Communication Students Make HLGU History

Four Hannibal-LaGrange University communication students made HLGU history by winning the
24-Hour News Competition at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Convention in
February 2020. The convention hosts workshops, exhibitors, guest speakers, musical
performances, and for students, a collegiate competition for schools throughout the nation.

The competition was held in Nashville, Tennessee at the Gaylord Opry Convention Center. Led
by Assistant Communications Professor Christy Jung were students Emma Anderson, Kamey
Tyler, Alex Bradley, and Kelsey McCaughey. The HLGU students competed against several
collegiate teams around the nation during the 24-hour competition.

The team had 24 hours to write, shoot, and edit a story with no help, while navigating the
overwhelmingly large convention center. Their experience included retrieving press passes,
gathering interviews, capturing strong visuals, and finding the perfect spot for stand-ups and
anchoring segments.

Mrs. Jung ensured her students were well practiced leading up to their trip to Nashville. Their
success in Nashville was largely due to the work the team had put in long before the competition
even started.

“I think our HLGU students were well prepared for the NRB 24-hour competition,” said Christy
Jung. “During the semester we prepare for the competition by producing quality content about
news that is happening both on and off campus.”

Kelsey McCaughey, senior public relations major said, “Our professor prepared us with multiple
stories and even a dry run of the actual competition.”

Emma Anderson, junior public relations major added, “Mrs. Jung’s instruction throughout the
semester helps us get to the point where we can thrive in competition. Something we repeated
to ourselves throughout the competition was,‘What would Mrs. Jung do?’”

This mindset goes to show how HLGU effectively equips and prepares students for experience
in the real world.

“They looked like professionals and conducted themselves like professionals during the
competition,” Jung said. “They are a really special group of young ladies that work hard and
motivate each other. I'm not surprised that they won because their story reflected the kind of
quality work that they consistently produce. The high pressure of the competition can be
stressful but they worked as a team to produce their story. I am very blessed to be teaching the
very best.”

Mrs. Jung’s parting gift to the team before the competition started were three simple goals to
guide them through their NRB experience: give glory to God, come home with a story they’re
proud of, and have fun.

The mission of the National Religious Broadcasters Association is to protect and fight for the
free speech rights of Christian communicators so they can speak Biblical truth. Additionally, the
NRB is devoted to equipping the next generation of broadcasters who are set apart by their faith
and mission mindset as they prepare to enter the workforce.
For the team of four, their faith played a significant role in their NRB experience from beginning
to end.

“It seemed as though everything fell into place to make it possible for us to have the NRB
experience we had,” said Anderson. “From funding, travel safety, and the little things along the
way, there is no doubt that the Lord was orchestrating it all.”

“It was leaning on Him for peace and guidance through the trip knowing that no matter what
happened, he was still sovereign and in control,” McCaughey said. “Even when we were
disappointed because we thought our plans had been ruined,” Alex Bradley, junior Public
Relations major added. “God was there orchestrating an even better plan.”

Upon their arrival in Nashville the team had already received five awards in several different
categories for individual submissions produced in the fall semester. The NRB awarded HLGU
students first place in TV Newscast, first and third place in TV News Story, and 2nd and 3rd in
the promo category.

Kamey Tyler, junior public relations] major, described the trip as rewarding both personally and
professionally. “The trip was a lot of fun. It did not feel like a school trip because I was doing
what I am passionate about with the people I love,” she said. “It was nice to have someone
validate our work and to be recognized for achieving something great.”

These students weren’t the only ones who were proud of their final product. HLGU President,
Dr. Anthony Allen, and his wife Stacy Allen, joined the team at the convention center as their
biggest fans, cheering them on in person.

“We are so proud of our students who participated in the NRB student competition,” said Dr.
Allen. “Our students represented the university well, and they reflect the excellence in teaching
and instruction that our faculty are known for in our Communication Studies Department.”

In addition to taking home hardware, the team left Nashville with special lessons, moments, and
memories.

Anderson recalled, “Walking up on stage to accept those awards was made so much sweeter
with the team members I had right next to me. As a team, we share the love of telling other
people’s stories and we pride ourselves on telling those stories well. The NRB experience for us
will be a part of all of our stories, and it’s safe to say we will hold onto the experience long after
our time at HLGU is over.”

McCaughey said, “My favorite part about the whole trip was just being able to grow and
connect with these ladies and being able to do what we love. These ladies are such a light to
work with and bring out the best side in me whether that be spiritually, as a professionally, and
even personally.”

“What was most special to me were the little moments my team and I shared together,” said
Bradley. “These moments included staying up until 5:00 am to complete our story, having
insanely sore feet after standing in heels for almost 24 hours, becoming proficient at Ubering in
Nashville, and yes, even doing an interview in a bathroom. We may have won the competition,
but those moments are the moments I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Undoubtedly, the team accomplished each of the three goals they had been challenged with.
Coming home as award-winners, according to Mrs. Jung, “was just icing on the cake.”

The group looks forward to participating in the NRB competition again next year in Grapevine,
Texas with the hopes of adding a few more members to their team.