Student Earns National Recognition for Excellence in Journalism

The Journalism Education Association (JEA) and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) host two national conferences each year—one in the spring and one in the fall. Student journalists and advisers from across the country convene to explore all facets of journalism, including print, broadcast, yearbook and magazine. This spring’s conference took place in Seattle and brought together over 3,000 students for four days of learning, networking and competition.

“This was my first time taking students to a national journalism conference, as I’ve only been teaching at SM for three years. I’ve had the privilege of teaching Kennedy all three of those years, and it was incredibly rewarding to see her hard work recognized on such a big stage,” said Emily Del Rosario, English teacher and journalism adviser.

One of the conference's highlights was the opportunity for students to compete in national journalism contests. Del Rosario entered Kennedy in the “Review Writing” category. For the competition, Kennedy attended a live performance by a local a cappella group, participated in a press conference-style interview, and then had just two hours to write a full review article. Entries were evaluated by professional journalists and journalism educators, who provided detailed feedback and selected winners for three levels of recognition: Superior, Excellent and Honorable Mention.

Kennedy earned an Award of Excellence in Review Writing, a well-deserved recognition of her skill and dedication. “It was the perfect and rewarding cap to our four-day trip,” Del Rosario added.

Beyond the competition, students attended breakout sessions led by industry professionals on topics ranging from writing and storytelling to digital media and publication design. The experience offered valuable insight and inspiration for student journalists to bring back to their school publications.

Del Rosario brought three students to the conference, and they all came away energized and full of ideas for enhancing SM’s journalism program. They networked with peers nationwide and returned home with plans to improve the school’s journalism website and newspaper.

Kennedy currently serves as SM’s web editor, managing content for the online news publication, social media accounts and “Humans of SM” features. This is her first year as an editor, and she will continue in the role as a senior next year. Not only will she be able to showcase her national award on her college applications, but she will also graduate with a special journalism cord after completing two years of Advanced Journalism Honors.