What We Know: Student journalists at College of the Ozarks are bringing home plenty of hardware after earning 26 awards for excellence in collegiate broadcast journalism.
What It Means: Members of “The Point” Broadcast Newsroom received top honors in several categories, including television feature reporting, arts and cultural affairs, food and restaurant reporting, news writing, and multiplatform journalism.
Erin Hayes, associate professor of the practice of journalism and supervisor of the student newsroom, praised the group’s work and commitment.
“These students are excellent young journalists,” Hayes said. “They work hard, support each other, and are committed to producing honest, quality journalism.”
What’s Next: Hayes said the journalism profession needs young reporters who are dedicated to seeking the truth, and she believes students at “The Point” are well prepared for that responsibility.
Hayes is a College of the Ozarks graduate and a former ABC News national correspondent. During her journalism career, she earned numerous national honors, including four Edward R. Murrow Awards, the National Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting, and three Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards.
The latest recognition adds to the growing list of accomplishments for the college’s student-run broadcast newsroom.
Students receiving rewards:
- Abigail Johnson, senior journalism major from Castile, New York
- Olivia Moss, senior video production major from Jasper, Missouri
- Clay Steward, senior video production major from Piedmont, Missouri
- Nathan Johnson, senior journalism major from Lincoln, Nebraska
- Lauren Davis, senior journalism major from Marion, Arkansas
- Wyatt Cochran, senior journalism major from Eagle Rock, Missouri
- Gabriela Keim, senior agricultural development major from Wausau, Wisconsin
- David Mazula, 2025 journalism graduate from Oregon, Illinois
- Cody Davis, junior music theory major from Hollister, Missouri
- Elayna Doctorian, graduate in speech communication from Macon, Missouri
- Pyrce Renfroe, a graduate in public relations from Russellville, Arkansas
Information provided by College of the Ozarks
Student journalists from “The Point” Broadcast Newsroom at College of the Ozarks earned 26 awards for excellence in collegiate broadcast journalism, recognizing their achievements in reporting, anchoring, production, and storytelling. (Front row, left to right: Olivia Moss, Lauren Davis, Elayna Doctorian, Jacob Arzaga, Nathan Johnson. Middle Row, left to Right: Cody Davis, Wyatt Cochran, Isaiah Schieffer, Uriah Miller. Back Row, left to right: Abby Johnson, Josiah Pinto, Clay Steward)
(Photo provided by College of the Ozarks)