A soon-to-be graduating Kellogg Community College student has been awarded honors from the Michigan Community College Press Association for an article about food insecurity on campus, written for KCC’s online student newspaper last spring.
Emily Martens, 21, of Battle Creek, won third place in the News Story category of the MCCPA’s annual awards competition, the winners of which were announced earlier this month. Martens is a 2021 graduate of Harper Creek High School graduating from KCC this spring with an Associate in General Studies degree.
Her award-winning story, titled “Free food available at Fresh Food Distribution event May 16 on campus in Battle Creek,” covered a then-upcoming Fresh Food Distribution event at KCC along with information about the issue of food insecurity on college campuses across the country.
The article was first published on KCC’s student Bruin News website during Martens’ JOUR 112: News Writing class in Spring 2023.
The MCCPA hosts an annual competition for community college journalists in Michigan every spring, offering awards across a variety of journalism-related categories with winners selected by judges with years of experience in the industry. The awards are announced annually during the organization’s annual spring conference, which is hosted at Central Michigan University.
The News Story category this year was judged by Geoff Larcom, a retired Ann Arbor News sports editor and former director of media relations at Eastern Michigan University. In his judge’s comments, Larcom called the article, “Solid reporting on a topic of major interest at many regional and community campuses.”
“Importantly, the story offers statistical context while highlighting a key event that can help students,” Larcom said. “Many people are unaware of the food challenges faced by many students. This story has impact, a key aspect of any news story.”
Martens, who is considering transferring after graduation to become a veterinary technician, joins previous recent KCC journalism students in receiving awards from the MCCPA. In 2021, one of the College’s Bruin News editors took Third Place for Journalist of the Year in the Michigan Community College Press Association Awards, and in 2022 two journalism students won Honorable Mention awards in the Sports News Story category.
The College is offering JOUR 112: News Writing next this summer as an online class beginning May 13. The Bruin News can be read online at thebruinnews.kellogg.edu.
For more news about Kellogg Community College, view our latest press releases online at https://daily.kellogg.edu/category/news-releases.