Alumna Christina Nelson recognized by the Associate Collegiate Press for a photo submitted to The Beacon
(-- The Beacon)
By Corey Fawcett Staff Writer fawcett13@up.edu
University of Portland alumna Christina Nelson, '11, who has never worked for The Beacon, won an honorable mention in a prestigious national photojournalism contest for a photo she submitted to the paper last March.
"I was super surprised," Nelson, who has had no photography training, said. "Not in an ‘I've always been waiting for this way' but more like a ‘Wow, that photo won an award?' sort of way."
Nelson, who graduated last spring with a degree in philosophy, was driving back home from the airport on March 20 when she saw that a car had crashed into a tree near UP's main entrance on Willamette Boulevard. The collision resulted in the death of Phil Johnson, husband of Bon Appétit employee Gwen Johnson, after he had a stroke at the wheel.
"I thought that it happened because people were driving drunk," Nelson said. "I thought, ‘Maybe there's a story here.'"
She knew a few Beacon staff members and had submitted a couple opinion articles previously, according to Nelson. This familiarity with the paper inspired her to send the photo to The Beacon.
"I'm not even a good photographer," she said. "I don't take pictures ever. My parents didn't know what to say."
The award was given by the Associated Collegiate Press for the "Spot News Photography" section of its photo excellence competition, which is co-sponsored by the National Press Photographers Association. Other award winners came from schools all over the country, including George Washington University, UCLA, University of Alabama and Boston College.
According to Nelson, all students, regardless of experience, should contribute to the paper.
"Look out for anything that seems out of the ordinary," she said. "Be brave, don't be shy."
The Beacon welcomes students to send any news-worthy submissions to beacon@up.edu.
"It can be anything. A joke, a story idea, an opinion piece, a video," Editor-in-Chief Rosemary Peters, a senior, said. "We can't have our eyes on campus everywhere. (Other student submissions) make our paper more diversified in its coverage."
Nelson, who moved to London Wednesday for law school, plans on practicing international law once she graduates. As for the award?
"I'll probably frame it and put it somewhere important," Nelson said.
