UL Lafayette Students Shine At 2018 SEJC Convention
Mar 08, 2018 03:08PM ● By Staff Writer
More than 200 students representing 28 colleges and universities in the Southeast recently participated in the 32nd Annual Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC) convention hosted by Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.
The students won 12 awards, seven of which were in the Best in The South category and five from on-site competitions.
Representing UL Lafayette was a group of students on the staff of The Vermilion, UL’s weekly student newspaper.
Kailey Broussard, a senior journalism major and managing editor for The Vermilion placed second in the College Journalist of the Year category and received a $500 cash prize. She also placed first as a feature writer in the Best of the South category and second in the on-site competition for news writing.
The Vermilion staff won third place overall for their public service journalism in the Best of The South. Broussard spent weeks covering and investigating hazing-related deaths and problems that were occurring on Louisiana campuses.
George Clarke, a junior English major won first place overall for his arts and entertainment writing. Leah Cavalier, senior journalism major and editor in chief of The Vermilion, placed third in copyediting during her onsite competition. Junior journalism major Julissa Lopez placed second in the feature writing on-site; Brianne Hendricks, a junior journalism major, placed third in current events; and LaShayla Lumpkins, junior architecture major, placed third in news feature photography. Camille Barnett, a 2017 graduate in sociology, placed fourth in magazine writing; Jared Wise, a 2017 graduate in broadcasting, tied fourth in best TV news feature reporter; and Katelynn Sprague, a junior broadcasting major, placed fifth in best TV hard news reporter.
The SEJC is composed of college journalism programs in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
