Awards Included Newspaper and Online General Excellence, as Well as Several First-Place Recognitions
Santa Monica College’s student-run news outlet, The Corsair, received 27 regional honors this month from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC).
Awards included Newspaper and Online General Excellence, as well as several first-place recognitions. The accolades were announced on Oct. 19 at the JACC SoCal Conference, hosted at California State University, Northridge.
The Corsair’s former editor-in-chief, Cebelihle Hlatshwayo, was also recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists Los Angeles (SPJ/LA) on Oct. 23. Honored as an emerging journalist at SPJ/LA’s 48th Distinguished Journalist Awards Banquet, Hlatshwayo graduated from SMC in spring 2024 and currently studies at Howard University. Other award recipients included Corsair photojournalist Danilo Perez, who received multiple awards and commutes from Azusa to SMC, a journey he undertakes out of a lifelong passion for photography.
Perez earned first-place honors for news photography, a team photo essay, and an online photo story. “You really just get to capture the moment,” he said, adding that he aspires to work with major outlets such as the Associated Press or Reuters.
Hlatshwayo, an international student from South Africa, had the opportunity to meet 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker, the keynote speaker at the SPJ/LA event. She shared that her family in South Africa had watched his reports for years, including his coverage of Nelson Mandela’s 1994 inauguration.
The Corsair has also advanced as one of six community college newspaper finalists for the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) Pacemaker Award, with winners set to be announced Nov. 2.
Other key JACC award winners included first-place copy editor Phoebe Huss and multiple honorees in categories like feature photography and sports photography. Journalism instructors Sharyn Obsatz, Gerard Burkhart, and Samantha Nuñez continue to mentor Corsair staff members, who publish content each semester on both print and digital platforms.
“The Corsair staff continues to hold a highly professional approach to news and photo reportage,” Burkhart stated, commending the team’s achievements.
The journalism program at SMC offers students hands-on training across print, digital, and multimedia formats, preparing them for careers in journalism and media.
