By Amanda Pellegrin
Contributing Writer
The 2015 Sister Patricia Kane Award for Excellence in the Field of Journalism has been awarded to Lauren Sears, 21. The announcement was made on February 27. Sears will receive the award for her article, “Batter Up at Albany Institute of History and Art,” on March 21 at Convocation.
The Sister Patricia Kane Award has been presented annually since 2009 to honor a communications major or minor for an original piece of journalistic writing. This was Sears’ first time applying for the award, deciding only seconds before deadline to submit her work.
Sears wrote the article “Batter Up at Albany Institute of History and Art” for her newsroom class, which she is currently enrolled in. The story, which highlights the Triple Play exhibit that recently opened at the Albany Institute of History and Art, was published in both The Chronicle and on The Pine Hills blog in February of 2015.
“I won the award because of a story I really love, which combines journalism and baseball,” said Sears, who is an avid Yankees fan.
Her favorite part of writing the story was getting the opportunity to interview Brian Sweeney, former Major League pitcher for the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres, who came to see the exhibit.
“That’s the dream; if you can find a story that combines things you love, then you’ll better appreciate your story and you’ll put a lot of heart into it,” she said.
Growing up watching the news, Sears knew she wanted to be on TV from a young age.
“I really started liking English, history and current events in high school, so I decided I wanted to be a journalist. I’m glad I made the decision, it was probably the best decision ever,” said Sears.
Sears transferred to the College of Saint Rose in the fall of 2012 as a sophomore, having completed her freshmen year at St. Johns University.
“I came to Saint Rose because it’s a place that I could get involved right away,” she said.
Sears began writing for The Chronicle two weeks after her first day of classes, and became news editor of The Chronicle in May of 2014.
“Practice makes perfect. The more you write, read and watch the news and know what’s going on, the better off you’ll be,” Sears said.
As associate producer/editor at WYNT News Channel 13, Sears is receiving internship credits for her current part-time job. After graduation on May 9, she hopes to get a full-time job reporting on air, but her ultimate goal is to be a national news anchor.
“If you love what you do, the work will be worth it,” said Sears.
Award winners have their names mounted on a plaque that hangs in the Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media in room 121. The plaque honors past recipients, such as 2014 winner Lauren Halligan. Sears will have her name added to the plaque this month.
