Broadcasting students brought home five awards after attending the annual Oklahoma Broadcast Educators Association Student Day in Tulsa on March 21.

Grace Babb won first place for her entertainment short.

Victoria Harrell and Carlton Thompson placed second for a radio public service announcement.

Lisa Lasater placed second for her television informational video.

Emily Miller and Clayton Mitchell placed second for an entertainment short.

Jorge Krzyzaniak placed third for his entertainment short.

Professor Gwin Faulconer-Lippert said the contest is designed to boost broadcasting students in their professional development.

“We hold a competition every year so that our students can see how they compete with one another, as far as quality of work,” Faulconer-Lippert said. “Our OCCC students are always very competitive, and we’re always very proud of the work they do.”

Faulconer-Lippert has been teaching at OCCC for 28 years. She said she has been a member of OBEA since she began teaching.

She described the singularity of Student Day, telling of its purpose.

“The OBEA is unique in that it is a statewide organization created solely for the benefit of Oklahoma students,” she said. “It doesn’t matter the size of your program, or the number of majors, whether you’re a college or university. Everyone that is a member is dedicated to the education of broadcasting students.”

She described the day as a motivational event.

“It’s a great resume builder, and it’s also a great prompt. Inevitably every student that attends will think, ‘I could do that, if I had just spent the time and energy and creativity, I could have won.’”

The students who attended concluded that having the right connections can help you get where you need go.

They took advantage of the opportunity to make those connections at the event.

Every year, broadcasting students from colleges and universities across Oklahoma participate in a job fair, giving students the opportunity to meet future employers.

Broadcasting major Hunter Foster described the day as incredibly useful for networking.

“In our field of broadcasting, it’s really all about who you know,” Foster said. “When you meet people in the business, you make connections and get your name out there.”

The job fair provided opportunities to meet radio hosts, executive producers, and representatives from local news stations.

Supplemental instructor and audio lab assistant Sean Giles has learned the ropes of the conference. This was his third year in attendance.

“If you don’t talk to anyone, you can’t expect to get anything out of the job fair,” Giles said.

He spent his time speaking with producers and radio representatives throughout the day.

“You can make some great connections, because they are there looking for the best students in broadcasting to hire,” Giles said. “In the local media, everybody seems to know everybody. If you network, you can make the right connections you need.”

Emily Miller, public relations major and OBEA competition winner, concurred.

“I firmly believe that networking is 80 percent of getting where you need to go,” she said. “If you know someone, you could be half as good as someone else, but that connection will take you farther.”

Miller described how OCCC has helped make networking easier, providing creative opportunities to students and the tools needed to compete with other schools.

“We’re very lucky to have the best professors for what we do. The heads of our departments really care and know how to file for grants for the equipment we need.