West Texas A&M Media Communication students earned awards at the 2019 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association(TIPA) conference held March 13-16 in Corpus Christi Texas.

TIPA is one of the largest collegiate groups in the country. The conference included on-site and previously published work competitions. WTAMU walked away with a total of 13 awards from work sumbitted by students.

“It’s very exciting to see the work that you put so much effort into recognized,” said Savannah Wesley, sophomore broadcast journalism major. 

Wesley received two awards for her submitted work. She received third place for Critical Review for her review over “A Star is Born”. She also won second place for her general news video “#Protectthevictim – Protesting the results of Title IX investigation”.

“Knowing that the content I put out is TIPA-worthy is thrilling,” said Wesley.

Select students traveled to attend the conference for the on-site competitions that students around Texas could compete in. Alexander Kypfer, a senior broadcasting electronic media major attended TIPA for 4th year. Kypfer competed in the on-site Radio Announcing contest and received 2nd place.

“The on-site competitions are always fun to compete in and can be nerve racking at times. However, it feels really good to place in any event as they are all competitive and it just shows the hard work you’ve put in,” said Kypfer.

During the conference workshop were also held for attendees to learn valuable skills in the industry. WTAMU Media Communication faculty members and advisors Dr. Nancy Garcia and Professor Kimberly Bruce hosted a workshop “10 Ways to Make Sure Your Advisor Will Promote You”. All of the workshops offered provided resources for people to increase their skills in their field. According to Allison Moore, senior agricultural media and communication major, the overall experience of traveling to and participating in TIPA gave her a boost to expand her skills.

“Traveling for professional development or learning opportunities is different than any other type of travel. TIPA was a perfect chance for me to ‘spread my wings’ in a professional setting, so the conference helped strengthen my sense of independence,” said Moore.

2019 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association award winners

On-Site Competitions

* Second place, radio announcing, Alex Kypfer

Competitions for Previously Published Content

First place, Blog, Alix Maza

* First place, editorial, Jo Lowry

* First place, static info graphic, Alaina Africano & Hailee Cox

* First place, general news multimedia, Tova Kibal

* Second place, ad campaign, Presley Matthews

* Second place, use of data, Chase Brady & Anna Parsons

* Second place, general news video, Savannah Wesley

* Third place, critical review, Savannah Wesley

* Third place, headline writing, Hannah Nelson

* Third place, ad design static, Liz Moore

* Third place, in-depth multimedia, Tova Kibal

* Honorable Mention for Overall Excellence Television Program