Press correspondent Corey Hunt, a student at Los Medanos College, helped the Los Medanos College student-run newspaper pick up 19 awards at a recent Journalism Association of Community Colleges conference.

Hunt and Anthony Segovia won third place in the News Feature Story category for their story about a trip to Mexico to investigate the drug trade. Hunt’s work appeared in The Press as the on-going series “America’s habit, Mexico’s war” over the last several months. The series, which so far tracks the drug trade from its origins in Mexico to Phoenix and Los Angeles, will conclude with its impact on Brentwood and East Contra Costa. Click here to read the first four installments.

“We have been competing in the JACC competitions for the past 20 years, and the Experience has usually won a few awards, but 19 is exceptional for us,” said Faculty Advisor Cindy McGrath in a press release. “The past few years, the staff has been extremely creative and dedicated to quality journalism. I admire their commitment to the paper and look forward to great things to come.”

The Experience’s awards include the prestigious General Excellence award for overall quality. The newspaper was one of six to earn the General Excellence award at the JACC’s Northern Region conference recently held in San Jose.