Six UO MPC Majors Named as Finalists for MAB Awards

By Braeden Jones, Kyleigh Ramos, and Dale Thompson

OLIVET, Mich. – For the fourth consecutive year, students from The University of Olivet will be taking home awards in audio and video production. On Wednesday, Jan. 21, six Media Production and Communication (MPC) majors from UO were recognized statewide for their work on the media scene by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB).

In the MAB Student Broadcast Awards, a documentary called GARY: Sculpting a Legacy at Olivet made by senior Shaelyn Lampinen, senior Jack Webb, junior Josh Moore, junior Brayden Craig and senior Gage McCrimmon was recognized, as well as an audio news feature by sophomore Alisha Gahn about The Kirk Center. This is Webb's third time being nominated for an MAB award, Craig's second time, and the first time for the other four students.

“I’d say it’s an honor to be nominated again for something like this. With how many big schools we go against, it isn’t likely and takes everyone, especially in a documentary,” Craig said.

“We all worked hard on it and stressed and are proud of the work we did and it goes to show that hard work pays off.”

Being named for an MAB Student Broadcast Award is not a small feat, especially when competing against multiple other universities and colleges in Michigan. The documentary was named as a finalist alongside entries from Michigan State University and Ferris State University, while Gahn was named as a finalist alongside entries from Hillsdale College and Michigan State University.

“Despite the chaos and the stress, we all came together and created something beautiful, and I'm so happy that we are all being rewarded for our hard work,” Webb said.

Gahn's nomination for her audio news feature was the only single-person project from the UO that was named as a finalist this year.

“I wasn’t expecting to be nominated, but I’m happy that the project I spent many hours working on is getting recognition. It’s definitely given me a boost of confidence that I needed,” said Gahn.

It doesn’t end there with the relief of the hard work.

“When I first found out I was nominated for the award, I was so excited. I’m very proud of myself and my group,” Lampinen said. “It’s great to see that our hard work paid off.”

It’s not just the MPC students being recognized, but also the legacy of one impactful professor, Gary Wertheimer, and one of the main student meeting places on campus, The Kirk Center.

“There is some extra payoff from the hard work we put into that project,” McCrimmon said. “And given that it is Professor Gary Weirtheimer's last semester before retirement, it does both him and our work justice.”

The Student Awards Luncheon will be held on March 26 at the Crowne Plaza in Lansing. Awards will be handed out to first and second place in each category, as well as Honorable Mentions for third.