Abby Beagel, the Editor-in-Chief of The Stylus for the 2024-25 school year at Park University, was named Journalist of the Year by the Missouri College Media Association (MCMA). Journalist of the Year is a top honor from the MCMA awards ceremony, and students from universities across the state, including the University of Missouri and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, are eligible.
The Missouri College Media Association’s annual convention and awards ceremony was held at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo., on Saturday, April 12. In addition to Beagel’s award, the Stylus was recognized with 20 individual awards and two publication awards.
Outside of Journalist of the Year, Park University competed against other schools in its division, which also includes Avila University, Culver-Stockton College, Drury University, Evangel University, Missouri Valley College, and William Jewell College.
In addition to Journalist of the Year, Beagel won first place for a video she produced about the history of Kansas City jazz. Damon Grosvenor, who graduated with a History degree in December of 2024, earned first-place awards for a column and an editorial. Mason Danner, a multimedia journalism and public relations major, won first place for a sports column. Danny Burger, a communication studies major, won first place for a non-political/entertainment cartoon. Finally, Beagel, assistant editor-in-chief Mati Smith, Grosvenor, Marcus Castro and Taylor Crims won first place for a special post-election issue of The Stylus. Castro is a communication studies major, and Crims is an English and professional writing major.
Halle Magee, a multimedia journalism and public relations major, earned a second-place place award for investigative reporting. Nathan Matthews, who graduated with a multimedia journalism and public relations degree in December of 2023, earned a second-place column award. Former editor-in-chief and 2024 graduate in multimedia journalism and public relations and communication studies earned a second-place column award. Grosvenor earned a second place for in-depth newswriting. And Smith earned second-place awards for op-ed and sports pages.
Jensen, Grosvenor, and Danner also earned third place awards for newswriting, op-ed page and sports page, respectively.
In addition, Castro earned an honorable mention for newswriting. Jensen honorable mentions for front page design and op-ed page. Smith and interdisciplinary studies major Audrey Hentges earned honorable mention for feature page. And Beagel, multimedia journalism and public relations major Francisco Reyes, and business major Mateus Carvalho earned honorable mention for sports page.
Finally, the Stylus earned second place in the sweepstakes category based upon the overall quality of the newspaper and a third place for stylusonline.org.
As the Stylus celebrates its 130th year at Park University, these awards are a reminder of the legacy of this organization. Journalism continues to remain a critical part of a democratic society, and these awards continue to highlight how important Park students are in those efforts already.
The Stylus, like most campus organizations, took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The MCMA awards are evidence that student media can thrive with a dedicated team.
As the spring semester winds down, the Stylus team would like to invite anyone interested in writing, photography, videography and design to come be a part of the next 130 years. If you don’t have the capacity to participate, please keep supporting the paper in other ways. You can visit StylusOnline.org, follow us on social media, or comment on and share the stories we post. It helps our team know their work resonates with an audience and that their work is meaningful.
