A group of 11 members of The Reflector staff won 10 awards this weekend at the 32nd annual Southeast Journalism Conference. 
30 universities attended and competed in the three-day conference hosted by Harding University, in Searcy, Arkansas. 
The highlight of the conference was the Best of the South contest. This event recognizes the outstanding published work of student journalist between Nov. 15, 2016, through Nov. 14, 2017. The SEJC judges evaluated 412 entries across 23 individual categories, along with eight school-specific categories. 
The Editor-in-Chief of The Reflector, Emmalyne Kwasny, a junior communication major from Brandon, earned the highest award of SEJC, College Journalist of the Year. This award is given to the journalist who demonstrates the highest level of commitment and professionalism in journalism. 
“I was honestly shocked, I was not expecting to win,” Kwasny said. “I am truly blessed and could not have won this award without the support of many people.”
In addition, there were five other ‘Best of the South’ winners: Best Opinion-Editorial Writer- 10th place Chris Lowe and fifth place Steven Weirich; Best Sports Writer- sixth place Taylor Rayburn; Best Special Event Reporter/Editor- fourth place Emmalyne Kwasny; Best Multimedia Journalist- third place Josh Beck.
Chris Lowe, a junior majoring in business administration from Bay Springs, said he was thrilled SEJC recognized him.
“As someone that writes simply for pleasure and a desire to have his opinions heard, getting the kind of recognition associated with the SEJC means that I’ve reached more ears than I could have imagined,” Lowe said. “I’m proud to help show that MSU and its student journalists have a lot to say, and we do so with excellence.”
As a whole, The Reflector won 10th place for their old website design, and third place for best college newspaper. Kwasny said it was great to see the team’s hard work and dedication pay off.
“I am very proud of my staff and the work we have put forward over the past year,” Kwasny said. “Winning third place among 30 other distinguished schools is just a small testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff, which I am honored to lead.”
Along with the pre-submitted work, The Reflector team competed in on-site competitions while at the conference. MSU’s team consisted of 12 students who competed in 12 of 15 journalism, broadcasting and public relations categories available in the competition.
The three awards received by MSU were: Sports Writing- third place; Hunter Cloud, Design/Page Layout- third place, Emmalyne Kwasny; and Overall Onsite Championship- second place The Reflector.
Hunter Cloud, a freshman communication major from Springdale, Arkansas, said he was proud of the work he and the team presented during the onsite competition.
“It meant a lot to place in an on-site competition,” Cloud said. “I feel like we represented MSU well and it’s great to add on to my legacy here at MSU, since my dad is an alumni.”