Ma. Gisela Ordenes, left, boasts a second-place award for Reporter of the Year issued by the College Media Assocation, while Erica Lee holds magazines she won awards for. Lee was awarded first-place in Best Profile for the reporting category and second-place in Best Multimedia Feature Story. Ordenes took home several awards that included second-place in Best Editorial and third-place in Best Investigative Story. (Angel Pasillas | The Union)
El Camino College’s journalism program received multiple awards from the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Association at the Fall National Media Convention in New Orleans, which ran from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2.
The Union and Warrior Life magazine received eight first-place awards from the College Media Association, including Best General News Email Newsletter and Best College Media Group for two-year colleges.
In total, the journalism program took home 40 awards at the convention.
Delfino Camacho, who served as editor-in-chief of The Union in fall 2023, won first-place alongside Monroe Morrow, Kim McGill and The Union’s former editor-in-chief and Warrior Life’s current social media editor, Ma. Gisela Ordenes, for Best Special Section after writing “Unlicensed and unbothered” a semester-long project this past spring.
The story revolved around licensed and unlicensed marijuana dispensaries in the South Bay.
Camacho also earned two second-place awards for Best Photo Illustration for “Unlicensed and unbothered” and Best Feature Story for Warrior Life magazine for his story on Sharonda Barksdale, El Camino College’s Basic Needs Center coordinator.
“Getting some kind of recognition and getting people to read the story feels really really good,” Camacho said.
Former staff members of The Union who won awards include Khoury Williams, Ethan Cohen, Johan Van Wier, Maddie Selack and Olivia Sullivent.
In addition, Dylan Elliot and Greg Fontanilla, The Union’s current editor-in-chief, were awarded first place in Magazine Cover Design, presented by the Journalism Association of Community Colleges at the two-year level for their Warrior Life cover design last semester.
Honorable mentions were given for Best Feature Photo and Best Sports Feature photo to Morrow and Fontanilla, respectively.
For Erica Lee, a former copy editor for The Union and current writer for Warrior Life, being able to discover her passion and getting recognition for her work makes it all worthwhile.
Lee said being recognized for her writing and earning awards is proof she is heading in the right direction in life.
“Blood, sweat and tears, emphasis on many tears,” Lee said. “It tells me that ‘Erica, you made the right choice – you are on the right track.’”
She won first place for Best Profile for her feature story on Carl Turano, an ECC warehouse stock clerk, as well as two second place awards for Best Arts and Entertainment Story for ‘All that Glitters’ and Best Multimedia Feature Story about the South Bay’s top breweries.
Stories that are timely, impactful and informative go through a detailed evaluation process by The Union’s business advertising manager, Jack Mulkey.
Mulkey confers with journalism professor Stefanie Frith before submitting stories, photos and illustrations on behalf of The Union and Warrior Life for contest entries to any journalism conventions.
“We [advisers] are very happy that El Camino students won so many awards,” Mulkey said. “That they [students] have the background and training to do that [win awards].”
Associated Collegiate Press awards:Reporter of the year: Second Place, Ma. Gisela OrdenesMultimedia story of the year: Third place, Ma. Gisela OrdenesMagazine page/spread: Fifth place, Maddie Selack, TrappedIn-depth story: Honorable mention, Angela Osorio and Ma. Gisela Ordenes, “Death of woman sends shockwaves to El Camino community”Editorial: Honorable mention, Ma. Gisela OrdenesIllustration: Honorable Mention, Kim McGill, Raised by dogsMultimedia feature: Honorable mention, Olivia SulliventAssociated Collegiate Press Convention Best of Show:Second Place, Digital NewsletterThird Place, Feature MagazineThird Place, WebsiteFifth Place, NewspaperCollege Media Association Pinnacle awards:First Place, Best College Media Group of the YearFirst Place, general news mail newsletter (The Union)Third Place, Feature Magazine of the Year (Warrior Life)Honorable Mention, Newspaper Website of the Year (The Union)First Place, Best Magazine Cover, Greg Fontanilla and Dylan Elliott First Place, Best Magazine Feature Page Spread, Delfino CamachoFirst Place, Best Enterprise Coverage of Diversity, Kim McGillFirst Place, Best Profile, Erica LeeFirst Place, Best Special Section, Union Staff (Delfino Camacho, Kim McGill, Monroe Morrow, Ma. Gisela OrdenesFirst Place, Best General News Photo, Ethan CohenFirst Place, Best Portrait, Khoury WilliamsSecond Place, Best Magazine Feature Page Spread, Delfino CamachoSecond Place, Best Arts and Entertainment Reporting, Erica LeeSecond Place, Best Editorial, Ma. Gisela OrdenesSecond Place, Best Feature Story, Delfino CamachoSecond Place, Best Multimedia Feature Story, Erica LeeSecond Place, Best Photo Illustration, Delfino CamachoThird Place, Best Infographic, Kim McGillThird Place, Best Magazine Sports Page/Spread, Greg FontanillaThird Place, Best Magazine Entertainment Page/Spread, Kim McGillThird Place, Best Magazine Contents Page/Spread, Dylan ElliottThird Place, Best Newspaper Sports Page/Spread, Johan Van WierThird Place, Best Game Story, Olivia SulliventThird Place, Best Print Sports Section, Johan Van WierThird Place, Best General News Story, Angela Osorio and Ma. Gisela OrdenesThird Place, Best Investigative Story, Ma. Gisela OrdenesThird Place, Best Sports News Photo, Ethan CohenHonorable Mention, Best Newspaper Feature Page/Spread, Angela OsorioHonorable Mention, Best Feature Photo, Monroe MorrowHonorable Mention, Best Sports Feature Photo, Greg Fontanilla