Aliya Ahmed, Jackie Martinez, Cara Young, Rachel Byrd, and Alex Maxwell proudly accept the 16 TIPA awards on behalf of “The Howler.”
Talented, diligent, and meticulous are just three of many words that describes “The Howler” team.
The Lone Star College-Kingwood online student newspaper earned 16 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) awards at a recent conference in Corpus Christi. They received the honors for various pieces including their Hurricane Harvey special edition. Last year, “The Howler” won 19 TIPA awards.
“I am incredibly proud of my students. They work extremely hard all year to produce quality, timely, and innovative pieces that reflect the best of our campus,” said Icess Fernandez, “The Howler” adviser. “Their winning these prestigious awards not only puts another feather in LSC-Kingwood’s cap, but it also proves that two-year colleges do offer quality academic programs.”
“The Howler” competed against two-year and four-year institutions including Northeast Texas Community College, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Incarnate Word University, Texas A&M University-Galveston, Amarillo College, and Tyler College. The LSC-Kingwood team earned seven first place, four second place, three third place and two honorable mention awards.
“Standing and winning against those other colleges who have wings of universities and broadcasting labs dedicated to their use is an amazing feeling,” said Cara Young, editor-in-chief. “I realized that I could do things on a large scale if I put enough work into it.”
Preparation for the TIPA Conference started well before the event. The student journalists painstakingly combed through several months of work to determine which pieces represented their best work. The team critiqued each submission based on content, format, photo captions, visual aesthetic, category, and layout; and honed their skills at various training sessions.
“During the drive to Corpus Christi, some of us studied and went over different materials while others reviewed work submitted by past winners,” said Jaqueline Martinez Valerio, podcast host. “I know that our process prepared us to win these awards.”
Although winning was the goal, the students also walked away with valuable experiences that will continue to shape their work with “The Howler.” The skills and confidence they gained during this process will also help to advance their academic journey and future careers.
“Learning to meet deadlines and attending workshops to sharpen my writing skills will help me become a better writer as I pursue a career as an English professor,” said Rachel Byrd, reporter.” “The TIPA conferenced also helped me to forge a stronger bond with the other ‘Howlers,’ and we are now a stronger team than before.”
“The Howler” is an online student-run newspaper providing LSC-Kingwood students with news and a voice since 2015. For more information or to read their latest issue, visit https://thehowlerlsc.com/.
Register now for credit classes online through myLoneStar. Classes are offered days, evenings, or weekends in traditional, online and hybrid formats. For more information or to register online, visit www.lonestar.edu/registration. For general information about Lone Star College-Kingwood, call 281.312.1600 or visit http://lonestar.edu/kingwood.
Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 99,000 students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion. LSC consists of six colleges, 10 centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
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