Cal State LA’s University Times (UT) staff brought home nine awards from the Associate Collegiate Press’ (ACP) Spring College Media conference in San Francisco last month.

Every year ACP, the Journalism Association of Community College (JACC) and the California College Media Association (CCMA) host the conference for student-journalists to network and learn more about becoming a journalist.

CCMA reviews content submitted by advisors and recognizes students’ work at an awards banquet at the end of the conference.

UT Editor-in-Chief Victoria Ivie enjoyed bonding with her team during their trip.

“Journalism conferences are a great way to network and get to know people, but also a chance for student journalists and up-and-coming journalists to learn more and improve student media coverage for our campus,” Ivie said.

At the conference, speakers held informational sessions such as how to podcast, handle covering public record requests and traumatic events.

Ivie said the most valuable lesson she learned is to “be on top of online analytic-based coverage” because it’s a “great tool for journalists.”

Professor Julie Patel-Liss is the UT advisor and has spent 15 years in the journalism field. She reviews and submits UT content to CCMA’s contest.

“We submit the very best work produced and published in student media,” Patel-Liss said.

According to Patel-Liss, CCMA only allows submissions by independently-run student media, so no work from classes is used for submissions. However, students do not need to submit to the CCMA contest to attend ACP’s yearly conference.

Ivie said her first time winning awards as a leader felt “surreal.” She won first place for best non-news story with her investigative piece on the South Village dining issues.

UT Managing Editor Anne To won third place in the best arts and entertainment story category for the following article: “Indigenous Peoples’ Day gathers a crowd of over 50.”  She received additional credit for the staffs’ first place win in the best social justice coverage category.

Multiple UT staff members were named for a first place award in the social justice category.

Multimedia reporter Erik Adams won for two of his stories: “What college life is like for those with ADHD” and “Above Average: What college life is like for those in their 30s and beyond.”

Multimedia reporter Alyssah Hall and Ivie won for a story they collaborated on: “New study finds Black Cal State LA students feel ‘isolated,’ and racism is a ‘major obstacle’ “

Ivie won for the following stories: “Slow to fix accessibility issues?” and “‘Brown and Gay in L.A.’: Intersectionality, identity and immigrant sons.”

Adams also won second place in the best headline portfolio category for the following articles:

• “Above Average: What college life is like for those in their 30s and beyond”
• “No better time to be a nerd: Eagle-Con makes sci-fi a reality“
• “6 albums to ‘fall’ for this season“

UT Production Manager Fatima Rosales and Hall won first place for best newspaper inside page and spread design for Hall’s photo essay on Black hair, titled, “It grows like this.”

Multimedia reporter Xavier Zamora won third place for best feature photo for his picture in To’s article.

Former UT Editor-in-Chief Mia Alva won third place for best social media reporting for her article, “People not wearing masks indoors sparks conversations within the Cal State LA community.”

Multimedia Reporter Priscilla Caballero, Sports Editor Braylin Collins, Contributor Erick Cabrera, former Reporter Cornell Chuaseco and Multimedia Editor Will Baker received second place in general innovation for their News Break social media videos. They also took third place for best non-news video. Their videos can be found on the UT’s Instagram, @csula_universitytimes.