Student Media Brings Back Honors
Students from the Media and Journalism department journeyed to the Twin Cities for the Midwest Journalism Conference held April 9-10. Four USD students came home with hardware following the conference.
“Every time I come back from this conference, I come with a new attitude and inspiration to go and just work. To produce as much as I can and to just do my best,” Nathan DeGeef, Editor-in-Chief of The Volante, said.
The weekend included career fairs, panels and informative breakout sessions. To wrap up each night, awards ceremonies took place for participating colleges.
On Saturday night, the Midwest Broadcast Journalism Association hosted the Eric Sevareid Awards Banquet. This ceremony recognizes the best students in radio and television in a six state region.
Nick Brown and Alexander Langner received first place in the student market play-by-play category. The two received the award for their work on calling the USD vs. SDSU football game last fall.
“Well, earning the award will definitely look good on a resume. There’s no denying that, but in terms of myself, it gives me the confidence that I can compete with any student and potentially bigger market radios,” Brown said. “All in all, it gives me the confidence to believe that no matter what people want to do in life, if you put the time and effort in, you can truly do whatever it is you want.”
Along with Brown and Langner, DeGreef won multiple awards over the weekend. This includes receiving an Award of Merit for his coverage of the No Kings protest last semester. He also received the Jack Shelley Scholarship for his efforts in broadcasting.
“The most memorable part of the weekend was the Eric Severaid awards,” DeGreef said. “It’s an exciting time because you’re in a room with some of the top broadcasters in the midwest.”
Aside from that, DeGreef earned an Award of Merit for cable broadcast and first place for evening newscast last fall, alongside his Co-Producer, Jacob Peirce.
“I think one thing that stood out for all of Coyote News’ shows is the professionalism on display. Our competition was other college journalism departments in the Midwest, so the fact that we approach our shows with a high sense of professionalism sets us apart,” said Peirce. “The variety of that show, and all our shows, is also one of our greatest strengths.”
The experience provided both lasting memories and valuable skills for the students moving forward.
