Six current and former members of The Pioneer staff won a total of seven awards at the annual journalism conference hosted earlier this month by the Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association.
Pioneer staffers placed first in the feature photo, personal column and review categories; second in the feature/personality profile and personal column categories; and third in the feature/personality profile and review categories.
Former Editor-in-Chief Khi Davis won first place for a feature photo that he took of an OCCC student striking a memorable pose at last year’s alternative prom. The judge complimented Davis for his “nice work” while celebrating his ability to understand his audience and visually support a story.
Ariel Harry, the former layout/design editor for The Pioneer, won first-place awards for both a personal column entitled “Between Grief and Growth: My Time at OCCC” and a book review called “Layman’s Report: A Disturbing Look at Misinformation and Manipulating History.” The judge praised Harry’s column as “very well written,” noting that “you can’t help but cheer for her” to succeed. The judge expressed strong admiration for her book review as well.
“The first-place finisher was one of those ‘wow’ reviews that shows depth, balance and compels the reader to go out and buy the book,” the judge wrote. “Ariel Harry did an outstanding job in writing and portraying the book without giving too much away. Great job. I want to read more of Ariel’s reviews!”
Current Managing Editor Jonas McGee won second place in the feature/personality profile category for his feature story, “From Prison to Purpose: OCCC Student Determined to Be the Change She Wants to See.” The judge applauded the article as a “good story with a lot of heart.”
Willa Marlowe, a former staff reporter for The Pioneer, won second place for a personal column entitled “The Lesson I Learned by Visiting Lawmakers at the State Capitol on Higher Education Day.” The judge described the column as “nicely written” while noting that Marlowe had clearly explained her arguments with a state lawmaker.
Sonia Diaz, a current staff reporter who also serves as the Spanish section editor for The Pioneer, won third place in the feature/personality profile for her feature story, “Behind the Uniform: More Than Meets the Eye.” The judge praised the article as “well written with good description,” adding that it featured “good balance between (the subject’s) past and present.”
Current Editor-in-Chief Trey Brite won third place for his review, “Magician Casts Spell on OCCC Audience.” The judge proclaimed the review “outstanding,” saying, “I found myself wanting to go to this performance because of how Trey Brite wrote it.”
Pioneer Advisor-Editor Melissa Davis reacted to the awards with a mixture of pride and joy, clearly pleased that the newspaper had managed to win multiple prizes in the first journalism competition that it had entered in years.
“I was delighted to see The Pioneer staff recognized for its outstanding performance,” Davis said. “The students work really hard, and they do a great job of covering campus news and the OCCC community. They deserve this recognition. I am so proud of them!”
