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HOLLAND
COLLEGE • March 2003
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INSIDE |
Atlantic
Journalism Award winners
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| Holland
College students claim top regional awards The Atlantic Journalism Awards (AJAs) was started in 1981 to honour journalistic excellence in the Atlantic provinces. Since its establishment, hundreds of journalists including several graduates of this program have been recognized for their work. And since college student categories were added to the AJAs in 1998, Holland College has swept all five awards. The awards are presented to students who show initiative, maturity, creativity and professionalism. The winners are selected from one of the four community colleges in the Maritime region with a journalism program. The awards are presented during a gala awards ceremony in Halifax each May. Holland College students who have been honoured with an award are featured on this page. Hill's career leads to far north By Mary Moszynski Class of '03 Miriam Hill's journalism career has taken her to a place  most don't travel. Baffin Island. A reporter for the Nunatsiaq News in Canada's newest territory, Nunavut, Hill reports on everything from politics to dog-sled races. "The north is a really neat place to go," she said. Hill took her writing ability across the Maritimes, however, before moving to brave the bitter cold. After graduating in 1998, Hill worked in Moncton at the daily newspaper The Times & Transcript before moving to St. John's where she worked for a weekly newspaper for four months. She then moved back to P.E.I. to work for CBC for one month before returning to Moncton to work as the legislature reporter for nine months, then on to the Daily Gleaner in Fredericton for six months. Then she decided to move to Iqaluit. When she arrived, Hill discovered there are some major differences between the Maritimes and the north. "They have a different political system and they're not as media savvy," she said, adding people are afraid to be interviewed. As well, residents' preferred mode of transportation to council meetings is by snowmobile. "It's just so different entirely," she said. "And there's still a lot of things I haven't done." While at Holland College, Hill didn't even think she would go on to be a reporter, but instead get a job laying out pages. It was in her second year at school when she started to change her mind. And the change in train of thought was due mainly to her instructors Martin Dorrell, who died in 2000, and Wayne Young. "Wayne was always like the good guy," she said. "He was always so good at making you feel important. "I think for me the instructors are what made it." Malloy's struggle with Big Story prompts creation of ‘Little Big' By Mary Moszynski Class of "03  Holland College first-year students have Jason Malloy to thank for the one assignment each of them has all year to look forward to before battling the monster, a.k.a the Little Big Story. A graduate of the class of 2001, Malloy had a passion for hard news stories - quick, crisp and to the point. So when given the task of writing the mecca story of the course - the Big Story - he hit a roadblock. When he explained his concerns to instructor Rick MacLean, MacLean decided first-year students needed a smaller version of the assignment to prepare them properly for the following year. And hence the Little Big was born. "I was just really struggling with it," said Malloy during a recent phone interview. But Malloy learned quickly that one of the keys to succeeding in journalism is giving it your all. "If you're not upbeat about the story it'll show in the product," said the Truro Daily News reporter. Malloy said he looked to the second-year students to show him how to make the best of his years at Holland College. "They took me underwing," he said. As much as Malloy learned at Holland College, the most memorable journalism experience in his career so far is when he happened to be at the scene of a train crash. "I was on site for the Shubenacadie train derailment," he said. "It was quite interesting - one of those things you'll never forget." After graduating, Malloy was hired at the New Glasglow News to cover a maternity leave. After that ended he worked briefly at the Amherst Daily News before landing a job in Truro. "You learn fairly quickly whether you want to do this. You have to ask the questions," he said of covering difficult stories. Malloy said there are many aspects of the job he enjoys and that will keep him in the business for as long as he can see. "I like the stories and the people that you meet," he said. "And there's something to be said with a good photograph." Veinot opts to add degree to diploma By Russell Lee Webb Class of '03  The thirst for knowledge sent a recent Holland College journalism graduate back to school, despite also being an award-winning journalist. Julie Veinot won an Atlantic Journalism award after completing the two-year program but unlike her predecessors, she chose not to enter the workforce. The New Germany, N.S., native said she was unsure about being a reporter and was still young, 21, so she decided to enroll in the new program at UPEI which allows her to get a BAA in journalism. "I'm not totally sure I want to work at a newspaper. I think I'm too shy to be a reporter." She said she felt a little out of place at the award ceremonies among other established journalists who were suddenly her peers. "It didn't seem like it was time to win an award." Veinot said the note-taking, deadline and writing skills she learned during her two years at Holland College prepared her for the things she is now doing at UPEI. She decided to take journalism because she enjoyed writing and the prospects of getting paid for that seemed too good to be true. Getting the award will help her with whatever career path she pursues after finishing school, she said. Bridgewater Bulletin reporter took few years to find his calling By Mary Moszynski Class of '03 Stacey Colwell didn't always know he wanted to be a journalist - it just seemed to fit. A graduate of the class of 2002, Colwell has absolutely no regrets about the career path he finally chose. "I went back to Holland College when I was in my early thirties after many different career paths and not knowing what to do during my twenties," he said. "It's been everything I could possibly hope for. I'm 35 now and I've found my calling," the Bridgewater reporter added. When he entered the Holland College course, however, Colwell wasn't so sure things would turn out as well as they did. "Especially as I was going back to school." The freedom being a journalist provides you is one of the highlights of the career, Colwell said. "It allows you to be really independent." As well, interviewing so many people and reporting on the issues of the day leaves Colwell with a feeling of satisfaction. "In a way you feel like you make a difference," he said. "I was surprised and it felt really great," he added. "It just sort of felt like I've been indicated." Although Colwell tried to put his full effort into every story he wrote, sports has always been his passion. During his on-the-job-training in his second year of school, Colwell had the opportunity to prove himself as a sports reporter at the Halifax Daily News. "That was an incredible experience for me," Colwell reflected. "I learnt a lot there. After I finished my second-year OJT I really felt like I was ready to go into the business." Colwell's most memorable story during college was his Big Story on a 15-year-old Island baseball player. After the story was published, he received calls of praise from the player's family. "It really felt good to get that feedback." Now a full-time sports and education reporter, Colwell appreciates everything Holland College and its instructors provided him. "I really appreciate all that Wayne (Young) and Rick (MacLean) gave me to get me to where I am now," he said. "Maybe it would have been different and they're different from any instructors I've ever had." Journalism always goal for Croucher By Mary Moszynski Class of '03 For Phil Croucher, the decision wasn't whether or not to be a journalist, it was deciding what was the best avenue to take. After going to Kings College in Halifax and graduating with an arts degree, Croucher decided since he had the academic side of journalism he would go to Holland College and learn the practical side of the trade. "Journalism was pretty much something I've always wanted to do," he said. "And I thought this was the best avenue for me." The Cape Breton Post reporter, who grew up in Port Hawkesbury, N.S., landed a job at New Brunswick's provincial paper The Telegraph-Journal after graduating from Holland College in 2000. After leaving the Telegraph-Journal, Croucher accepted a job at the Cape Breton Post as a sports reporter. "I just like being in the environment where it's always journalism," he said of his job. "I guess I just like how every day seems to be different," he added. Even meeting people in the industry brings something new to the table each day, he said. "Journalists seem to be some of the strangest people," he said. "You'll know if it's for you pretty quickly." And as for giving advice to upcoming journalists, Croucher said determination is the key to success. "Keep trying and you've just got to keep plugging because you don't know where you'll land up," he said. Although Croucher said he's happy for now in Cape Breton, eventually he'd like to move to a larger city. "I'm happy here but some day maybe I'll go to Toronto or Montreal." |
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