Recent Columbia Graduates Win Second Place at AEJMC Student Magazine Awards for 'In Flux'
The winning team: Trinity Balboa ’25, Riley Nguyễn ’25, Camron Hinkle ’25, and Cyan Carey ’25,
A team of recent Ƶ graduates has earned national recognition, winning second place at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Student Magazine Awards in the Service Journalism category for their interactive article entitled “," which appeared in the student-created digital magazine "in Flux."
The students produced the article, and the digital magazine, as part of the Interactive Magazine Workshop course taught Spring semester by Jo-Nell Sieren, assistant professor in the School of Design, and Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin, who is now a professor emerita in School of Communication and Culture at Columbia.
“We challenged students to conceptualize, report, design, and publish a fully interactive digital magazine in cross-disciplinary teams that mirror professional creative environments,” Bloyd-Peshkin says.
The article was created by writer Trinity Balboa ’25, illustrator Cyan Carey ’25, graphic designer Riley Nguyễn ’25, and developer Camron Hinkle ’25.
“Each member brought a unique perspective through writing, illustration, design, and web development that shaped the final tone, style, and presentation,” Sieren says. “At Columbia, we intentionally foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, preparing our students to excel individually and as part of a dynamic, professional team.”
Founded in 1912, AEJMC promotes excellence in journalism and mass communication education, supports diverse perspectives, and defends freedom of communication.
This year’s AEJMC Student Magazine Contest saw a record 186 total entries from 18 schools across 11 categories. Fourteen working journalists volunteered their time to judge, awarding first through third places in each category, plus honorable mentions.
“I think this project resonated with the judges as it grants the reader a sense of agency,” says Hinkle, who majored in User Experience and Interaction Design. “We didn’t want to simply present a mountain of complex housing information in a linear structure and restrict the flow of information. We attempted to use each unique element to reinforce the overall themes of the article and create something more meaningful than any of the parts on their own.”
See and experience the .