Four student journalists returned from the Journalism Education Convention in Anaheim with national awards earlier this month.
Marissa Sakoda earned a rating of "excellent" on a computer-designed layout she did for a hypothetical newsmagazine cover and center spread.
Katrina Karl, Brandon Kumabe, and Emily Shimkus garnered honorable mentions for news and feature stories they wrote on deadline during convention write-offs.
"We worked hard and played hard," Imua adviser Karin Swanson said. Along with taking in workshops including multimedia journalism, magazine writing, and newspaper layout, the students swapped stories and publications with some of the 3,000 other convention attendees.
"We were able to see a lot of other people our age who were really excited about journalism," junior Shimkus said. "It was great Imua bonding, too." Shimkus, a copy editor, said she learned that "a really good writer is a really precise writer--a writer who can tell a story in a single sentence."
Five students attended the convention through the McDermott-Oda Chair for Journalism and Communication. This is the third year the chair has sponsored students at the convention, which showcases journalism professionals and educators from around the country.
The students' travel schedule had an injection of breathing room thanks to the Headmaster's holiday following the 'Iolani fair. The group attended an Angels baseball game and spent the obligatory day at Disneyland before heading across the water for home on April 21.
