F Newsmagazine Recognized for their COVID-19 Coverage

Contributors to SAIC's F Newsmagazine were recognized by the Society for Professional Journalists for work done in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students Reilly Branson and Luis Lopez Levi were  awarded in the Visual Design and Audio categories of the weekly College Coronavirus Competition. According to Michael Koretzy, SJP’s Region 3 Coordinator and CCC Awards Director, the competition was created with the intention of “rewarding students who have kept their community informed and energized during a difficult time.”

Comic editor Reilly Branson, who won in the Visual Design category, is happy to have an outlet to unite those with a shared experience. Branson said, “my generation of artists will be marked by this event. People are going to continue making things in response to it for a long time.” Luis Lopez Levi's audio collage, When This Is Over (the page design and coding of which was done by fellow student Raven Mo), won in the Audio category of the CCC. Levi’s work celebrates “the small things in life that just a couple of months ago we had easy access to.”

Both artists recognize the need to balance creative work with self-care. “When quarantine started, part of me figured I would have lots of time to dive into making loads of work. I didn’t take into account the strain on my mental health,” said Branson. “The positive thing I’ve learned from quarantine is I can handle the ebb and flow of that balance.” And while they long to get back to normal, Levi recognizes that life has boiled down to more meaningful conversations, saying, “Now most times when I call someone I care for them, and I feel a similar sense of care towards me.”