Jada Veasey of MMU is Best Student Journalist in Iowa

Senior nursing student Jada Veasey named "Pat Pisarik Student Journalist of the Year" by Iowa College Media Association.

Today was a big day for journalism at Mount Mercy University. I knew what was coming, although I couldn’t tell anybody.

Each year, the Iowa College Media Association gives an award called the “Pat Pisarik Student Journalist of the Year” to one student. This year, the judges said there were three outstanding journalists from three colleges who became the finalists—and the winner is from Mount Mercy University. Times Editor-in-Chief Jada Veasey.

And Jada doesn’t even major in journalism. I’ve had a nursing student be editor-in-chief of the Times before (I am the paper’s faculty advisor), but the previous leader did at least minor in journalism. Jada basically leads the staff of a university newspaper capably from life experience—I’m not sure she’s taken even one of my journalism courses, yet she is among the most talented student journalists MMU has ever had.

It comes from several sources. One, Jada is in the news habit. She comes from a home where there was always a newspaper, and she’s always been a news reader—an important education that many communication students are too short on. Two, while she hasn’t taken a journalism class, she is a natural writer, a talented story teller with a flair for choosing the right words. Again, I think this comes mainly from being a lifelong, active reader. Three, she’s mission driven. She believes in the importance of journalism and student journalism, a civics lesson lost on too many these days.

Jada has been particularly important in helping the Mount Mercy Times cover the Covid-19 pandemic. She wrote the news story about a student who died. She had a hand in a set of staff editorials that were recognized as the best in the state, all of them on the pandemic. The headlines of those winning editorials:

• “Mustangs: We Must do More to Fight this Deadly Pandemic,” Nov. 19, 2020.
• “The ‘Kim Reaper?’ Iowa Not Getting Leadership State Needs in Pandemic,” Feb. 18, 2021.
• “We may be tired of pandemic, but it’s not tired of us,” Sept. 16, 2021.

Besides Jada, other MMU students honored included Annie Barkalow, managing editor; Gwen Johnson, opinion editor; and Veronica Jons, last year’s editor-in-chief.

Annie Barakalow and Jada Veasey, managing editor and editor-in-chief of the MMU Times.

Gwen Johnson, opinion editor.

Veronica Jons, who graduated last year, former editor-in-chief of Times.

Annie wrote a news story about problems with a city bike rental program and rented bikes being left on campus. “Needed or Nuisance? City VeoRide vehicles sometimes clutter campus” was the main front page story on Sept. 30, 2021, and was recognized as the best investigative news story in the state.

“Anne with an e,” Annie’s blog, was named the best student blog in the state. Gwen’s “The Girl in the Chair” was second.

The Times was recognized with a second-place for headline writing, too. And one of its front pages was the best in the state (click on image to see larger PDF version):

So, a total of six awards for the paper, including four first-place awards—that is good results. But the Pat Pisarik award for Jada? That was outstanding, and well deserved. I wrote a letter that was part of her application, here it is, and I meant every word. I’m proud of all the students who work so hard at providing MMU with a vibrant student media.