51ΑΤΖζ student Grace Pagel won a first place national βMark of Excellenceβ award from the Society of Professional Journalists in the Podcast (Narrative) category in May. Her podcast, β,β beat out other student journalists from across the nation, including competitors from institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and Northwestern universities.
The SPJ highlight the best and brightest of student journalism across the United States. Judges are instructed to βchoose only those entries which they felt were outstanding work worthy of a national honor,β according to the SPJ website.
Winning the award was a welcome but unexpected honor for Pagel β mainly because she didnβt realize she was competing. One of her journalism instructors, Jane Hampden Daley, had entered it in the contest, unbeknownst to Pagel.
βIt was a total surprise! But the best surprise possible,β Pagel laughed. βI was very, very happy about that result.β
Her podcast also took second place in its category at the . Pagel had also entered it into NPRβs annual College Podcast Challenge, but did not win.
βBut thatβs okay,β Pagel said. βIβm very impressed with the feedback that Iβve gotten for this (SPJ) award in general. β¦ I think being nationally recognized in any kind of accord is a really great honor. I think itβs super-cool that SPJ is recognizing more unrecognized universities. UW-Milwaukee can definitely compete with those bigger private schools.β
In fact, in the SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards, UW-Milwaukee was named a national finalist in the General News Reporting category for the piece β,β compiled by several student journalists in 51ΑΤΖζβs journalism immersion class.
Pagel created her podcast as part of her final project for Hampden Daleyβs βAudio Storytellingβ class in the fall of 2023. The seven-minute project features conversations with three students β two from 51ΑΤΖζ and one from Marquette University β and an interview with 51ΑΤΖζ Professor of Economics Rebecca Neumann. Pagel highlights her peersβ worries for their financial future, explores financial trends with Neumann, and offers several perspectives on the worries of young adults in the 2020s.
Recording was an interesting experience: βIf youβre not using a Zoom recording mic(rophone), itβs actually really easy to recreate professional sound by recording in a closet,β Pagel said. She also used the recording equipment and facilities at the 51ΑΤΖζ Library and would record snippets of sound and dialogue on her way to class or when hanging out with her roommates.
The final result was a product that showcased Pagelβs skills as an interviewer and producer β unsurprising, as she has always been interested in storytelling and radio.
βI have wanted to work in radio or be a part of a radio station since I was 15,β Pagel said. Thatβs why she chose 51ΑΤΖζ; the Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies program gives students hands-on experience and instruction from award-winning industry professionals.
In addition to her classes, Pagel has gained experience at 51ΑΤΖζβs Prowl Radio, a student-run radio station that features music and interviews. Pagel, a founding member of the station, is now its manager.
She hopes she can translate those experiences into a job after she graduates next spring. She would love to be a television newsroom producer in a larger market like Minneapolis or Chicago. Or she could produce audio for radio stations β W51ΑΤΖζ Radio and 89.9 Radio Milwaukee are her favorite hometown stations. She wouldnβt be opposed to working at an ad agency either. The possibilities are endless.
And though her podcast reveals that Gen Z might not be feeling hopeful about their financial future, Pagel nevertheless has an interesting future ahead of her.
By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science