Bowling Green, Ky. -Two Western Kentucky University students have won national championships in the 46th annual Hearst Journalism Awards Program.

Will DeShazer, a Louisville senior, is the third consecutive WKU student to win the Hearst National Photojournalism Championship while Brenna Gallegos, a 2006 graduate from Lexington, is the first WKU student to win the National Radio Broadcast News Championship.

Gallegos and DeShazer received $5,000 awards for winning the national titles. Gallegos also received a $1,000 award for Best Use of Radio for News Coverage.
Both students credit WKU’s award-winning School of Journalism and Broadcasting for their success in the Hearst national championships June 5-11 in San Francisco.

“I attribute my success to the training I received during my time at Western, to hard work and also to a lot of good luck,” said Gallegos, who is working at ClearChannel Louisville, which broadcasts news on which WHAS-AM, WLAP-AM and the Kentucky News Network. “I am honored to have met the judges and the other very talented finalists, but at the same time I am very proud to represent WKU and stand out among some of the nation’s best.”

Winning the Hearst title has become a goal for WKU photojournalism students, said DeShazer, an intern this summer at the Flint (Mich.) Journal. “I can’t say enough good things about the program at Western,” he said. “It has made me into the person I am today.”

Often called the “Pulitzers of College Journalism,” the Hearst program holds yearlong competitions in writing, photojournalism and broadcast news. WKU finished third nationally this year and has eight-straight top four finishes including No. 1 overall in 2000, 2001 and 2005.

In Hearst competitions since 1981, WKU students have won eight photojournalism titles (’87, ’88, ’91, ’92, ’96, ’04, ’05, ’06), one broadcasting title (’06) and one news writing title (’85). WKU students also have finished second three times in photo, second twice in writing, third five times in photo and third once in broadcasting.

Gallegos called the Hearst competition “an amazing experience that gave me the opportunity to experience the city of San Francisco while also working on the biggest story I’ve ever been assigned.”

The story assignment for radio finalists was immigration and the effect of undocumented workers on society. “The following day, we had eight hours to gather all of our interviews,” Gallegos said. “I was so nervous and stressed, but the final product (a 2-minute, 30-second radio wrap) was well worth it.”

DeShazer had two and a half days to shoot four assignments in San Francisco. “I didn’t have high expectations. I just wanted to give it my best shot.”

DeShazer did just that, said James Kenney, director of WKU’s photojournalism program. The six finalists had to shoot a feature photograph, a photograph on San Francisco’s nightlife, a photo package on Chinatown and a photo package of their choosing (DeShazer selected homeless people).

“You have to be a special photographer and person to go into this pressure situation and make great pictures,” Kenney said. “The judges were impressed with Will and thought he had a strong portfolio coming into the shootout. I’m very proud of him. He’s worked very hard over the past few years and has improved incredibly.”

DeShazer’s parents, Sam and Vicki, flew from Louisville for the awards presentation. When DeShazer’s name was announced as the winner, he shook Kenney’s hand and hugged his parents. “It couldn’t have been any more perfect,” said DeShazer, a 2000 graduate of Ballard High School in Louisville.
Gallegos, whose parents are Loraine Trejo of Lexington and Anthony Gallegos of San Antonio, is a 2002 graduate of Tates Creek High School in Lexington.
Corey Paul, a Bowling Green sophomore, was a finalist in the Hearst National Writing Championship and received a $1,500 scholarship. He also received a $1,000 award for Best Reporting Technique for a story in the College Heights Herald, WKU’s student newspaper.

WKU won the Intercollegiate Broadcasting Championship in 2001 and has won the Hearst Intercollegiate Photojournalism Championship 15 times in the past 17 years.
Allen Bryant, an Owensboro senior, was a national semifinalist in photojournalism and received a $1,000 scholarship.

In 2005-06, WKU’s School of Journalism and Broadcasting and its students won $41,700 in scholarships and matching grants in the Hearst program. Since 1981, the program and students have won $573,200.

The Hearst program, funded and administered by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, operates under the auspices of the accredited schools of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication. More than 100 schools participate in the program, which awards more than $400,000 in scholarships and grants annually.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact the School of Journalism and Broadcasting at (270) 745-4143.

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Office of Media Relations
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, Ky. 42101-3576
Phone: (270)745-4295 - Fax: (270)7455387 - E-Mail: western@wku.edu