Extra, extra, read all about it! The Et Cetera newspaper team attended the Texas Community College Journalism Association (TCCJA) at Tarleton State University in Stephenville to compete against other community college newspapers. The two-day convention began with refreshments and an overview of what to expect for the day ahead: three contest sessions, a mock conference and a timed competition for seven different categories.
On the morning of the contest, our team divided itself amongst the contest sessions to gain better insight and an advantage for the competition. Eric Herrera and I attended the “Broadcast News with a Smartphone” session, hosted by Andrew Tanielian, an Emmy award-winning video storyteller, speaker and instructor at TSU. Shakinia Mackey and Reggie Miranda-Galvan attended the Newswriting Conference held by Austin Lewter, the faculty advisor of J-TAC Newspaper and director of the Texas Center for Community Journalism. Braxton Piatt and Alba M. Santos-Ruiz attended the News Photography and Writing Cutlines Conference held by James Hinson, the coordinator of the University Speaking Center and an instructor of communications at TSU.
During the duration of the sessions, we had the opportunity to ask questions, jot down notes and strategize on elements we could use in any of the seven contests. Right before the conference, our attention was directed to the slew of Tarelton students sitting behind us. “These are students who attend here [and are] receiving the news; you can ask them questions and use them as sources,” he said. After all was said and done, all the schools gathered to attend the Mock Press Conference, which announced the ban on cellphone usage in classroom areas. With cameras ready and questions prepared, the students asked a myriad of questions and voiced their concerns to the announcer, Winston Dawson, director of Texas Debate at TSU.
Between the deluge of students asking questions across the room, to the interviews happening at every corner, The Et Cetera staff was on the move. After gathering the information needed, the six of us headed out of the conference to plan our submissions and get some food, provided by Texan News Service. With a firm deadline and editing to do, our team headed straight to work.
Tick, tick, tick. As we scurried through photos, last-minute edits and read-throughs, the final countdown was upon us. We submitted our pieces with a sigh of relief. Truth be told, the rush of excitement was fun. Our collective efforts created pieces in a short period of time that we could be proud of. General sessions followed the press conference, ranging from Crafting Clear and Compelling Broadcast News to Game Day Production. Our team even had the pleasure of visiting TSU’s very own news station, The Source. Thomas Engelbert gave us the rundown of what the station does, how far their reach goes, and how they give back to the local community.
All’s well that ends well, Shakespeare wrote. But this was a competition, there were awards to win and cheers to give. At the Awards Dinner, our efforts were acknowledged. Dallas College Student Media won 62 state awards, 33 national awards and our very own Braxton Piatt won the EFC Award as a first-time attendee.
The Et Cetera team extends a warm thank you to Tarerlton State University, its advisers and faculty for hosting the Texas Community College Journalism Association 2024 Convention. If you would like to be a part of conventions like as these, consider joining The Et Cetera team!
