The Delta Statement, Delta State University\u2019s student-led newspaper, recently earned two top awards at the 2014 Louisiana\/Mississippi Associated Press Managing Editors Contest: College Division.<\/p>\n
Winners were announced at the awards ceremony held June 21 at the Imperial Palace Casino Resort & Spa in Biloxi.<\/p>\n
Elisabetta Zengaro, editor-in-chief, won second place in the category of best feature photo for her image “Welcome back students!” The photo features the Fighting Okra mascot on Move-in Day.<\/p>\n
Zengaro also picked up a third place win in the category of best sports photo for her image of Delta State basketball player Declan Harrick.<\/p>\n
Of the five colleges recognized in the contest, Delta State was the only winning university in Mississippi. The other colleges to place were: Louisiana State University, Louisiana Tech, Loyola and Southeastern Louisiana University.<\/p>\n
According to Zengaro, the judges said it was one of the largest regional contests with 1,300 entries and 15 categories.<\/p>\n
“I am honored to have received these two awards and to be the only student journalist from a university in Mississippi to have placed in the contest,” Zengaro said. \u201cThis is a huge victory for our program.<\/p>\n
“Many times, when people think of studying journalism in Mississippi, they automatically think Mississippi State or Ole Miss and often overlook Delta State because it is a small school. Having transferred from a larger university two years ago, I can definitely say it really shows the quality of our program and our student newspaper to be the only university to be recognized by the Associated Press in this year’s contest. It definitely proves you don’t have to attend a large university for a quality education.”<\/p>\n