Photography, review awarded at JACC conference

I was excited to learn that the Laney Tower staff brought back ten awards at the NorCal Journalism Association for Commnunity Colleges (JACC) conference at San Jose State last weekend.

Among the awards, the Tower also received the JACC's General Excellence Award. It is the first time since I was editor. Major props to current Editor-in-Chief Tracey Tate, the prolific blogger behind BlingingBeauty.com.

I won two awards this time that I am very proud of; First Place for "News Photo" and Third Place for "Critical Review." This is the second time I was awarded first place at NorCal for a News Photo.

When I would look at JACC contest results, I always wondered just what people won for. Well, here are the entries that won.

News Photo


The photo above was taken during the March 4 Day of Action in Defense of Education. After a rally at Laney College, march to downtown Oakland, and rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza, a group of protesters hit the streets. The group eventually ended up on the freeway and over 150 were arrested. I call them the "Nimitz 150."

Critical Review
This award I am particularly proud of. Although I won an award for News Story and Meritous Award for an Enterprise Story about work-study disparities at Laney College, I had never won for my opinion or arts stories. Until now.

My review of Vagina Monologues at Laney College, titled, "If these (vaginal) walls could talk" was one of my favorite stories that I've written for the Tower. With such a sensitive topic, I knew that I had to enter with care. I had fun and thought it was an interesting twist that a man was writing the story.

As the son of a former Arts Editor for the California Voice, I look forward to writing more about art in the near future. This was great encouragement.

Finally, along with three amazing people I've met at Laney, I share an award for Photo Essay collaboration. Photos by Dan Figueroa (DanFigPhoto.com), Elijah Nouvelage and I were compiled by former Tower Editor-in-Chief Angelica Carapia into a great photo essay about March 4.

I don't have all the specific photos, but you can see all of them within the following video. The song, "Chop from the Top" is Laney College's March 4 anthem.



Shout out to Burt Dragin, adviser to the Tower. Keep up the great work!

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