2017 Reporter of the Year Finalists

Reporter of the Year winners will be announced at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention, Oct. 25-29 in Dallas.

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Four-year College Reporter

Matt Lemas
Daily Trojan, University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

• To the Brim: How USC is fighting a stubborn culture of binge drinking
• The Six Billion Dollar Man: How Nikias is engineering the future of USC
• Trump era ignites newfound passion for protest

Avery Peterson
Golden Gate Xpress, San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

• From Prison to College
• Student homelessness at SF State
• Fight to end housing and food insecurity spreads across campus

Ariana Portalatin
The Columbia Chronicle, Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

• Television professor resigns, cites racial discrimination
• Tipping the scale: Adjuncts accuse administration of demanding ‘unethical’ grade changes
• Another year, no budget: No MAP grants could again affect college enrollment

Rachel Landman
The Knox Student, Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

• 133 Knox emails released in Podesta leak
• One year in
• Being Blaze

Taylor Telford
Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana

• A question of consent
• The third life of Darryl Pinkins
• ‘I just want it to end.’

Alex Connor
Iowa State Daily, Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa

• Small windows of time: A day in the life of a university president
• Campustown vendor weighs in on Sunday morning shooting
• Inside Student Government funding, bylaw infringements and alleged campaign violations this cycle

Rilyn Eischens
Minnesota Daily, University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota

• For some blended families, deaf literacy vital for communication
• ‘I cannot feel welcome here’: Trump’s immigration ban causes unease for UMN international students
• Despite accommodations, some UMN students clash with professors over ‘unseen’ disabilities

Jenni Cielsielski
The Daily Tar Heel, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

• Learning around addiction: Students dealing with addiction face classroom trouble
• ‘Compassion, fatigue and vicarious trauma’: Sexual assault nurses treat the physical and the emotional
• Lawyers bring legal expertise, outside accountability to UNC Title IX hearings

Jack Pitcher
Daily Emerald, University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

• Taylor’s Bar and Grill repeatedly accused of overcharging credit cards
• Setting the record straight: The price of transparency
• Multiple students arrested this term for Duck Store shoplifting

Nicole Trejo-Valli
Pulse, Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington

• Sexual Assault
• Veterans and the brotherhood of war
• Female solo travelers

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Two-year College Reporter

R. Nicanor Santana
el Don, Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, California

• Veterans With Mental Health Issues Find Help in Santa Ana
• California Voters Legalize Recreational Marijuana
• A New Era Of Protest For Santa Ana’s Youth

Joshua Manes
The Roundup, Pierce College
Woodland Hills, California

• These vans were made for driving
• Women’s volleyball advance to the state championships
• Keeping the card

Sophie Lucido Johnson
F Newsmagazine, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

• The Cultural Complexities of a Symbol Raise Questions About Equal Treatment on Campus
• Standing Ground at Standing Rock
• Is the Chicago Polar Plunge Good for Philanthropy?

Julia Contarelli
The Drumbeat, Tyler Junior College
Tyler, Texas

• TJC failed to report ‘unfounded’ crime as required by law
• Students weren’t informed about shooting on campus
• Campus Police change report following story on ‘unfounded’ sexual assault

Alison Ahlgrim
The Clarion, Madison Area Technical College
Madison, Wisconsin

• Madison College student China Miller starts homework club
• Cargo bikes are new Madison trend
• Food is a Human Right: Cutting FoodShare benefits simply punishes people for being poor