Alumna Earns PAB Award for Journalistic Excellence

After graduating from LCCC in 2021 with her A.A. in Communication, Makenzie Christman transferred to Penn State Lehigh Valley to earn her B.A. in Journalism. Currently working as a digital content producer for LehighValleyNews.com, she’s making her mark in the world of investigative journalism. She earned an award last month from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters for her work as a part of the WPSU Penn State radio station. Most recently, a piece she worked on at Penn State placed sixth among 72 other entries from 43 schools for the 2023-2024 Hearst Investigative Reporting Journalism Awards Program.

While Christman got her initial start in reporting in high school, her experience as writer and editor for The Paw Print, LCCC’s student newspaper, solidified her aspirations of writing as a career. At Penn State, she heavily participated in writing for The News Lab as a health reporter. After graduation, she worked as a general assignment reporter, commuting far distances around Schuylkill County to cover a wide variety of stories. “I was passionate about my work…my passion for what I do is what stood out to our managing content producer,” she says.

Working with LehighValleyNews.com allows for shorter commutes, but Christman has the same amount of love for her work. “I’m essentially the last set of eyes a story goes through,” she says. “I input modules to stories, optimize SEO, actually publish or schedule the stories, write our newsletter on Sundays, schedule or post stories to social media and write my own stories.”

Christman credits LCCC’s affordability as a central factor for her success. Because she didn’t have to worry so much about affording her first two years of school, she “could actually focus on getting experience at LCCC and outside of it by freelancing.” She urges prospective students to value the worth of starting at LCCC. “Community college is an excellent place to feel unsure of what you want to do with your career—you can explore plenty of classes to find your interests for a reduced price.”

For more information on our communication program, visit the webpage.