Published: May 13, 2016

Kaley Laquea writer and editor Kaley LaQuea has become the first ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ student ever to receive a National Mark of Excellence Award from the . The award, in the online opinion and commentary category, was given to LaQuea for three opinion pieces which she wrote for the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Independent, a student-run news site. LaQuea will be acknowledged as a national winner at the 2016 Excellence in Journalism Conference in New Orleans in september. Ìý

As a grad student in the Media and Public Engagement program, part of the Department of Media Studies Laquea studies the intersection of feminism and race, topics that she also covers as the opinion editor for the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥I. ÌýAll three of her winning commentaries focus on the challenges women face in America. ÌýÌýÌýÌý

LaQuea’s winning pieces can be found here: