UT Tyler Students Earn 60 State Awards for Excellence in Mass Communication

May 2, 2025 | Hannah Buchanan

Students at The University of Texas at Tyler earned 60 awards at this year’s Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Convention. TIPA, the largest organization of collegiate mass communication programs in Texas, annually recognizes excellence in writing, editing, photography, videography, advertising, marketing, publication design and social media content.

UT Tyler senior Nathan Witt of Mineola, Patriot Talon editor-in-chief and TIPA’s outgoing student board vice president, said the awards represent the staff’s dedication to excellence. "This wasn’t about winning awards, it was about providing the highest level of quality to our student body. The awards are just confirmation that we're doing what we set out to do,” said Witt.

Among honors, UT Tyler senior David Chapek of Big Sandy placed third for “2025 TIPA Student Reporter of the Year.” His stories explored the rise of sex trafficking in Smith County, efforts to help domestic abuse victims and how UT Tyler is providing Narcan to help prevent fentanyl overdose deaths. The university also received “Best Use of Social Media Among Texas Colleges” with a student population of no more than 10,000. Additionally, Patriot Talon staff placed first in headline writing for previously published content.

“To say I am proud of these student journalists whose work often goes unnoticed is an understatement,” said Danny Mogle, UT Tyler lecturer and student media adviser.

UT Tyler students earning TIPA awards for on-site competitions listed by hometown are:

LONGVIEW – Breanna Bolle, first place in press release writing and honorable mention for print advertising and crisis management plan creation.

MINEOLA – Witt, honorable mention for headline writing.

TYLER – Dylan Shacklett, second place in newspaper front-page design; Santiago Nunez, third place in Spanish news announcing; and Larry Bonilla, honorable mention for critical review.

UT Tyler winners for work published or broadcast in 2024 are also listed by hometown.

BIG SANDY – Chapek, first place in general news writing.

BULLARD – Abigail Smith, first place in photo story, third place in feature photo; and honorable mention for environmental portrait and feature story.

CHANDLER – Ashley Worley, third place in in-depth video news reporting and honorable mention for sports action photo.

HALLSVILLE – P.J. Carrington, along with Paulina Mata of New London and Aaliyah Flores of Tyler, first place in general news multimedia story.

LINDALE — Karleigh Yancey, first place in literary magazine design; and third place in illustration, special edition, overall excellence general magazine, overall excellence literary magazine and general magazine cover design.

MINEOLA – Witt, first place in sports column; second place in advertising campaign; third place in social media breaking news and honorable mention for interactive advertisement design; and Brynna Williamson, second place in blog and third place in in-depth audio news reporting.

NEW LONDON – Mata, first place in Spanish feature story and third place in in-depth reporting.

SAN AUGUSTINE – Yessenia Valenciana, first place in multimedia feature, second place in static information graphic and third place in Spanish news story.

TEXARKANA – Brock Bearden, first place in sports game story and multimedia sports story; and third place in sports news story.

TYLER – Andrew Staples, first place in in-depth audio news reporting and audio feature reporting; Nayeli Carrillo, first place in in-depth video news reporting and social media general coverage; and honorable mention for general news video story; Macy Maxwell, first place in multimedia slideshow and honorable mention for social media video promo; Bonilla, second place in breaking news; Shacklett, second place in literary magazine cover design; Kevin Bui, third place in general news photo; Ashton Gatson, third place in sports game story; Daniel Yates, honorable mention for general news audio story and audio feature story; Leigh Meyers, Jude Ratcliff, Nunez and Carrillo, first and third place in video program production; Bonilla and Bolle, second place in breaking news social media; and Anna Arseinko, Jim Rasberry and Witt, third place in multimedia sports story.

VAN – Jim Clayton, first place in blog and online special project.

Chapek, Bui and Worley also received honorable mention for general news multimedia story.

TIPA members represent more than 40 college student publications, television broadcasts and radio stations. To learn more, visit: texasipa.org/.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.