MATC Times wins six national student media awards

by Zanaia Joshua, Editor-in-Chief

March 3, 2025

The MATC Times is proud to share that we have won six “Apple Awards” at a National College Media Association Convention in New York on March 1st. What a perfect Saturday afternoon!

The staff received two second place awards for Best Newspaper – October Issue and Best News Website.

Photographer Erik Martinez won second place for Best Feature Photography – China Lights

Photography Editor, Cierra Pleshette Wilson won third place for Best News Photography – Democrats focus on the badger state and an Honorable Mention for Best Crisis Coverage – Milwaukee protesters make their mark during RNC.

Writer Elsa Marks received an Honorable Mention for Best Opinion Column – Westown Green needs to reconsider housing criteria.

MATC Times Editors Zanaia Joshua and Cierra Pleshette Wilson held a meeting on future plans as they stood in line to receive the awards at the College Media Association’s Spring National Convention – ProCon. Talk about true commitment and dedication of the team!

Not only did the staff win at the ProCon, our Managing Editor, Warren Murphy took a trip to Madison to receive more awards at the WNA convention! Read more on those awards here.

MATC Times staff and their advisor at a dinner in an Indian restaurant in NYC. (Pictured from left to right in a u-shape) Arts & Entertainment Editor Reniqua Brown, Photographer Jang Vuong, Writer and Business Manager Abe Johnson, Managing Editor Warren Murphy, Photographer Juan Carlos Wood, Photo Editor Cierra Pleshette Wilson, Editor-in-Chief Zanaia Joshua, Times Advisor Barb Volbrecht. This photo was taken by a restaurant employee.

About the Contributor

Zanaia Joshua, Editor-in-Chief

I joined the MATC Times in the 2023/24 academic year, due to my passion for journalism. I enjoy expressing myself through writing; I love a good synonym. It is exciting to bring stories to life with creativity. In my new role as Editor-in-Chief (2024/25), I get to experience the journey of creating a newspaper and all that entails. I help students share their stories through our website and print publication. We want to provide a voice for all students at MATC and the issues they care about.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, learning new things, studying quotes of wisdom, practicing fitness, dressing up, and having fun through new experiences.