The CSUDH Bulletin Shines at CCMA Ceremony, Taking Home Six Awards 

CSUDH Bulletin Team pose together at the CCMA Awards at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach. Photo by Destiny Torres

By Gabriel Gomez, Staff Reporter

The Bulletin was awarded with six awards from the California College Media Association (CCMA). Three CSUDH seniors and three alumni were presented with first, second and third place awards. The Bulletin’s current and past reporters, Raven Brown, Brenda Fernanda Verano, Nova Blanco-Rico, Jasmine Nguyen, Darlene Maes, Daniel Tom and Jasmine Contreras were recognized for stories written during December 2020 – December 2021. The Bulletin team also received a group award for the 2021 election special edition.   

“I was happy, not just for me as a writer, but as an editor in chief. Knowing that the paper you are leading is being recognized is always a nice feeling. Having my managing editor recognized as well is the cherry on top. I’m so proud that a small, not as funded paper, is competing and winning among other big papers,“ Brenda Verano, the paper’s Editor-in-Chief said. 

The 2022 Excellence in Student Media awards were announced at the Associated Collegiate Press Spring National College Media Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach and had a large presence of Journalism schools from all over California. The CCMA is made up of faculty in journalism in California that support journalists attending colleges statewide. The awards are held annually to honor students in journalism.  

For Nova Blanco-Rico, the managing editor of the paper, this award symbolized that hard work pays off, “It made me feel seen. It just furthered my goal in doing the work I do and telling the stories I love through the photos I take,” he said.

For Jasmine Contreras who won Best News Series, this was her first award. “In a way, the award makes me feel like I am capable of producing something great if I put my heart into it,” she said. 

The CSUDH Bulletin is the only student-run newspaper operating on campus since 1980 and provides an independent voice for the student body, with the highest journalistic standards. 

The 2021-2022 awards won by the CSUDH Bulletin include:

  • First Place, Best Infographic, Raven Brown
  • Second Place, Best Newspaper Column, Jasmine Nguyen, Brenda Verano & Daniel Tom
  • Second Place, Best Non-Breaking News Story,  Brenda Verano
  • Third Place, Best News Series, Jasmine Contreras
  • Third Place, Best Editorial Cartoon, Darlene Maes
  • Third Place, Best Special Issue Section, The CSUDH Bulletin Team