Moraine Valley Glacier Wins Best Student Media, 20 Awards

PALOS HILLS, IL — For the second consecutive year, Moraine Valley Community College’s student newspaper, The Glacier, was named Best Student Media in Illinois and won the Mike Foster General Excellence Award for its website.

Journalism students and those associated with the college student newspaper, also brought home 20 awards from the Illinois Community College Journalism Association, including News Story of the Year, Arts Review, Headline, Sports Game Story, Sports Feature, Staff Editorial, Feature Writing, Best Individual News Story and Editorial Cartoon.

The News Story of the Year was for a series of articles on the war in Ukraine with a local angle, written by editor-in-chief Nick Stulga, of Tinley Park, and Mariah Trujillo, an alumna who was a Moraine Valley student a year ago when the articles were written. Since many of the awards were given out for work completed in 2022, several students have since graduated or transferred out.

Omar Shalabi, alumnus – first place Feature Writing and News Story
Stulga – first place Arts Review, Sports Game Story, Headline; second place Reporter of the Year
Rosie Finnegan, of Evergreen Park – first place Staff Editorial; second place Editorial Writer of the Year
Mohammed Jbara, of Palos Hills – first place Sports Feature; third place Sports column
Malak Alomari, of Orland Park – first place Editorial Cartoon
Connor Dore, alumnus – second place Podcast
Aidan McGuire, of Mokena – second place Feature Photo and News Photo
Sarah Schudt, alumna – third place Graphics
Kirsten Duffy, alumna – third place Sports Game Story
Mike Pocza, alumnus – third place Sports Feature

Lisa Couch, Moraine Valley communications and journalism instructor, and Jan Kopischke, student publications adviser, have guided the students toward this success.

“The key to the whole thing is being truly student-centered — empowering students by giving them autonomy, but at the same time giving them the coaching and motivation and guidance and support they need. That’s how they learn and grow so rapidly,” Couch said in a news release. “I’m incredibly proud of all my journalism students, past and present, many of whom are moving on to major in journalism or communications at great four-year programs, where they are prepared to seamlessly transition into leadership roles and work for professional publications. While awards are great, and they give students validation and something to put on their resumes, the most important thing is that they are discovering things they didn’t know they could do or be.”