By: Richard Kim, Contributing Writer
Photos by: Dr. Soya Nah

From Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, 2025, JagMedia students and faculty attended the Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC) at Mississippi State University (MSU). Representatives of 27 colleges and universities from across the southeastern United States came together to honor the profession of journalism. According to former “Due South” editor Ryleigh Thornton, 2025 marked the first year since 2020 that students and faculty from the University of South Alabama attended the conference in person. In attendance were Andrew Biehl, Payton Hudson, Josie DiCapua, Stephanie Huynh, Emory Waye, Richard Kim, Dr. Soya Nah, and Dr. Max Romanowski.

Biehl and Huynh represented the branches of JagMedia for which they serve as editor-in-chief, those being “Due South” and “The Vanguard,” respectively. Waye and Kim represented “The Vanguard” as contributing writers. Hudson represented “Due South” and “The Vanguard,” while DiCapua represented both as well as JagTV. Nah and Romanowski represented the Department of Communications.

On Friday, Jan. 31, the group embarked on a nearly four-hour drive to Starkville, Mississippi. Though the conference did not officially begin until the next day, a student social was held at Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern. However, as the group was unable to find seating in the crowded bar, they instead opted to dine in at the nearby Stagger In Sports Grill.

“These are the best cheese sticks I’ve ever had in my life,” said Biehl about one of Stagger In’s many offerings.

On Saturday, SEJC officially commenced with opening remarks in the Colvard Student Union. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, numerous panels were held, all relating to topics in the field of journalism—among them were sports coverage, creating better YouTube videos, and the impact of artificial intelligence. Members of the group also took a trip to MSU’s Student Media Center, where they met contributors of the student newspaper “The Reflector.” There, they gained insight into how another school conducted its media operations.

“It was so helpful for sparking my creativity, especially seeing what all the other schools are doing in their media publications,” said DiCapua. “I definitely feel inspired.”

Biehl, Hudson, and Huynh made time to submit entries to the on-site competition held by SEJC. The competition encompassed numerous categories, including news writing and feature writing. For his entry, Biehl interviewed an employee of the P.O.D. Express at MSU.

That night, the Best of the South Awards were held, honoring some of the most outstanding student journalists in the southeast region. Huynh placed third in the category of Best Newspaper Designer for her work in “The Vanguard.” “Due South” took home the award of second best magazine overall. 

“COVID-19 hit JagMedia pretty hard, so winning the awards we did felt 10 times as special,” said DiCapua.

Sunday marked the second and final day of the conference. Following the keynote address by The New York Times reporter Isabelle Taft, the results of the on-site competition were announced. Though no students from South Alabama won any categories here, their participation gave them valuable insights.

“I’m glad that we tried our best in the competitions,” said Huynh. “Even though we didn’t win anything, now the team knows what to expect for next year!”

It was a long weekend filled with highs and lows, but SEJC proved to be an important opportunity for all students involved, and it revealed the potential of student media as a whole. SEJC is currently looking for a university to host next year’s conference. Regardless of what university is chosen, there is no doubt that the members of JagMedia are looking forward to 2026’s gathering.