Journalism student named Student Journalist of the Year
“I honestly could not believe I won,” Lauren LiBetti said.
On May 3, LiBetti was named Student Journalist of the Year at the 60th Annual Ontario Newspaper Awards Gala in Hamilton, Ont.
“I had been so excited about the nomination that I never really considered the possibility of actually winning,” the Centennial College Fast-Track Journalism student said.
The award, sponsored by Colleges Ontario, recognized LiBetti’s work on a story about an Aboriginal youth group working toward reducing the number of suicides in their community.
“The award was judged by Louise Brown of the Toronto Star, who praised LiBetti’s ability to get the aboriginal teens to open up to her,” Colleges Ontario said in The College Dispatch.
LiBetti was up against Humber College’s Brad MacDonald and Conestoga College’s Ryan Bowman.
The win, LiBetti said, has reaffirmed her desire for a career in the fourth estate.
“For a really long time, I’ve thought journalism is the right field for me,” she said. “However, it’s competitive and exhausting, so it’s hard to stay confident.
“This win has given me the confidence to believe more in myself, especially considering other people do.”
The Student Journalist of the Year award is just one of several accolades LiBetti’s collected on her way to graduating this year. Her other honours include:
- Centennial College Dean’s Award, Highest GPA;
- Society of Professional Journalists, Mark of Excellence Award (Region 2 winner for non-fiction feature writing); and
- CLIX Photo Contest, 2nd place in Arts and Life category.
“Not to include a Centennial plug, but the Fast-Track Journalism program prepared me 110 per cent for the job I’m currently in,” said LiBetti, who’s working as a producer for MediaFace. “Also, I hope I can continue to be involved with Centennial in the future. It’s such a great school with such amazing people.”
Byline: Philip Alves Story Arts Centre school blog Online: June 11, 2014 [storyartscentre.ca]