college students across the state attend the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention (TIPA) and compete in various on-site competitions pertaining to writing, photography, advertising, design and editing.
In addition, selected judges review previously published yearbooks, literary magazines, online publications, newspapers and podcasts.
This year six students, C.R. Neal, Dylan Dozier, Aryssa Enriquez, Amanda DeFrees, Iliana Flores and Darcy Ramirez competed at the annual convention held from March 14 to 16 in Corpus Christi.
This year’s competition was more challenging than previous years because of the shrinkage of categories and the interweaving of divisions, yet The South Texan walked away with 11 awards.
The on-site contest winners were as follows: First Place Newsprint Writing – Iliana Flores, Honorable Mention Headline Writing – C.R. Neal and Honorable Mention Sports Action Photo – Amanda DeFrees. This was also the first time Flores and DeFrees were contenders.
“This was my first time going to TIPA so I was really nervous. However after competing and attending workshops, I’m so glad I went. It was a great opportunity to grow closer with my South Texan family and learn new ways to improve our paper,” Flores said.
The previously published winners included: First Place Sports Action Photo – Frankie Cardenas, Second Place Newspaper Cover Design – Crystal Zamarron, Second Place Overall Excellence Website – The South Texan Staff, Second Place Multi-Media Feature – Ashley Gonzalez, Lillian Morris and Hector Landin, Third Place Feature Writing – America Quintero, Third Place Headline Writing – Darcy Ramirez, C.R. Neal, America Quintero and Dakota Roberts, Honorable Mention Overall Excellence Newspaper- – The South Texan Staff and Honorable Mention Website Design – Darcy Ramirez.
In the past The South Texan did not compete in online publications but the newly constructed website, www.thesouthtexan.com was recognized for its capability and design proving that the organization is transitioning to a more modernized outlet.
“The South Texan right now is the premiere outlet for the student media and it’s going to eventually be branching out into more multimedia and transmedia to include possibly some collaboartions with TV2 and KTAI,” Todd Lucas, chair of the department of art, communications and theatre, said.
The South Texan is a home to 15 staff members, one of the smallest organizations that competed at TIPA, but each year the newsroom expands. The returning staff members hope to compete in more categories involving video, podcasts and multimedia stories.
“The student journalists of The South Texan give of their time, talent and skills each week to tell the stories that matter on this campus. They do this because they believe they serve a purpose. To have their hard work and dedication recognized with these awards is amazing. I am proud to serve as their adviser, and I know they will continue to thrive here and in their future careers,” Nicole Morris, faculty adviser of The South Texan and First-Year Seminar Coordinator for UNIV said.