The Inside Fullerton staffers who produced the Summer 2020 issue brought in multiple wins from this year’s Journalism Association of Community Colleges state convention. Awards were taken home in multiple categories with most of the winners being new writers who joined the magazine this year.
The JACC brings community college students together to network with each other and show all of their hard work. This fall’s JACC had a new set up that was completely online. This JACC was against all of the Southern California community colleges but the on-the-spot contests were Northern against Southern California. Inside Fullerton staffers took home awards in categories such as; Magazine Photo, Photo Story, Magazine Illustration, Cover Design, Magazine Design/Layout, two awards within the Magazine News Feature category and two on-the-spot contests.
For Cover Design and Magazine Design/Layout, JACC judges are looking for visual impact and creativity. Inside Fullerton graphic designer Elise Galbraith won first place in both Cover Design and Magazine Design/Layout, along with second place in Magazine Illustration for her illustration she made for the article “Cosmetologists Lose Control.”
While working with the Inside Fullerton staff during the pandemic, using Zoom may have been a hurdle, but Galbraith decided to challenge herself further.
“I tried to bring something fresh to every article so it would stand on its own, but still feel unified with the rest of the magazine. This took extra time but allowed me to push my designs further than before,” says Galbraith.
When going over her winning illustration, she explained she wanted it to convey the story was about the hairdressers and to match the attitude of the women interviewed for the story.
Photographer Logan Martinez won second place in Magazine Photo for his photo for “Skaters Never Say Die,” which is about the revival of Independence Skatepark after police shut it down due to illegal activity. Martinez also won second place in Photo Story for “Collecting the Magic,” all about avid Disney pin collectors and the full culture of pin collecting showcased in photos. JACC was looking for clarity, visual-impact and story-telling ability for both of these sections.
Spring was Nichole Hamilton’s first semester on the magazine and she won first place in Magazine News Feature for her personal essay, “Addiction from the Eyes of a Daughter,” which goes over her personal experience with her father’s substance abuse and how it affects not only the user but those around them.
Margaret Trejo and Annisa Charles won second place in Magazine News Feature for “Cosmetologists Lose Control,” which was the first story they wrote while staffed on Inside Fullerton. The article explains the pros and cons of how Assembly Bill 5 affects hairstylists.
On top of all of these awards, one of our current staffers who attended JACC participated in on-the-spot contests.
Angela Gonzalez entered the Copy Editing contest and received an honorable mention. This is Gonzalez’s first semester. She explains upon entering the contest, she wanted to test her knowledge of everything she has learned so far in journalism. “I was honestly shocked when I heard that I got an honorable mention that day. I was so stressed since I didn’t have internet access at home and I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to enter in time.”
Annisa Charles entered an Opinion Writing contest and received third place. The contest was based on a keynote lecture from Steve Padilla on Nov. 6 at JACC about whether journalists should be allowed to tweet on controversial topics or not.
Jessica Langlois, Inside Fullerton’s advisor, says “I am so proud of the staff. They really upped their game with this issue to take home all first and second place awards. And they did it during the first months of the pandemic, when sources were hard to reach, collaboration was remote, and everyone had new stressors to deal with.”
