Published March 13, 2025
CAPTION: (L-R) Amir Alnajjar, Editor-In-Chief of The Hawkeye; Prasanna Jha, Co-Sports Editor; Katie Babin, Visual Director; Alayna Pellegrin,
Editor-In-Chief of Chacahoula; Zoe Sissac, Senior Copy Editor; Nicholas Soirez, Editorial Assistant; Keith Webb, Art and Entertainment Editor; Apil KC, Photographer
MONROE, LA – The staff of ULM’s student-run newspaper, The Hawkeye, joined student journalists from more than twenty-five universities at the Southeast
Journalism Conference 2025 in February at Mississippi State University. They participated
in professional sessions and on-site competitions over the two-day event. Highlights
included keynote speakers Ross Dellenger, national college football reporter for Yahoo! Sports, and Isabelle
Taft, National Desk Reporting Fellow at the New York Times.
SEJC’s schedule of on-site competitions challenges attendees with specific prompts
and tight deadlines. For the Art and Entertainment Multimedia competition, editor,
Keith Webb, and photographer, Apil KC, interviewed and videoed MSU artist Zoé Ishee
at Dave’s Darkhorse Tavern. Judges awarded their social media reel 2nd place. Chacahoula editor-in-chief, Alayna Pellegrin, took 2nd place in Design with her infographic concerning
transnational issues between Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
In the Best of the South 2024Best Photographer category, The Hawkeye’s visual director, Katie Babin, ranked fifth. Babin, pursuing a degree in rad tech,
believes the opportunity ULM and The Hawkeye provided her to attend two Southeast Journalism Conferences and compete and place
in three events further fueled her love for photography. “Placing in on-site competitions
and Best of the South made me realize that my dream of becoming a photographer has
already come true,” she says.
ULM has a long-standing tradition of earning accolades in both Best of the South and
on-site contests at SEJC. According to Student Publications director, Whitney Martin,
“Our students consistently produce quality content that equals and surpasses that
produced by much larger newspaper staffs with bigger budgets.”
Student Publications publishes The Hawkeye in print or digital formats most Tuesdays of each semester. Students and faculty can
pick up The Hawkeye on campus at the Hub, the library, and near the entrances of most academic buildings.
Community members can find The Hawkeye at Ouachita Parish Public Library Main Branch. The digital versions of The Hawkeye and of the Chacahoula, ULM’s yearbook, are available at https://ulmhawkeyeonline.com.
Students interested in writing, photography, and graphic design may contribute as
a guest or apply for a staff position, no matter their field of study. For more information,
contact Courtney Collins, assistant director, at ccollins@ulm.eduor Whitney Martin at wmartin@ulm.edu. Students can submit story ideas or letters to the editor on the website.
