FORT WORTH, Texas — The Collegian, Tarrant County College’s weekly news publication, won 32 awards at the nation’s largest media convention for professionals and college students, Media Fest in Washington, D.C., Oct. 15-18.
The student staff received nine Associated Collegiate Press National Awards and 23 College Media Association National Pinnacle Awards, and The Collegian was a finalist for ACP’s National Pacemaker Award, arguably the nation’s highest honor for student journalists.
The publication and staff earned seven first-place awards from CMA, including first place for Weekly Newspaper of the Year.
Editor-in-chief Ash Petrie said it was a great feeling celebrating the wins with the people who devoted their time to making them happen. “Coming home with 32 national awards really proves how amazing and hard-working our staff is.”
The Collegian team also had an opportunity to meet with legendary Washington journalist and author Thomas DeFrank, Newsweek’s senior White House correspondent for a quarter century and Washington bureau chief of the New York Daily News from 1996 to 2012. DeFrank covered eight presidents and wrote When I’m Gone: Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford.
Early in his career, he was a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and he also knows what it’s like to work on a campus newspaper. While at Texas A&M University, he edited the student paper, The Battalion.
TCC Student Publications Director Chris Whitley noted that DeFrank wasn’t there for the convention. “He showed up just to meet our students, which was a big honor.”
Petrie said meeting DeFrank was an unforgettable experience. “It was exciting listening to his stories in person,” she said, describing the meeting as resembling “an in-person podcast made specifically for our staff.”
It was a nice reward for young journalists who Whitley said keep raising the bar for excellence.
“I wasn’t here for the early part of The Collegian’s history, but I think it’s safe to say we’ve never won this many national awards at this conference before,” he said. “These students are amazing people who put in so many hours to tell the stories of the TCC community. It’s a thrill to see them get this kind of recognition for their work.”
Awards won:
Associated Collegiate Press National Awards (9)
National Newspaper Pacemaker Award, Finalist
1st place, Best of Show, Digital Newsletter
2nd place, Best of Show, Website
2nd place, Breaking News Story, Fousia Abdullahi, Lauren Harper and Alex Hoben
3rd place, Best of Show, Newspaper
3rd place, Two-Year Reporter of the Year, Fousia Abdullahi
4th place, Newspaper Page/Spread, Alex Hoben
4th place, Editorial Cartoon, TJ Favela
Honorable Mention, Newspaper Front Page, Alex Hoben
College Media Association National Pinnacle Awards (23)
1st place, Weekly Newspaper of the Year, Two-Year and Division III
1st place, Headline, Fred Nguyen
1st place, Editorial Illustration, TJ Favela
1st place, Special Event Coverage (audio/video), Ash Petrie and Lauren Harper
1st place, General News Photo, Alex Hoben
1st place, Breaking News Package (audio/video), Fousia Abdullahi, Alex Hoben and Lauren Harper
1st place, General News Story (print/web), Ash Petrie
2nd place, Infographic, Jerry Swinney
2nd place, Newspaper Spread, Alex Hoben
2nd place, Comic, TJ Favela
2nd place, Breaking News Story (print/web), Fousia Abdullahi, Lauren Harper and Alex Hoben
2nd place, General Newsletter, The Collegian
2nd place, Investigative Story, Fousia Abdullahi
2nd place, Feature Multimedia Package, Ash Petrie, Lauren Harper, Alex Hoben and Kailey Raley
2nd place, Feature Package (audio/video), Ash Petrie and Lauren Harper
2nd place, Feature Photo Package, Alex Hoben and Kailey Raley
3rd place, Profile Story, Ash Petrie
3rd place, Breaking News Multimedia Coverage, Fousia Abdullahi, Lauren Harper and Alex Hoben
3rd place, Breaking News Photo, Kailey Raley
3rd place, Editorial Cartoon, TJ Favela
Honorable Mention, Editorial, Huda Qureshi and Fousia Abdullahi
Honorable Mention, Column, Huda Qureshi
Honorable Mention, A&E Story (print/web), Fred Nguyen
Celebrating 60 years of excellence and impact in 2025, Tarrant County College is one of the nation’s largest higher education institutions and boasts the second lowest tuition of Texas’ Top 10 community colleges. A comprehensive community college with six campuses in Tarrant County, TCC offers a range of opportunities for learners of all ages and backgrounds.