Our Year In Review

Student Journalists Gain Knowledge, Bring Home Honors in 2024-25 Year

Debbie Miller, Eagle View Adviser

August 20, 2025

Winners from the ACMA contest included, from left, Samantha McClain, Delaney Reaves, Vivian Mejia, Chelsea Castillo, Kay King and Braiden Burton.

Chelsea Castillo, Kay King, Riley Cook & media students

This newscast was the result of many hours of student work covering the March Spring Arts & Culture Festival at NWACC. The newscast is one of the works from NWACC students to be honored at the College Media Association conference in October in Washington, D.C.

The NWACC Eagle View staff and journalism/media students had a banner year, filled with gaining new expertise, hosting a statewide conference, and bringing home a few awards as well.

The Eagle View enters the 2025-26 academic year with an experienced executive team. Chelsea Castillo, who has previously served as news editor and managing editor, will be the team’s editor-in-chief. Kay King, who served in the editor-in-chief role this past year will be the team’s managing editor.

The team, which also includes the returning Dayanti Arechiga and Genesis Guerra, will continue producing print editions, but also will be posting more content on social media, YouTube, and on this new website, launched over the summer.

As we begin the new academic year, I, as the adviser who gets to be along for the journey, want to thank all of the writers, photographers, videographers, contributors and columnists who provided great content for our print and online presence. We had a lot of work we all could be proud of.

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Host site for ACMA

Our team hosted the 2025 Arkansas College Media Association conference in April. Students staffed the registration table, directed visitors to the correct locations, hosted speakers and moderated panels. We also picked up more than 20 awards for content appearing on our previous website, a blogsite that we will still keep around, and in the print editions of 2024.

College Media Association

A group of four students — Kay King, Dayanti Arechiga, Fernanda Sanchez, and Genesis Guerra — and the adviser attended the College Media Association conference in New Orleans in October. The Eagle View and its staff members received three awards and the attendees learned a lot about journalism and student media. The trip was made possible by a grant from the Student Activity Fund Review Board and donations to the Eagle View account with the NWACC Foundation.

Society of Professional Journalists

A current staff member and previous staff members received honors in the March 2025 Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence competition for Region 12.

The awards were presented during a luncheon on March 30 in Memphis. The luncheon was a part of the Region 12 annual conference held on the University of Memphis campus.

Chelsea Castillo, who is managing editor of the NWACC Eagle View, was a finalist in the category of Food/Restaurant Journalism. Her article, “NWACC students running a local food truck in Benton County,” was published in the October 2024 issue of the Eagle View.

Former Editor-In-Chief Delaney Reaves was named a finalist in the Breaking News Reporting category for smaller colleges (those with fewer than 10,000 students). Her report, “Avoca voters narrowly OK increase for fire dues,” was published on the Eagle View’s blogsite within 24 hours of polls closing in the March 5 primaries, judicial, and special issues votes.

Reaves and former Editor-in-Chief Samantha McClain were named finalists in the General News Reporting category for smaller colleges (those with fewer than 10,000 students). The article titled, “Board approves tuition increase,” was published in the March 2024 issue.

Entries in the Mark of Excellence competition draw from work done in the previous calendar year.

Arkansas Press Women

From left, Kay King, Genesis Guerra and Fernanda Sanchez display their awards at the APW luncheon in June. Winners not pictured include Chelsea Castillo, Dayanti Arechiga and Stephanie Roat. (Debbie Miller)

Six students and former students from NorthWest Arkansas Community College received awards in a state communications contest Saturday, June 22. The students recognized were members of the NWACC Eagle View staff in 2024.

Arkansas Press Women announced the winners of its annual Professional Communications Contest at an awards luncheon at Central Baptist College in Conway. Work produced in a variety of communications fields during 2024 was eligible to compete. Dwain Hebda of Little Rock, president of Ya!Mule Wordsmiths, Inc., won the Sweepstakes Award in the state contest. The Sweepstakes Award is based on a point system that factors in entry ranking and the degree of competition in a category.

First-place winners in the state competition are eligible to advance their entries to a national competition of the National Federation of Press Women. National winners will be recognized during NFPW’s annual conference Sept. 11-13 in Golden, Colorado. The conference concludes with an awards banquet on Sept. 13.

State winners from NWACC and their awards were:

Kay King holds her certificates from Angelita Faller, APW president.

Dayanti Arechiga, News Editor, NWACC Eagle View:

Honorable M

Genesis Guerra gives a thumbs up after receiving her award.

ention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Opinion/Editorial/Reviews for Chappell Roan’s Gift to Arkansas.

Third Place in Col

Fernanda Sanchez holds her first-place certificate received from APW President Angelita Faller.

legiate/Education: Writing — Opinion/Editorial/Reviews for The Christmas Crisis.

Chelsea Castillo, Managing Editor, NorthWest Arkansas Community College Eagle View:

Third Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Features for NWACC Students Running a Local Food Truck in Benton County.

Second Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Overdose Kits Now Accessible on Campus.

Second Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Features for Cultures, Food Mix in Award-winning Mural.

First Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Sports for NWACC Athletic Luncheon Celebrating esports and Cross-country.

First Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Opinion/Editorial/Reviews for Did Gen Z Voters Impact the Election?

Genesis Guerra, News Editor, NorthWest Arkansas Community College Eagle View:

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Features for NWACC Theater Prepares for Holiday Cheer.

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Arkansas Voters Approve Plan to Expand Lottery Scholarship.

First Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Cyber Event Delays Start of Semester.

Kay King, Editor-In-Chief, NorthWest Arkansas Community College Eagle View:

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Biden, Trump, Womack Win on Tuesday.

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Features for Brightwater Venturing into New Territories.

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Features for Catching Up on CAST (co-entrant with Stephanie Roat).

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Trails and Trades Takes Off.

Third Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Flying Forward to the Future.

Second Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Opinion/Editorial/Reviews for Coca-Cola is King.

First Place in Collegiate/Education: Art and Design — Design (print or electronic) for Creepy Creatures at Crystal Bridges.

Stephanie Roat, (co-entrant with Kay King) NorthWest Arkansas Community College Eagle View:

Co-entrant: Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing—Features for Catching Up on CAST. Roat graduated in May 2024.

Fernanda Sanchez, Reporter, NorthWest Arkansas Community College Eagle View:

First Place in Collegiate/Education: Public Relations, Social Media or Recruitment/Involvement Campaign for SGA Voter Registration campaign.

College Media Association 2025

Three entries from NWACC’s student media team have earned national recognition, but the results will not be revealed until an October conference of the Society of Professional Journalists, College Media Association, and Associated Collegiate Press.

Entries named finalists in the CMA competition were all from work done in the spring semester.

Dayanti Arechiga has been named a finalist in the breaking news category for her story about the closing of Goldie’s Grill in January: https://eagleview.news.blog/2025/01/31/goldies-grill-closing-today-jan-31/

Chelsea Castillo was named a finalist for her report on a keynote presenter, Ajamu Kojo, from the Spring Arts & Culture Festival in March: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQQXglOixjc

Castillo, Kay King, and Riley Cook, along with with a group of students from Storytelling for Today’s Media and the Student Newspaper and Media Lab, are finalists for their special news broadcast on YouTube regarding the Spring Arts and Culture Festival.