Texas A&M Student Media returned from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) with several awards, representing the work done by students on both the student-run newspaper and yearbook.
TIPA, the oldest and largest student media association in the country, was held from March 21-24. The annual event included on-site competitions and workshops about student media at the Dallas Crowne Plaza. Colleges at the conference selected their best work from the past year to be judged alongside other Texas school selections. Overall, The Battalion, The Aggieland yearbook, thebatt.com and the Maroon Life magazine earned 36 awards.
Angel Franco, The Battalion’s sports editor and telecommunication junior, was named TIPA’s Editor of the Year in the Individual Excellence category, which encompasses students from all six divisions in the state. This is the second straight year The Battalion has earned this award. Sam King, Class of 2017, won last year.
“Being named the editor of the year in the state of Texas was something I never imagined,” Franco said. “It is an honor to represent The Battalion and Texas A&M on a daily basis while serving as the sports editor. It was pretty cool to find out the news while in California covering the Sweet 16. It kind of puts everything into perspective. While what we do isn’t for the awards, it’s pretty cool to get recognized.”
At the convention, Megan Rodriguez, The Battalion’s co-news editor and communication junior, was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Texas Auto Writers Association for the second straight year. Franco was awarded one of TIPA’s $400 Buckley Scholarships.
The Aggieland yearbook won first place for Overall Design and was second in Overall Excellence.
“The convention as a whole is really a great place to see how other schools are creating media and it gives us a chance to learn from it,” Anthony Pangonas, editor-in-chief of the Aggieland and economics junior, said. “It is a wonderful honor to be recognized by such an accomplished student media association.”
Maroon Life, which will publish its fifth magazine for Family Weekend, picked up its first first-place honor for Package Design.
“I honestly can’t say just how proud I am of all of the student media staffers,” Brad Morse, editor-in-chief of The Battalion and sociology senior, said. “There is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make sure everything gets done, and most students don’t seem to know that. I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve seen our editors stay in the newsroom past midnight, or sacrifice their weekends to cover an event, and to see them recognized for their work, it just makes me beyond proud.”