After a night of mingling amongst fellow student journalists and professionals alike in Arlington, KCBY-TV and KCBY-Español brought home four Lone Star EMMY awards in total on Saturday. 

The awards were for Best Newscast, English; Best Newscast, Spanish; Best General Assignment, Light News; and Best General Assignment, Serious News, all of which are now eligible for a national nomination, which will be announced next year

The segments, all work from the previous school year, were submitted by KCBY adviser Irma Kennedy in June. Three months later in September, the nominations were officially announced – KCBY receiving six of them. 

“It’s just crazy because this is something I put my blood, sweat and tears in,” KCBY senior program director Mildred Padilla said. “With such a small group of people, I managed to create something that the whole world can see in a whole other language, which is not easy. It’s really hard, but you got to get the job done.” 

Padilla was a program director for KBCY-Español in junior year and now serves as a program director for its English counterpart. She attended the awards ceremony along with others who were nominated or wanted to support the nominees. 

“It just means we’ve been working so hard, so I hope that other people from future generations that join KCBY see how much work it takes and how much passion it takes to create something like this,” Padilla said. “I hope that people get inspired to create something and to keep working hard.”

While the four awards join a long line of pillars in Kennedy’s room, according to her, attending the ceremony itself is one of the best parts. 

“It’s the only award show we participate in where student journalists are in the same room with the professional journalists,” Kennedy said. “They get to hear and see the work of students. The students get to hear and see the work of professionals, which we see on TV anyway. It’s exciting to be in the same room as them and to think, ‘Wow, we’re almost peers.’”

However, that experience may change in the future. 

“We were told they were considering doing the awards for students via FaceBook, the way they do for Nationals,” Kennedy said. “I hope that doesn’t happen because it makes a difference when you get to go and be there with those professionals on that evening. Also, they have a workshop for us to go in and attend sessions led by professionals, so that’s invaluable… it’s just a special night.”  

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