Three recent Lindenwood University graduates won a national journalism award for an article published in Lindenlink last year. 

Merlina San Nicolas Leyva, Kayla Drake, and Matt Hampton all contributed to a story that won a Mark of Excellence award in the COVID-19 newspaper, magazine, and online coverage category for the small school division.

Mark of Excellence awards honor high-quality journalism in the nation’s colleges and universities, and are sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists. 

The piece was published on April 8, 2020, detailing the struggles international students at Lindenwood faced amid the pandemic, and their attempt to leave campus and return home. 

Several students’ stories were illustrated, ranging from one being stuck in New York, to another across the pond in Amsterdam. Many images were utilized in the article, as well as a map created by Hampton to show the distances each student had to travel.

The article first won a regional award in Region 7, which is made up of schools in the states of Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, giving it the opportunity to be considered for the national honor. 

Lindenlink adviser Neil Ralston said that this accolade was well-deserved for the three students who worked on the piece.

“Even though COVID shut down our campus last year, the Lindenlink staff didn’t stop producing important news stories,” Ralston said. “And this award just shows how hard Mina, Kayla and Matt worked to tell these stories of people who struggled to get home in the middle of a pandemic.”

The award will be presented at the Society of Professional Journalists convention in New Orleans on Sept. 2-4. SPJ is the country’s largest broad-based journalism organization.