The Chronicle brings home 13 state awards
Published June 10, 2026
The Chronicle, College of Lake County’s student-run online newspaper, received 13 awards at the Illinois Community College Journalism Association’s 2025 Awards for Excellence in Illinois Community College Newspapers.
The annual contest put The Chronicle in competition with Division I student publications produced at the state’s biggest community colleges. Professional journalists judged the entries, which were published in 2025.
The staff took first place for Mike Foster General Excellence and second place for Best Student Media. The Mike Foster General Excellence award is a staff recognition for “overall quality of the publication’s media operation.”
Emmer Saucedo took home four first place awards including: Reporter of the Year, Editorial Writer of the Year, Headline and News Column. He also won second place in News Story and News Story of the Year.
Imani Mugo also won first place in Editorial Writer of the Year as well as second place in News Column.
Joy Gephart finished second place with Saucedo in News Story of the Year and third place in Podcast.
Other placements include: Toni Woods, first place in Headline; Angel Overlin, second place in Editorial Cartton; and Soni Lopez-Chavez, third place in Graphics.
Award-winning student journalism
During the last 18 years, The Chronicle has won 213 awards, including 48 first-place honors, in the Illinois Community College Journalism Association statewide contest. In 2025, The Chronicle earned second place in the state for Best Student Media and first place for Mike Foster General Excellence from the Illinois Community College Journalism Association.
CLC students: Get involved
CLC's student-run newspaper is always looking for reporters, editors, photographers, videographers, social media specialists and more.
For information, please contact the advisor:
Laura Otto
Department Chair, Technical Communication and English Instructor
(847) 543-2961
lotto@clcillinois.edu