ACP honors
top collegiate reporters

Oct. 28, 2022

Associated Collegiate Press salutes the winners of its 2022 Reporter of the Year competition.

ACP’s Individual Awards are among the top prizes in collegiate journalism, and the awards are a showcase of journalistic excellence.

Winners were announced during MediaFest 22, the ACP/CMA Fall National College Media Convention, on Oct. 28, in Washington, D.C.

ACP awards archive

ACP awards information

First Place
Camila Gonzalez
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, California

Portfolio PDF

Haitians flood Tijuana, seek asylum in U.S. and Canada

Remembering the forgotten

What’s in a name?
Chicano leaders call for the Texas Rangers baseball team to reject namesake’s violent history

Second Place
Kim McGill
The Union
El Camino College
Torrance, California

> ECC Fire Academy instructor Deena Lee makes history as South Bay’s first female fire chief

> L.A. County has seen an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes

Third Place
Alexcia Negrete
Inside Fullerton
Fullerton College
Fullerton, California

Fourth Place
Ammy Sanchez
The Reporter
Miami Dade College
Miami, Florida

> MDC Moves Forward With Spring Semester Amidst COVID-19 Surge

> He Defected From The Cuban National Team In June, Now He Pitches At Miami Dade College

> Eleven-Year-Old Is Diminutive In Size But An Academic Giant At MDC

Fifth Place
Jose Romero
The Collegian
Tarrant County College
Hurst, Texas

Portfolio PDF

Termination in progress:
Lawsuit leads board to act against chancellor

TCU sued for wrongful termination

Transgender community opens up

Honorable mentions

Carrie Graham
el Don, Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, California
> Rancho retirees fight to retain healthcare
> Enrollment bounces back
> College works to build enrollment after losses

Edward Segal
The Valley Star, Los Angeles Valley College, Valley Glen, California
> LGBT advocate, psychology professor and standout educator
> Valley’s urban forest to soon be renovated
> Caitlyn Pineda’s three-run blast not enough to secure Monarch victory

Philip Perez
Foghorn News, Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, Texas
Portfolio PDF
Breaking cultural barriers: Overcoming the stigma of mental health in the Latino community
Coping with mental health: Navigating through life with love and support
Program demand sees rise

Carlos Guzman
The Et Cetera, Dallas College-Eastfield, Mesquite, Texas
> Transgender youth face ongoing legal battle
> ‘It’s going to be bloody’: Student success coach worries for family trapped in Ukraine
> Upward Bound gets students off the ground

Kaleia Lawrence
The Clarion, Madison Area Technical College, Madison, Wisconsin
Portfolio PDF
Moving to Division II
Dane County YouTuber has 1 million subscribers
Making the team just part of the battle

First Place
Harm Venhuizen
Chimes
Calvin University
Grand Rapids, Michigan

> ‘Walking a tightrope’: Calvin’s complicated stance on LGBTQ+ issues has caused problems for decades

> Calvin denies reappointment for professor who officiated same-sex marriage

> The Downsize Pt. II: ‘We’re committed to uncertainty’

Second Place
Ashley Mowreader
The Graphic
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

> In Her Parents’ Eyes: Remembering Autumn Tennison

> ‘Physically Impossible to Be in a Wheelchair’ — Community Members with Disabilities Face Obstacles to Success at Pepperdine

> ‘I Felt Disposable’ — Student Affairs Layoffs Impact Operations, Trust and Community at Pepp

Third Place
Jake Conley
The Breeze
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

> After losses, students demand change to mental health policy

> 20 years later: JMU community members reflect on 9/11

> ONE IN FOUR: A special report on sexual assault at JMU

Fourth Place
Cassidy Wixom
BYU Daily Universe
Brigham Young University
Utah, Utah

> Drug trafficking in Utah, counterfeit pills on the rise

> Tiny homes aren’t just for millennials anymore:
Utah looking for homeless housing alternatives

> Dreamers, undocumented students at BYU face unique challenges

Fifth Place
Sarah Michels
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

> The worst tornado in Kentucky history, told through one Bowling Green neighborhood’s survival stories

> A story six years in the making

> Treating the disease, not the symptoms: A glimpse into the Fayette County Mental Health Court

Honorable mentions

Oliver Michelsen
Xpress, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
> Crucial SF State Mental Health Services Struggle to Meet Demand
> Shooting the Stars: The Bay Area astronomers who capture the night sky
> SF State’s Complicated Relationship with Free Speech

Caleb McCullough
The Daily Iowan, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
> Police served multiple warrants against FIJI and its members last year, court records show
> 47 years and counting: Chuck Grassley pursues eighth Senate election
> Internet providers await federal broadband dollars

Alexander Hurla
The Kansas State Collegian, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
> Smethers set for Kansas Broadcasters Hall of Fame induction, retiring in 2022
> KSU Foundation reevaluating Alumni Village, focusing on student-oriented projects
> Three weeks at a Ukrainian refugee shelter in Budapest, Hungary

Victor Stefanescu
The Heights, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
> ‘It’s Not Historical. We Are’: Demonstrators Call For New Senior Center Building At Wednesday Protest
> Local Ukrainian Immigrants Face Uncertainty, New Challenges Following Russian Invasion
> Coming In Hot: Dave’s Hot Chicken Impresses At Newton Grand Opening

Austin De Dios
The Beacon, University of Portland, Portland, Oregon
> ‘I never felt a part of the UP community’: University of Portland faces staffing issues beyond the labor shortage
> ‘I don’t know how we re-establish trust’:
Lund pastoral resident faces student grievances for un-inclusive behavior
> Drones, science and women in STEM