The NECD VOICE wins university and national awards


By Jock Lauterer

Some of the VOICE staffers assemble for a group portrait with their new awards. (Staff photo by Jock Lauterer)

Co-Adviser
the Durham VOICE
thedurhamvoice@gmail.com

In its inaugural year, the Northeast Central Durham VOICE has won two prestigious awards, one from UNC-Chapel Hill and another in a national competition.

The Center for Public Service at UNC-CH awarded the Carolina Community Media Project with the Office of the Provost Engaged Scholarship Award for the creation of the VOICE in ceremonies this spring.

Then this summer, the Scholastic Division off the Associate for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication awarded the VOICE with second place in the nation for Innovative Outreach to Scholastic Journalism at the annual AEJMC convention in Denver.

That’s a great way to head into the second year of the VOICE. This fall we have a new crop of college reporters — from N.C. Central led by co-advisers Lisa Paulin and Bruce “DP” dePyssler — and my crew from UNC-Chapel Hill. Back for their second year are our three teen editors: Editor-in-Chief Zenzele Barnes assisted by Teen Arts Co-Editors Praycious Wilson-Gay and Rosalia Priess. A new regular contributor, Kobi Reynolds, has joined the staff as Teen Health Food Critic.

On Sept. 10, the two college classes held a mixer in Durham, where we made this group portrait of some of the staffers holding their awards, (front to back, left to right), Tanikka Thomas, Tamara Edwards, Jenn Kim, Sheneka Quinitchette, Gloria Lloyd, Aaron Saunders, Mary Withers, Sarah Ross, Belinda Dunn, Purity Kimayo, Isha Jackson, Kendra McNair Worley, Co-Adviser Bruce “DP” dePyssler, Co-Adviser Lisa Paulin, Patrick Clare and Earl Phillips, City of Durham assistant director for community engagement. Not pictured from NCCU are Ernest “Jay” Jones, Jerome Brown and Clinton Centry; and from UNC, Alanna Dvorak, Mallory Darida and Natasha Duarte.

Local urban youth who want to write, shoot video or make photographs for the VOICE are encouraged to contact us at thedurhamvoice@gmail.com