By Isabella Lochhead
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – A Camden County College graduate won second place for web projects for two-year colleges in the 2024-25 New Jersey College Newspaper Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Press Foundation.
Kathryn Custer won for her project headlined “Rachael McKeen: How the pandemic shifted her education, career, and passions.” She produced the project for a journalism class assignment at Camden County College and for publication on CCC Times, the online source for news produced by students for students at Camden County College.
On winning, Custer expressed her gratitude: “It’s nice to know that two-year colleges are recognized for their work, and I appreciate the opportunity to have something I wrote be considered good enough to even be considered, let alone win.”
The project combined text, photos and graphics to tell the story, which profiles McKeen, a Camden County College veterinary nursing student who found her love for animals turn into something more when she began working with animals during the pandemic.
Custer said she was inspired interviewing McKeen. “I was familiar with the subject, Rachael McKeen, before interviewing her but I didn’t know her personally. Sitting down with her and learning her story was a really enjoyable experience. I found that I really like personal interviews as they help you see people in a different light and it’s your duty to share their most authentic self in the article.”
Custer is now a public relations and strategic communication major at Wilmington University.
The New Jersey Press Foundation announced the award this month.
Custer’s project is at https://ccctimes.news/2024/04/03/rachael-mckeen-how-the-pandemic-shifted-her-education-career-and-passions/.