The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union
The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union
The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union
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El Camino takes home multiple regional college journalism awards

Byline photo of Rosemarie Turay
By Rosemarie Turay • October 16, 2025
Saddleback College Bobcats catcher Rodrigo Barajas suffers an injury against the El Camino College Warriors at the bottom of the fifth inning on Warrior Field on Friday, May 2. Photographer Mario Trejos would go on to win first place for Best Sports Feature Photo at the 2025 Journalism Association of Community Colleges SoCal Regional Publication Awards Saturday, Oct. 11. (Mario Trejos | The Union)

The Union newspaper and Warrior Life magazine earned multiple awards during the 2025 Journalism Association of Community Colleges’ SoCal Regional Conference at California State University, Northridge, on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Both publications received General Excellence awards in the newspaper, magazine and online edition categories.

“For general excellence, we rank with the best college newspapers in the state. That is the top rating from the organization,” Jack Mulkey, the advertising and business manager for El Camino College’s journalism department, said. “It’s quite a big honor to be in general excellence for news, magazine and website.”

Photographer Mario Trejos won first place for The Union’s sports feature photo of a baseball injury.

Editor-in-Chief Nikki Yunker won first place awards for an editorial in The Union and am illustration for “Spoiled Students” in Warrior Life.

Former staff writer and award-winning photographer Eddy Cermeno received first and second place awards for magazine photography.

Other winners include Elsa Rosales who took third place for her feature story in The Union, “Pow Wildhorse Pow Wow marks its second year at El Camino College.”

Cermeno, with former Warrior Life editor-in-chief Angela Osorio, placed fourth for the Warrior Life Fall 2024 issue’s cover design.

Former editor-in-chief for the newspaper and managing editor for Warrior Life magazine Greg Fontanilla, along with current news editor Erica Lee and former students Philip Mawamba and Ma. Gisela Ordenes, also earned awards in multiple categories.

Honorable mentions include Angel Pasillas and Kayla Mitchell as well as Rosales for front page design.

GENERAL EXCELLENCE

Magazine: Warrior Life, fall 2024 edition

Newspaper: The Union

Online: The Union website, eccunion.com

 

FIRST PLACE

Sports feature photo: Mario Trejos

Magazine photo: Eddy Cermeno

Magazine illustration: Nikki Yunker

Editorial: Nikki Yunker

 

SECOND PLACE

Magazine photo: Eddy Cermeno

Magazine design/layout: Warrior Life staff

 

THIRD PLACE

Non-profile feature story: Elsa Rosales

 

FOURTH PLACE

Magazine cover design: Eddy Cermeno and Angela Osorio

Sports action photo: Greg Fontanilla

Magazine opinion article: Erica Lee

Video soft news reporting: Philip Mawamba

Magazine profile article: Ma. Gisela Ordenes

 

HONORABLE MENTION

Front page layout: Elsa Rosales

Magazine news non-profile feature story: Angel Pasillas

Feature photo: Kayla Mitchell

Magazine profile article: Erica Lee

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