Spring Awards Roundup: Recognizing Outstanding Student Achievements

May 5, 2026

As the Spring semester wraps up, Dallas College students are earning impressive recognition and we’re shining a spotlight on their achievements. From standout journalism to notable literary and theater accomplishments, these wins reflect the talent, creativity and dedication across our campuses.

This roundup will continue to grow as new honors are announced, so be sure to check back and celebrate along the way.

Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) Awards

Dallas College student journalists made a strong showing at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) convention, held March 19-21 in Denton. TIPA brings together students from two- and four-year institutions for hands-on learning with professional journalists, along with 30 live contests and recognition for previously published work.

This year, Dallas College students earned 11 live contest wins, nearly doubling last year’s total of six.

 Highlights

• Jillian Hunter, social media manager at The Richland Chronicle, placed first in the inaugural Live Social Media Feature contest.
• Ricardo Trejo, multimedia editor at The Et Cetera, earned third place in the same category.
• Richland students became the first two-year college team to place in the Hype Video contest, taking third.
• The North Lake News-Register received Best of Show in the newspaper category for two-year schools.

Full Awards List

Best of Show

First Place

• Newspaper (Two-Year Schools) – North Lake

Live Contests

First Place

• Magazine Design – Ricky Trejo – Eastfield
• Social Media Feature – Jillian Hunter – Richland
• Two-Person Photo Essay – Taylor Norton, Jenna Truong – Richland

Second Place

• Feature Writing – Oliver Camu – Brookhaven
• News Photo – Taylor Norton – Richland

Third Place

• TV Advertising – Juniper Lumbley – Brookhaven
• Social Media Feature – Ricky Trejo – Eastfield
• Radio Announcing (Spanish) – Melanie Leiton – Richland
• Hype Video – Team Richland – Richland

Honorable Mention

• Two-Person Photo Essay – Allya Ibrahim, Georgia Dunn – Brookhaven
• Editorial Cartoon – Hailey Romero – North Lake

Previously Published

First Place

Brookhaven

• Editorial Cartoon – Aliya Ibrahim
• Feature Reporting (Video) – Tristan Brown, Corey Lyon
• General News Photo – Corey Lyon
• Op/Editorial Page/Spread Design (Newspaper) – Staff
• Photo Story – Marcos Velez Rodriguez, Aliya Ibrahim, Danni Lainez
• Sports Column – MJ Smith

Eastfield

• Cover Design (Newspaper) – Robert Verdiguel

North Lake

• Cover Design (Newspaper) – Gaytri Saini
• Feature Reporting (Video) – Avery Rodriguez, Ben Krenek
• General Column – Katelyn Steffen
• In-Depth News Reporting (Video) – Jahzara Evans
• Overall Design (Newspaper) – Staff
• Overall Design (Web) – Staff
• Overall Excellence (Newspaper) – Staff
• Sports Reporting (Video) – Emmy Espinosa, Rivers Shaw

Richland

• Editorial – Staff

Second Place

Brookhaven

• Cover Design (Literary Magazine) – Tiying Li, Hailey Romero, Corey Lyon
• Environmental Portrait – Marcos Velez Rodriguez
• Illustration – Bao Duong

North Lake

• Cartoon Strip/Panel – Hailey Romero
• Environmental Portrait – Tiying Li
• Feature Story – Subah Ahmed
• General News Video Story – Emmanuel Palma, Mackenzie Watkins
• In-Depth News Reporting (Video) – Mackenzie Watkins, Emmanuel Palma
• Op/Editorial Page/Spread Design (Newspaper) – Katelyn Steffen
• Sports Game Story – Spandan Shah
• Sports Page/Spread Design (Newspaper) – Spandan Shah

Richland

• Breaking News Photo – Carlos Ortega
• Cover Design (Newspaper) – Malak Elkady
• Feature Page/Spread Design (Newspaper) – Staff
• Feature Reporting (Video) – Carlos Ortega
• Sports Page/Spread Design (Newspaper) – Staff

Third Place

Brookhaven

• Breaking News Photo – Corey Lyon
• Feature Photo – Corey Lyon
• General News – Aliya Ibrahim
• Static Ad Design – Patch Darnell

Eastfield

• Overall Design (Web) – Staff
• Static Information Graphic – Ricky Trejo

North Lake

• Cover Design (Newspaper) – Tiying Li
• Critical Review – Monica Gill
• Editorial Cartoon – Hailey Romero
• Feature Page/Spread Design (Newspaper) – Staff
• Feature Photo – Tiying Li
• Illustration – Hailey Romero
• In-Depth Reporting – Monica Gill, Tiying Li
• Photo Illustration – Tiying Li
• Sports Action Photo – Khalid Ndombasi
• Sports Column – Rhythm Ghimire
• Sports Feature Photo – Khalid Ndombasi
• Sports News Story – Spandan Shah
• Sports Page/Spread Design (Newspaper) – Spandan Shah

Richland

• Cartoon Strip/Panel – Jerry Weiss
• Overall Design (Newspaper) – Staff

Honorable Mention

Brookhaven

• Feature Page/Spread Design (Newspaper) – Corey Lyon, Aliya Ibrahim, Patch Darnell, Isabel Velazquez
• Literary Writing – Jose Salas
• Overall Design (Literary Magazine) – Shehzil Imran, Corey Lyon, The Windmill Staff
• Overall Excellence (Literary Magazine) – Staff
• Overall Excellence (Newspaper) – Staff
• Overall Excellence (Website) – Staff
• Sports News Story – Marcos Velez Rodriguez

Richland

• Feature Reporting (Video) – Carlos Ortega
• Special Edition Design (Print) – Staff
• Sports Column – Malak Elkady
• Static Ad Design – Angelo Diaz

League for Innovation Literary Competition

Congratulations to our 2025-2026 Dallas College League for Innovation Literary Competition winners! The first-place entry in each category was sent to the national level of the competition.

Poetry

• First Place “A Boy in Mountain Cut” – Kadiatu Kamara (Richland)
• Second Place “Overpass” – Dev Nanda (North Lake)
• Third Place “Zombie” – Melissa Daniel (El Centro)

Personal Essay

• First Place “Lost in Translation” – Jenna Truong (Richland)
• Second Place “Pink Shoes on the Concrete” – Miranda Lynn Minor (El Centro)
• Third Place “Carrying the Weight of Nowhere” – DulceMaria Rosales (Eastfield)

Fiction

• First Place “The Color of Belonging” – Esther Nelson (Richland)
• Second Place “Inconclusive” – Dev Nanda (Eastfield)
• Third Place “The Lies that Comfort Us” – Ashley Bibbs (North Lake)

Play

• First Place “Two Versions of Me” – Ngoc Phuong Tram Tran (Richland)
• Second Place “It Goes Without Saying” by Ayla Say (El Centro)

American College Theatre Festival

Dallas College students participated in the American College Theater Festival (ACTF) Region 6 Conference in Abilene in February and a virtual national event. Region 6 includes all the colleges and universities in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas.

ACTF is a national organization to celebrate the educational and creative process of university and college theater. It promotes professional standards and provides students and faculty with opportunities to bridge academic and professional worlds.

ACTF Regional Award Winners

• Student Directing Initiative Regional Finalist – Andrea Ortiz (Richland)
• Outstanding Directorial Research Award – Andrea Ortiz (Richland)
• John Cauble Short Play Award National Finalist – Andrea Ortiz (Richland)
• Irene Ryan Acting Audition Regional Finalist – Al Trumbo (Richland)
• Partner Irene Ryan Acting Audition Regional Finalist – Evan Rangel (Richland)

 

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