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Three terrific student journalists have been named winners of the CSMA college scholarships, in a competition that selection committee members praised as one of the top groups of nominees in years. We encourage you to browse through their online portfolios to see the quality of their work and their dedication to media in their schools and communities.

Katie Pickrell, of Mountain Vista HS in Highlands Ranch, is the Dorothy Greer Scholarship winner, and her portfolio will be sent on to the national JEA Student Journalist of the Year competition. National winners will be announced during the JEA/NSPA Spring National Journalism Convention, April 14-17 in Los Angeles. Katie’s adviser is Mark Newton, MJE. Her winning portfolio of work can be found here.

Here is an excerpt from her self-analytical essay:
…Though I understand the importance of getting everything done and am willing to do whatever it takes to do so, I also know how to work well with people to encourage healthy relationships between the staff and the editors. A huge part of this is recognizing that each individual reacts differently to various types of motivation and encouragement. Some people are willing to get all their work done just because they have a good work ethic. Others may need a little motivation to make it through a story or a spread. But when all else fails, there is a time to stop cutting slack. Although resorting to lowering grades isn’t always the most effective mode of communicating between the editorial board and the staff, it is at times necessary when face-to-face interaction or “Staffer of the Day!” stops working. Through being harsh or nice, one thing I’ve always found important is to treat every staffer with the utmost respect, regardless of how much work they’re getting done. From being on both sides of the “get-your-work-done” conversation, I know that treating someone like they’re fully capable of achieving excellence yields a better result of them doing so.

But my leadership role goes beyond giving orders, granting help and dishing out rewards or punishments. I try my hardest to lead by example… Regardless of one’s position in MVM, everyone is expected to work both together and individually to produce a large quantity of high quality content. Though I get home from school at four or five o’clock ready to pass out, I still look up the event schedule for the night before attending a basketball game or a choir concert or a leadership event. In this way, journalism is honestly a full-time job for me. Whether I’m in class, at home or watching a game, I’m always working on producing content in some way.

…I couldn’t imagine living a life where I’m not so deeply involved with MVM. My role as co-editor-in-chief has made senior year somewhat stressful. I’m not able to sit in the crowd or cheer with the MV Unit because I’m too busy taking photos of it. I can’t be a member of the softball team because I’m too busy covering all of the other fall sports that are going on. I haven’t been involved with the environmental club or the community service clubs because I’m too busy reporting on them. But I don’t maintain any regrets. Knowing that I’m able to deliver so much news to everyone and preserve the memories of homecoming week or the rivalry game is much more rewarding than I imagine anything else could be.

Nicole Heetland, from Standley Lake HS in Westminster, is our 2015 Greer Scholarship runner-up. Her portfolio can be found here.

Here are some excerpts from her self-analytical essay:
We live in a universe that is mesmerizing, stormy, and surprising. As a journalist, a storyteller, and an artist, I call out things that deserve attention or appreciation. I explore what it means to be human in this ever-changing world of ours.

Journalism has been my key to unlocking a door to opportunity, achievement, and the chance to make an impact on my school. It was when I was eating dinner with my staff in downtown Denver for the spring 2015 NSPA conference that I realized joining the newspaper staff was the best choice I could have made in high school…

…I have worked to create a tight-knit group of students that are eager to tell the most daring, most interesting stories. When I walk into the publications room, B135, I greet my family, a group of great people and ambitious journalists that I watched grow tremendously over this past year. I spend my mornings talking with my staff, circulating around the room to make sure everyone has the expertise, resources, and inspiration to create quality content. Now, the once inexperienced staff is a group of bright, seasoned journalists. We don’t have the steady pace of clockwork, but I don’t think that’s ever possible in the world of journalism. What we do have is much more interesting anyway.

…I am a firm believer that if your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough. Being a student journalist has allowed me to accept my place in the world as a storyteller. With that realization came the desire to weave stories that evoke emotions, teach lessons, comment on the human condition, and help people fall under the hypnotizing spell of the world’s beauty.

…I sometimes think of myself as Alice, of The Lake as my rabbit hole. The world I fell into transformed the way I think; it helped me see the world for all of its chaos and poignancy and magnificence.

Forrest Czarnecki, from Conifer HS, is our Eric Benson Scholarship winner. His portfolio of work can be found here.

Here are some excerpts from his self-analytical essay:
…Becoming a student journalist was the single best thing that has ever happened to me. It gave me a passion and something to pursue to my heart’s content. When I think about my future, I think about being a professional journalist. I dream about educating people around me, telling the big stories (and the untold stories), revealing the truth, and changing the world.

…My job as a student journalist is to show and tell the stories of my school and community, with camera and notebook in hand. I’ve covered stories that range from local teacher sick-outs, which drew national media and political attention, to a school club feature on a Halloween event, something that no more than a couple hundred people attended. And there’s something in all these stories, something unique, that makes each and every one of them worth telling.