SAIT faculty in the journalism program recognized the outstanding work of two graduating students.
The faculty organized the event on April 28 for the 2022 graduating class at the Aldred Centre in a modest room on the fourth floor.
Both print and photojournalism students came together to celebrate their hard work and friendship over food and drinks.
Emily Meyer received the award for top performing print and online student, while Jeremy Fox received the award for top performing photojournalism student.
“I’m pretty excited! It’s a whole encompassing feeling of happiness!” said Meyer.
“After two years of hard work and being online, I’m very honoured. I’ve had to work four jobs throughout the pandemic. It’s been a lot!”
Meyer’s career goal is to work for a travel magazine, but not before travelling to South America this summer.
Fox said his next step is to enter the world of advertising.
“Photography has been my hobby for at least twelve years,” said Fox.
“It’s been a fun challenge. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did. I like aesthetically pleasing stuff. I like to make as cool of an image as I can with my skillset. My ultimate goal is to make something that I think looks cool.”
Awards honour SAIT instructors
The award ceremony that took place saw Meyer and Fox receive plaques and various prizes for their achievements from instructor Rob Galbraith.
Photojournalism instructor Kevin Udahl gave a speech and announced the award winners.
The award for best photojournalism student was named in honour of Mike Ridewood, a photojournalist and SAIT instructor who passed away February 17, 2019. Ridewood’s wife, Sue Ridewood, was present at the event and congratulated Fox when he won the award.
The Mike Ridewood award was decided not only on performance, but also on attributes that Ridewood embodied, according to Udahl. They include kindness, cooperation, and a willingness to help others.
“Perhaps one of the best pieces of advice that Mike would have left to all of you, if he were here, would be to say that life is a marathon, not a sprint,” said Udahl, addressing the students and staff in his speech.
The award for best print and online student was named in honour of Jim Cunningham, a news reporter and revered teacher who worked at SAIT for over twenty years. Cunningham passed away January 27, 2021.
The Jim Cunningham award was given to the student that SAIT staff believe excels in writing, communications, and news judgement. Elsie Ross, Cunningham’s wife, was there to congratulate Meyer when she accepted the award.
Additional prizes were given to the winners, including camera lenses and a license for Photo Mechanic, Shutter Snitch, and Final Cut Pro.
Jeremy Fox is a journalism student at SAIT, and this was his first experience shooting photos of people while in the photo major program. You can find more of his work on his website, jeremyjfox.com, where you can reach out and collaborate with him.
Emily Meyer is a graduating journalism student majoring in the online-print stream. Meyer was accepted into the Travel and Tourism program at SAIT before switching to journalism amid the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find her work at emilymeyerportfolio.ca.
Photos provided by Trojans photographer and SAIT photojournalism student Jungmin Ham. You can find her photography on her website at jungminham.myportfolio.com/
