The Los Angeles Loyolan announced its Endowed Merit Scholarship winners for Fall 2018. The four winners were: Jacob Cornblatt (’21, Life + Arts editor and now incoming editor-in-chief), Allie Crawford (’19, assistant design director), Jermaine Johnson (’19, video producer) and Xochitl Pasten (’19, managing editor).
Each semester, the Loyolan awards its merit scholars. The scholarship supports undergraduate students who meet GPA requirements and work on the Los Angeles Loyolan staff in a leadership role. The scholarship is made possible by contributions from alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends.
The Loyolan Merit Scholarship has made 34 awards since 2008 to students who demonstrate leadership and vision in their positions at the Los Angeles Loyolan.
For Allison Crawford ’19, a communications studies major from Antioch, CA, working at the Loyolan has helped her find an avenue to help influence conversations on campus. “Working in student media allows you a platform to influence what students see and talk about,” said Crawford. “It is important to remember:
the responsibility you have to your peers to accurately and effectively address the needs and interests of all our on-campus communities.”
Xochitl Pasten ’19, an English and Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies double major from Los Angeles, the work and experience is helping to build communication and leadership skills. “In working at the Loyolan, I have learned how important efficient communication is for building a strong team that works well together,” said Pasten. “At the Loyolan, it is crucial that we have strong communication skills to ensure that we work together diligently to meet our deadlines and produce strong content.”
For students looking to get involved with Student Media, Jacob Cornblatt ’21, a film, television and media studies major from Gaithersburg, MD advises students to work on getting started by practicing their writing skills. “Come to an information session, write fake articles as practice and (most importantly) surround yourself with media. Journalism is about reporting, and you can’t get good at reporting without doing it.
Jermaine Johnson II ’19, a marketing major from Detroit, MI has learned the value of what it means to work in a newsroom encourages students who are interested in getting involved is to go for it. “The first main reason is that you will learn if this journalism life is for you or not,” said Johnson. “At the Loyolan, I learned the value of working in a newsroom. Being able to share ideas and sources with my coworkers is an integral part of being a journalist.”
The award-winning Los Angeles Loyolan is produced by students for students to provide a free flow of news and information to the LMU community. Students are responsible for creating, printing and distributing the newspaper as well as operating LALoyolan.com. The newspaper is available on campus in print on Wednesdays and online 24/7.