The Union newspaper and Warrior Life magazine were nationally recognized by the College Media Association, winning first place for best newspaper in a two-year school. Warrior Life won third place in the category of best magazine cover in a two-year school as well as first place for best magazine spread in a two-year school.

The College Media Association (CMA) is a national organization of college public advisers. “It supports both new and veteran advisers of collegiate-media programs with conventions, workshops, publications and national networking,” according to the CMA website.

The editor-in-chief  for the Union was Viridiana Vaca-Rios and Ashley Curtin was the EIC for Warrior Life.

Vaca-Rios, who is now the Union Online and Warrior Life magazine EIC, said it is nice to be recognized for the work she and her team produced.

“It has to do with having supportive advisers, keeping focus on the big picture, the big goal and working to achieve it,” Vaca-Rios said. “It’s a team effort, if one of us doesn’t have it together everyone suffers. Each of us have our own title but that doesn’t stop us from helping out one another.”

Adviser and journalism professor Lori Medigovich said that she knows the reason for her students’ success.

“These students work really hard and put a lot of time and effort into their work,” Medigovich said. “It shows in the fact that they’ve won these awards.”

Medigovich said that every member that contributed to the winning publications will “definitely have a future as journalists.”

Kate McLaughlin, adviser and journalism instructor, dissects the importance of  the Union publications to the EC community and to the students that are on staff.

“No one else covers EC like the Union does. It provides information for the EC community and ultimately creates a public record that goes back to 1946,” McLaughlin said. “These publications not only are of importance to the EC community but also the students working on these publications because it provides experience and an excess of “critical life skills that are needed to be successful in the workplace.”

McLaughlin said that these students are pushed to their limits to excel in and ultimately gain growth, along with a vast amount of learning experiences.

“Winning these awards puts “a little wind in the sail of the students” to continue to work hard and achieve this type of credibility and recognition,” McLaughlin said.

STORY UPDATED: 2:56 P.M.