Troy University SEJC competitors pose at the awards banquet.
A group of Troy University journalism students traveled to Starkville, Mississippi, to participate in the Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC) over the weekend.
Hosted in Troy last year, SEJC is an annual event that features the top journalism programs from across the Southeast. In 2025, 27 schools made the trek to Mississippi State University.
This year’s iteration featured panels from industry experts, on-site competitions, keynote speakers Ross Dellenger and Isabelle Taft, the “Best of the South” awards banquet and student social events.
Between the “Best of the South” and the on-site competitions, TROY won 18 awards.
“I can’t say that I was surprised to see our students win awards for Best of the South, but I’m extremely proud,” said Hanna Cooper, a lecturer in the Hall School of Journalism and Communication and the faculty advisor for the Tropolitan. “I get to see the hard work they put into their craft every day, and for them to receive the recognition they deserve is amazing.”
Troy University won four school awards at SEJC. In the “Best of the South” awards, TROY won first place for best video newscast, third place for best newspaper and fifth place for best audio program. Additionally, Troy University placed second overall in the on-site competition.
“I can’t think of a better place for aspiring journalists than the Hall School of Journalism
and Communication, and the recognition from Best of the South proves that further,” Cooper said. “Whether it is the Tropolitan, TrojanVision or Troy Public Radio, our students are passionate.”
During the conference, one student earned five awards. Emily Mosier, the editor-in-chief of the Tropolitan, won first place in two on-site competitions and placed in three “Best of the South” categories.
“All three Best of the South awards that I won included my Malone Hall investigations as entries,” said Mosier, who placed second in the journalist of the year category. “I was thrilled that the work I had put into trying to make campus a better place was being recognized by professional journalists as high quality and important.”
Despite only bringing seven students to the conference, TROY won second place in the on-site competition over schools that brought double the number of students. Aside from the two categories that Mosier won first place in, Simon Brown and Neela Cole won first place in the arts and entertainment multimedia category.
“The on-site competitions are challenging because you’re in a new environment and you have a quick turnaround,” Mosier said. “It’s a little stressful, but in a way that emulates what the journalism industry is all about.”
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