February 18, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Three University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) students won awards and two students received honorable mentions at the 23rd annual Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC), Feb. 12-14, at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.

UAB placed 9th overall out of 23 schools. The on-site competition included 15 categories. Six UAB students attended the conference.

UAB student Alex Ryan Headley was awarded first place in the media ethics category. Headley, of Pinson, has been a student leader with the UAB student newspaper, The Kaleidoscope, since summer 2008. He also is the current Kaleidoscope sports editor. Headley is slated to graduate in 2011.

UAB student Mark Trammell of Birmingham was awarded second place for entertainment writing. Trammell is an education major, features editor for the Kaleidoscope and a disc jockey for BlazeRadio.org.

UAB student Kristina Wastrack of Muscle Shoals was awarded third place in news writing. Wastrack is slated to graduate in May. She is in the UAB marching band and symphony band and is a Kaleidoscope forum editor.

Also at the conference, two UAB students were awarded honorable mentions in the annual SEJC "Best of the South" competition for material published in 2008: graduate and former Kaleidoscope editor Jason Lewis of Millbrook in the newspaper design category; and graduate and former Kaleidoscope staff writer Kristi Houk of Gadsden in the best arts and entertainment writer category.

For more information on the Southeast Journalism Conference, visit http://campus.belmont.edu/sejc2009/index.html.