While on her way to a journalism conference in San Francisco, senior Camryn McPherson was informed she had won an award through a Jostens Photo Contest. She could not help but jump up and down, even as she stood in the middle of airport security.

“I just couldn’t believe I had not only gotten selected, but had gotten first place,” McPherson said.

The award, which was given to 50 out of 5,400 applicants, was titled “Sports: Athletes in Action.” She won $500 and her picture will be displayed in New York City in October, and will also be featured in a book that goes to yearbook classrooms across the country. McPherson also received an award entitled, “Excellent in Sports Feature Photography,” which was awarded through the National High School Journalism Conference. Over three hundred people submitted their work for the award. For the Excellent in Sports Feature Photography, McPherson submitted three photos that were different yet united with expressive emotions being portrayed. They depicted reactions from football, basketball, and volleyball players, showing gratitude, anger, and excitement.

“With all of them I had to capture the story,” McPherson said. “They wanted the reaction over the action.”

McPherson was made aware of these opportunities through the Xavier Xpress Newspaper, for which she is the Photo Editor.

“What I love about Camryn is that I can ask her to do something once and know it’s taken care of without any reminder,” Xavier newspaper and yearbook advisor Mrs. Kellie Wagner said. “Whether it is the cover of the newspaper or attending a sporting event, Camryn is reliable.”

In addition to the awards through the newspaper, McPherson received a “Youth Art Month Award” for one of her photographs. She was one of seven AP art students whose work was chosen to be displayed at the State Historical Building in Des Moines during the month of March.

“Camryn has a real passion for photography and is always pushing herself to learn more,” Xavier art teacher Mrs. Jessica Budde said. “Camryn has spent the last few months working on her AP art concentration. She has been taking photos that depict injustices. Her photos are simple, yet powerful.”

McPherson plans to continue to use photography while studying at Iowa State University and beyond. She would like to be involved with Iowa State University’s newspaper and continue on to design billboards and posters or take pictures of professional athletics.

Kathleen Kenney

A&E Writer