Aztecs Shine Bright: JMS Students Score Big at SPJ Awards

San Diego State University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies students earned recognition at this year’s Society of Professional Journalists San Diego Pro Chapter Awards, bringing home honors across nearly a dozen categories as well as multiple scholarships.

JMS students secured several first-place finishes, demonstrating personal excellence in reporting, photography, opinion writing and sports coverage. Additionally, the student newspaper, The Daily Aztec, was recognized for its newsroom achievements, placing second in the Best College News Media Website and earning third place for Best Social Media Account.

The social media recognition marked a particularly exciting achievement for JMS, as it showcased the innovative ways students are learning to tell stories and engage audiences across platforms. From breaking news updates to interactive features, the team’s creative use of Instagram was recognized for raising the bar on how student journalism connects with audiences online.

In addition to editorial awards, two JMS students were named scholarship recipients: Lindsey Brintwood and Lesley Garcia. Both were awarded the San Diego Area Journalism Awards $1,500 Merit Scholarship.

“I finally felt like my work had been seen,” Garcia said. “The fact that someone saw it and felt like it was good enough to win was super cool.”

Garcia submitted three pieces of her work from The Daily Aztec to win this scholarship, one being a reel for Mundo Azteca, the Spanish section of The Daily Aztec, and the other two being articles.

Garcia’s favorite piece she submitted was an opinion article about how big corporations should not own media outlets as they use their power to censor what journalists are writing about, perpetuating a toxic work environment.

“You do have a lot of freedom within The Daily Aztec,” Garcia said. “I like how I can speak up for myself and have my own voice in my writing.”

Moreover, Brintwood said as social media editor for The Daily Aztec, increasing the amount of engagement on social media is one of her main goals.

“Print wise, The Daily Aztec has always performed pretty well,” said Brintwood. “Growing our multimedia and social media teams has been very important to me as well as my co-editors this year.”

Both Brintwood and Garcia’s recognition highlight the strong pipeline of talent in SDSU’s journalism program. Through their reporting, editing and leadership at The Daily Aztec, both have helped the publication earn multiple honors this year, showcasing the important role student journalists play in their campus and community.

“The Daily Aztec is a pretty well established program,” Brintwood said. “It’s a great way for students to produce content they’re proud of that could potentially be submitted for the same scholarship I won.”

As she begins her final semester, Brintwood looks forward to carrying the San Diego Area Journalism Awards $1,500 Merit Scholarship as her first accomplishment in the professional world.

This year’s results mark a continued rise for SDSU students at the SPJ San Diego Awards. With honors across categories and scholarships supporting their futures, JMS students once again showed their ability to compete and excel at a regional level. The recognition reinforces the School of JMS as a hub for ambitious young journalists and points toward even more success in years to come.