By Lia Portillo
Editor in Chief, The Current Sauce
NATCHITOCHES – Student Media organizations at Northwestern State University earned national honors at the College Media Association’s New York City Conference. The groups in attendance were NSU’s student newspaper, The Current Sauce; radio station, KNWD, and yearbook, Potpourri.
College Media Association is the largest collegiate association serving students and advisers nationwide, according to their website collegemedia.org. They host two conferences during the school year, a fall semester conference which alternates between cities, while the spring conference is always in New York City.
Last week, The Current Sauce, NSU TV and the Hispanic Student Journalist Association received awards across four different categories and earned five Apple Awards in total. The Apple Awards are the best in the show presented the last day of the conference.
The Current Sauce won second place in Division II in the categories of Best Crisis Coverage, Best Multimedia Package and Best Opinion Column.
Students who received honors for the Best Crisis Coverage are Lia Portillo Cantarero of Galliano, The Current Sauce editor in chief; Kallie Bourgeois of Reserve, reporter, and Kevin Thomas of Pineville, copy editor.
In the Best Multimedia Package category NSU TV received third place. The students who contributed to the story are Kathlyn “Grace” Jensen of Shreveport, general manager of KNWD; Kamryn Shelton of Natchitoches, junior communication major, and Kendall Fuller of Shreveport, junior communication major.
In second place for Best Multimedia Package were Portillo and Maria Isabel Juarez-Rubio of Hicks.
The Current Sauce’s Viewpoints editor Destin Lopez received the Best Opinion Column award.
The Hispanic Student Journalists Association’s “Latino Living” podcast received second place for Best Podcast. Portillo, Juarez-Rubio and NSU alumna Naydu Daza Maya received the award.
As the semester wraps up, The Current Sauce continues to post to their website daily with two print issues left for the semester. KNWD preps for Demon Fest on April 6. Potpourri is finishing the yearbook. Argus prepares for their “Gilded in Gold” issue. NSU TV continues to cover stories.
Links to stories submitted are as follows.
Best Crisis Coverage:
Some NSU students don’t feel safe at The Quad
https://purplemedianetwork.com/16619/news/some-nsu-students-dont-feel-safe-at-the-quad/
NSU President Marcus Jones stands by decision, search firm hired to find new head coach
NSU Athletic Director Kevin Bostian addresses the need to cancel the season and the future of football
Best Multimedia Package: NSU TV
KNWD’s 2nd annual Battle of the Bands
https://purplemedianetwork.com/17173/arts-living/knwds-2nd-annual-battle-of-the-bands-competition/
The Current Sauce
NSU alumna returns to star in her own Taylor Swift tribute show
Best Opinion Column
Low-income housing coming to Natchitoches: Its impact and the response
Best Podcast: Latino Living
Youtube – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmKyRmhpTjb5kUCtzzn9kyXwDacwo1T9U&si=X64Sz3-fmhxYitka
Spotify – https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hsja-nsula
