CSUDH Journalism Majors Headline CCMA Awards

Several of our Journalism students were recognized for their accomplishments through the California College Media Association. They received a total of six CCMA 2022 Excellence in Student Media awards. The six winners included Journalism majors Nova Blanca-Rico, Raven Brown, Brenda Fernanda Verano, Jasmine Nguyen, Darlene Maes, Daniel Tom, and Jasmine Contreras.

The CCMA is a way where students can be acknowledged for their achievements made through their media contributions. This year, the awards ceremony was held at the Associated Collegiate Press Spring National College Media Conference located at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach.

Journalism majors are required to take COM 355: Newspaper Production for their major, where they produce the student-run Bulletin Newspaper. They pitch their own ideas, conduct interviews, do research, and write all of their own content about issues related to the campus or local community. Students then had the opportunity to submit their best work for the CCMA competition.

Dr. Severino, who served last year as the faculty advisor for the Bulletin, said that he was “very proud of the students’ work and accomplishments within the newspaper.” He explained how dedicated each of these students were to their individual work and believes these journalism students deserve these awards for all their hard work producing strong journalistic content.

This year’s CCMA winners were pleasantly surprised to learn that they were being awarded. It is always a great honor for the school when students can receive awards for their academic achievements. They all feel accomplished with their writing skills and hope to encourage other students to work towards these great honors as well.

One of this year’s winners, Daniel Tom, noted that when notified of his accomplishment, it caught him by surprise.

“Writing for the Bulletin allowed me to discover a side of myself that I never knew I had and has made me strongly consider continuing writing,” Tom said.

Tom was not always so sure about Journalism, but he gave it a chance and fell in love with it. He was awarded second place in “Best Newspaper Column,” along with other Bulletin members Jasmine Nguyen and Brenda Verano.

Tom makes it a point to add his personality into his writing to make it his own. He believes that writing should be personal enough to be able to connect with his overall audiences.

A word of advice that Tom would give any other Journalism major would be, “Don’t be afraid to write/speak what you feel,” Tom said. “The best work is done when it comes from you. Dig deep! The stories don’t come to you, you go to them!”

Another winner, Jasmine Nguyen, said that being awarded by the CCMAs was a “great privilege and opportunity.”

Nguyen shared that her winning made all of journalism work as a student worthwhile. Like Tom, she did not really see people acknowledging her work through journalism but became fulfilled through her award. Having this honor has allowed Nguyen to appreciate her writing much more. She believes that her passion and unique viewpoint led her to stand out from the crowd, leading her to this award.

Nguyen also reminds us that whenever we are feeling like “throwing in the towel,” it’s important to remember to not give up and always put our best foot forward in our work. She shares a piece of advice:

“Be curious and resilient,” Nguyen said. “The career isn’t easy, but our work is essential, so keep at it.”

The six winners were also awarded a group award, coming in third place for “Best Special Issue Section” for their original piece, “Election Special Issue.”

Members of the Bulletin are always a team first, and being able to be awarded for their group efforts is something they are proud of. This experience has impacted each winner individually in their own special way but at the end of it all they did it together, making it a greater accomplishment.

The other awards given to our six winners were as follows: Raven Brown, first place for “Best Infographic” for her work, “Changing Majors;” Brenda Verano, second place for “Best Non-Breaking News Story” for her work, “Outstanding Professor Award Recipient’s Mic Drop at Last Month’s Virtual Ceremony;” Jasmine Contreras, third place for “Best News Series” for her work, “CSUDH Return to Campus;” and Darlene Maes, third place for “Best Editorial Cartoon” for her work, “Job Application.”

Being recognized at the CCMAs has made all their hard work and dedication worth it.