As Grayson County High School’s first female principal, Lacy Cox works to build a welcoming community like she knew when she was a student there. But she finds herself pulled in two directions.
Story by Anna Leachman, a Senior WKU Photojournalism major
Land in Grayson County has been farmed by the Cain family for a century. The family’s passion for tending the land continues through its current owner, Sammy Cain.
Story by Allie Schallert, a Senior WKU Photojournalism Major
Arthur Trickett-Wile a sophomore in WKU Photojournalism program spent summer of 2022 as an intern for the Charlotte Observer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Previously he had spent the summer of 2021 as a freelance photojournalist working for the San Antonio Express News. Here are some of his photographs from this past year.
Gabi Broekema a senior in the WKU Photojournalism program returned to her family’s roots while documenting for six-months on an internship with MLive: Kalamazoo Gazette Branch in Southwest Michigan this past year. Before returning for her final capstone class in the photojournalism program, she is spending a semester abroad with the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus, Denmark, continuing her studies in photography. Here are a few of her photographs from this past year.
Cooper Briggs is a 12-year-old boy who was born deaf and has recently been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. As he goes through his first year of middle school, he faces not only his inherent challenges but also new challenges like girls, bullying and finding himself.
This project was a picture story by Kennedy Gott completed in the Advanced Photojournalism class.
Cooper Briggs is a 12-year-old middle school boy who loves cars and expresses that through gaming, drawing, painting, animating and talking about his knowledge of cars. Cars are Cooper’s connection to his friends at school, his dad who is also a car enthusiast, and the world around him.
Cooper uses his free time in class to draw cars on paper and animate them on his teacher’s iPad. He has always gotten good grades and gets his work done quickly, so he has enough time to do his art. Cooper has new drawing to show his family and classmates nearly every day. While he enjoys going to school and learning, one thing that bothers him about middle school is that everyone talks 24/7. ““He doesn’t like the chaos at school. It just really bothers him when things are not in order. Things need to be a certain way,” Jennifer said.
Cooper eats lunch with some of his friends from middle school. While he believes that people pick on him and others that their school sometimes, he also believes that his friends are there for protection from all the fights and chaos that happens in middle school.
Cooper sits behind the gym bleachers in his last class of the day at school after doing sit-ups because he wanted to “lift something heavy.” He goes to try to play basketball and catch a football with the other kids during this class as well. “People think I am stupid, but I am actually highly intelligent,” Cooper said.
Senior Photojournalism student, Sam Mallon document the legendary swim coach Bill Powell during our in person Mountain Workshops this past fall. Most know of Powell’s victories but now we learn about his struggles as he ages and battles against a disease that has impacted family members before him.
Western Kentucky University photojournalism major, Gunnar Word, woke up early the morning after the devastating tornado outbreak that had ripped through the western portion of the state leveling communities and killing 77 people December 10 and 11, 2021. Word, a junior, began documenting the destruction near the university campus. What started as a one day exploration of his community turned into a week long assignment documenting the aftermath of the storms for Agence France-Presse (AFP) who distributed the images via Getty Images. Throughout the week, Word’s images ended up being published on NBC, ABC, CBS, Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. Here are a few of the images from a week that will forever change our community of Bowling Green.
Neighbors walk down what remains of 13th Avenue in Bowling Green, Kentucky after a tornado touched down around 1:30am on December 11th, 2021. According to Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky the EF-3 tornado killed at least 70 people along its 200 mile path
Bowling Green, Kentucky resident Latonya Webb is overcome with emotion as she explains surviving the tornado that hit Bowling Green, Kentucky on December 11, 2021.
Two children sit stunned after being awoken in the middle of the night by the tornado that touched down in Bowling Green, Kentucky around 3am on the morning of December the 11, 2021. According to Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky the EF-3 tornado killed at least 70 people along its 200 mile path.
Muhammad Raad helps his friends mother sort through what is left of her belongings after extreme weather hit the area, in Bowling Green, Kentucky on December 13, 2021.
A resident of “The Cardinal Inn” in Bowling Green Kentucky surveys the damages done after a tornado touched down around 1:30am on December 11th, 2021. According to Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky the EF-3 tornado killed at least 70 people along its 200 mile path.
Kitty Williams Holds up a sign that survived the storm as her friends and family help gather her belongings of what is left of his house after extreme weather hit the area, in Bowling Green, Kentucky on December 13, 2021. – Kentucky officials voiced relief Monday that dozens of workers at a candle factory appear to have survived tornadoes that killed at least 88 people and left a trail of devastation across six US states.
Mountain Workshops returned to WKU campus this year as we offered the options of a Remote workshop or a Live experience for our WKU students. Seniors Brenna Pepke and Gabi Broekema were able to focus on story for the week with guidance from video coaches Leslye Davis and Carey Wagner.
Brenna Pepke’s Caught in the balance
Since her partner’s diagnosis, Andee Rudloff has worked to regain balance in her life. As relationships change, so does Andee’s perspective on how to respond to her life’s new structure.
Gabi Broekema’s Underdogs
Brian ‘Slim’ Nash and his daughter, Presley, have a bond stronger than Presley’s condition of alpha-mannosidosis. Presley’s strength against the incurable disorder amazes and inspires her father daily.
During Sam Mallon’s past four years at Western Kentucky University the photojournalism major has alway made a point to give a voice to subjects she is passionate about. This past summer her love for nature led her to intern at Acadia National Park where her Instagram feed began to fill with fungi, bees and crashing waves. Here are a collection of images from her past year at WKU where she continues to showcase people and their approach to life. For more of her work visit: https://samamallon.com
“Derik Overstreet, 24, trains as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter at least once a day and up to three times a day. Overstreet, a local activist in Bowling Green, uses boxing as a release for the frustration and anger that comes as a consequence in doing social justice work. Derik Overstreet, 24, uses his platform as a MMA fighter to promote his non-profit, Bowling Green for Peace, and to cope, “If [activism] was all I did, If I didn’t have some kind of physical outlet, I would have lost it,” Overstreet said.”
Zane Meyer-Thornton, a senior photojournalism major from Los Angeles, California has recently seen success following his summer internship at the Cincinnati Enquirer. His image of a protester won a 1st place finish in the College Photographer of the Year competition for General News. Previously Zane has worked as a Creative in Residence at Boyd’s Station during the summer in 2020 and has worked at WKU Student Publications since coming to Western. This past year he was named to the Native American Journalists Fellowship program, which produces content on Indigenous People and communities. Here are a few of his images from his work this past year. To see more of his work visit: https://www.zanemtphoto.com
