The Chronicle, the student-run online newspaper at the College of Lake County, recently won 16 awards, and its former co-editor was named Editorial Writer of the Year in statewide competition among community college newspapers.
In addition, its former managing editor was awarded third place in the Reporter of the Year competition.
The Awards for Excellence in Illinois Community College News Media were announced at the Illinois Community College Journalism Association’s fall conference, which was held Nov. 14 and Nov. 15. The annual contest put The Chronicle in competition with Division I student publications produced at the state’s biggest community colleges. Professional journalists judged the entries, which were published during the 2023-24 academic year.
Former Chronicle co-editor Iliana Padilla won two first-place awards for opinion writing, including the first place as Editorial Writer of the Year and another first for staff editorials.
Editorial Writer of the Year is based on a select body of work, and Padilla marks the fifth time a Chronicle staff member has received this honor since the association began awarding it. Previous winners are Castor Basa, who won it in 2022; Anastasia Gustafson, who won it in 2019; and Cydney Salvador, who won it consecutively in 2015 and 2016.
Padilla’s submissions that made her the best editorial writer in the state in 2024 include “CLC should take a flier on posting flyers,” “Join PTK at CLC – and reap the rewards” and “The Latina experience at CLC.”
The judge called Padilla’s work “excellent editorial writing” and cited “CLC should take a flier on posting flyers” as the standout article
“The one about fliers on campus was the best, and it is what clinched the win,” the judge said. “It really took issue with the corporate feel and not letting students be seen as part of the campus. That definitely helped win this. As for the others, I liked the use of quotes. I liked how they were local.”
The same piece earned Padilla first place in staff editorials in a separate competition. The judge in that category called the editorial “wonderful work” and cited its “clear argument, very tightly written and well-tailored to encouraging student involvement.”
The Chronicle’s other first place was in news columns for Spencer Sabath’s “Classrooms offer safe zones for discussing difficult topics.”
“A good use of the column to take on a topic that could be controversial and include some opinion, it is still largely news and reported as such,” the judge said. “It’s nicely done.”
The Chronicle also won second place in news columns for Christopher Hayden’s “Woodland visit prepares next generation of Black excellence.”
“This works well for the category of news column, covering both news and giving opinion,” the judge said. “It does a good job with the genre.”
The award in news columns was one of four Hayden won for the Chronicle, and it was part of the package of articles that resulted in his third place as Reporter of the Year among Illinois community college student journalists. Also included in that package were Hayden’s “Call him ‘Ish’ – Alex Kisiel mines YouTube for fame and profit” and “Dan Blaine survives abuse, homelessness to become leader at CLC.”
The judge said the Woodland article was “strong work” and called the other articles “two good personality features.” The judge cited Hayden’s reporting for its “good use of quotes and solid writing.”
Hayden’s profile of Kisiel also won second place in feature writing, and he won a third place in arts reviews for his “Film industry should learn from summer bombs.”
“You write very eloquently concerning the film industry,” the review judge said. “Big budgets don’t always constitute profits, as you very well pointed out. You pinpoint the trends of the film industry supremely well.”
Opinion writing earned another award for the Chronicle, with current sports editor Ian King getting second place in sports columns for “Transfer portal transforms college football.”
“The author provides a very informative story on very complex, ever-changing situation in collegiate athletics,” the judge said
King also won third place is sport game coverage for his “Lady Lancers basketball gets off to a hot start.” The judge cites King’s “good interviews and breakdown on the team.”
Reporter Kaden Roszkowiak earned another award in sports coverage, a second place for sports features with his “Wheelchair football ‘kicks in the door’ at CLC.”
Artist Elara Gibbons won two awards for her work, including second place in editorial cartoons for her seasonal Thanksgiving piece.
“Fun cartoon for the holiday — colors and design look great,” the judge said.
Gibbons also won an honorable mention in graphics for her illustration accompanying “Get ready to be spooked with these Halloween movie recommendations,” a feature article about former CLC Professor Pat Gonder’s horror film choices.
A team of three Chronicle staff members won third place in podcasts for “Lancer News Episode 2.” Padilla, current editor Emmer Saucedo and reporter Emily Martinson formed the team.
“Students on campus and administration will find these conversations interesting and important,” the judge said. “The podcast episode is a good length especially to cover this subject. You all understand the subject matter super well. That’s so important. This will help your audience trust you and the material you bring. More students should be taking on these topics and making their voices heard.”
Saucedo also won third place in feature photos for his photograph of the Pride Alliance Self- Acceptance Mural accompanying his “A fresh day to check on mental health” article.
“The photographer’s choice of foreground, skill at composing this image – excluding non-essential elements – and capturing an active moment rather than a staged pose elevated this image above others in the category,” the judge said. “The viewer’s attention goes right where it needs to, and the other elements add supporting information.”
The Chronicle also won second place for Best Media, an award based on how well it competed in the annual contest, and it won third place in general excellence for its website. The Mike Foster General Excellence award is a staff recognition for “overall quality of the publication’s media operation,” and the judge cited the publication’s “attractive, engaging web design” as well as its content.
“The articles and writing are relevant and interesting to community college students,” the judge said.
Co-editor with Padilla in 2024 was Rhea Hechanova.
In the last 17 years, The Chronicle has won 201 awards, including 47 first places, in the statewide contest.
