Riverside City College paper takes 14 JACC awards for 2025-26 work

Fourteen awards went to student journalists from Riverside City College at the Journalism Association for Community Colleges Southern California Fall Regional Conference. The honors recognized work produced during the 2025-26 academic year by the student publication Viewpoints. Editor-in-Chief Chelsea Sugimura placed first in the on-the-spot opinion writing competition. Managing Editor Marissa Lievanos placed second in the news writing contest.

The conference took place on Oct. 10 at Cal State University, Northridge. It serves as an annual gathering to recognize reporting and production skills among community college student journalists. For the first time in recent memory, a team of Viewpoints editors led a discussion session for other attendees. They presented the production plan for a Local Election and Voter Ed Town Hall held Oct. 14 in the Bradshaw Cafeteria. That town hall featured local candidates answering questions about policy and priorities ahead of the June primary and the Nov. 3 general election.

Viewpoints received the Online General Excellence Award Meritorious for its digital site and the Newspaper General Excellence Award Meritorious for its print edition. These are among the highest honors presented by the JACC. The awards reflect the output of the Riverside City College Journalism Program. Other individual winners included Brylle Deseo, who took first place in both Editorial Cartoon and Illustration. Tara Bristow, a former student, won first place for Inside Page Layout and placed second in Photo Illustration.

Lennon Alvarez earned first place for an Opinion Story. Aaron Friesen placed second for a News Story. Lupita Rivera Cid placed fourth for a Feature Story. Roman Davison, a former student, placed fourth for a Photo Story or Essay. Annie Lee and Ryan Pope received an Honorable Mention for a Critical Review. The staff also received an Honorable Mention for Front Page Layout. Breanne Soto, a former editor-in-chief, received an Honorable Mention for Video Hard News Reporting. Noah M. Batchman, Lupita Rivera Cid, Briana Franco, Breanne Soto, and Mac Wilson placed fourth for Video Soft News Reporting.

The conference provided students with practice in writing on deadline and taking still photographs. Participants also received career advice and tips from professional journalists. Outlets represented included the Los Angeles Times, NBC 4, Telemundo 52, ABC 7, CBS LA, KNX-AM 1070, LAist, KPCC-FM, LA Taco, SoCal News, and USA Today. Students participated in workshops and networked with peers and faculty from four-year institutions.

Angela Burrell, journalism instructor and Viewpoints adviser, said the students are raising the bar. She expressed pride in their efforts and their desire to learn, grow, and step outside their comfort zones to try new things. Viewpoints is available at Viewpointsonline.org.

The full list of winning entries is available on the JACC website by searching for Riverside City College. The Oct. 14 town hall focused on voting matters and candidate priorities for the upcoming general election.