Several BCIT Broadcast and Online Journalism grads were recently recognized with prestigious awards from the BC Radio, TV and Digital News Directors’ Association (RTDNA).
CBC Vancouver videojournalist Tina Lovgreen (class of 2015) shared in one award for live coverage of last fall’s Royal Visit and the Dave Rogers Award for her feature titled Forever Young.
Reporting on the royal visit was a thrill for Tina, but she felt her other story was also one that needed telling:
The Forever Young story was important because it looked at the use of non-invasive plastic surgery among young women in our society and what drove them to spend thousands of dollars to alter their faces to beat the signs of aging.
Tina says BCIT was fundamental in preparing her for her career: “Not only did the program give me the hands-on skills to write, shoot, edit and deliver news stories on all platforms (web, radio, and TV), it also gave me the opportunity to intern at CBC Vancouver and CBC’s The Fifth Estate,” she says.
CKNW’s Emily Lazatin (class of 2015) shared another pair of awards with fellow Journalism alumnus Simon Little. The pair won a BC RTDNA Award for a radio feature titled On the Front Lines at St. Paul’s Hospital, as well as the BCAB award for excellent news reporting for the same story.
“We were given an exclusive first hand look at the overdose crisis and how nurses, doctors, paramedics, and police are affected by this epidemic,” said Emily.
She feels she also owes a lot to the Journalism program.
“It made transitioning into a job or career opportunity much easier,” said Emily, “Because at the very least I knew the basics, and the teachers taught me a strong sense of news values and storytelling.”
The CBC’s Rafferty Baker (class of 2012) was another winner.
His story, titled Traditional First Nations culture may help reduce teen suicides, was about a pilot program at the Seabird Island community in the Fraser Valley, where teens learn about their Indigenous history to instill a sense of identity lost through years of colonization, and develop strategies to help prevent them from self harm.
Rafferty also had high praise for the program:
BCIT gave me the opportunity to dive into stories, pick up the phone to speak with fascinating people, and get into the field to work on my technical photo/video/radio skills. The program also got me into newsrooms where I made the necessary contacts to kick-off my career in journalism.
Congratulations Tina, Emily and Rafferty! You’re off to a great start in a highly rewarding career.
To learn more, check out our Broadcast and Media programs and courses.