Each Thursday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Coach Bill Powell has been swimming for 67 years. He learned when he was 8 while living on an island off the coast of Michigan. Ever since then, swimming has been a lifelong endeavor. He spent most of his career as head coach of Western Kentucky University swimming and diving, where he eventually had WKU’s current natatorium named after him. He has touched the lives of many by sharing the love he has for his passion of swimming.  KREABLE YOUNG

After an intense break-up, a man copes with the fallout of his longtime relationship.  LUKE FRANKE

**Please note: this is a work of fiction, and contains graphic imagery**

Tyler “London” Chandler, 19, of Louisville, Ky., received his first wig from his cousin. “She knew the struggle I was going through with transitioning and if it was right or not… she understood,” said Chandler. “So she gave me a wig of hers, because she’s all for my transition, and she believes that’s what I really am, as do I.” Tyler told his grandmother when he was five-years old that he wanted to be a girl but she, along with his mother, brushed the comment to the side. Now a freshman at Western Kentucky University, Chandler feels free to express himself without any reprimand. He says it is like starting over. Chandler feels his mother knows about his transition. “You know how parents know but they don’t want to know?” he said. Chandler is studying performing art/ musical theatre with hopes of one day performing with Janet Jackson or Beyoncè.  ALYSSA POINTER

Children play catch as WKU beats Southern Illinois 6-4 on Feb. 16, 2014, at Nick Denes Field in Bowling Green, Ky.  JABIN BOTSFORD

Warren Central High School art teacher Sandra Carter hides under a table with a student during an earthquake drill on Monday, Feb. 10, in Bowling Green, Ky. Carter has been teaching at Warren Central for over 20 years and is very close to her students.  CASSIDY JOHNSON

A view of the sinkhole that opened up in the Skydome Showroom on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014, at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky. Eight display cars were swallowed by the hole. MICHAEL NOBLE JR.

Jake Thompson congratulates Thomas Peter for batting in a run against Southern Illinois. Western Kentucky went on to beat Southern Illinois 6-1 on Feb. 16, 2014, in Bowling Green, Ky.  MICHAEL NOBLE JR.

Jess Travis, 20, of Bowling Green, Ky. ADAM WOLFFBRANDT

Professor Chris Derry has been teaching Marketing and Sales at WKU for 5 years now. He brings 30-years of sales experience and an outspoken joy and enthusiasm to the classroom that the students thrive off of. “I enjoy helping students find their perspective,” said Derry. “A lot of them don’t understand the potential they have.” Professor Derry contributes his confident demeanor and positive attitude to his father Bill. “If we walked down the stairs without a smile on our face we went straight back to our room,” Derry said. “You couldn’t ever get him down.” Bill Derry passed away in 2010 due to various physical ailments, diabetes, and ultimately asphyxiation. Chris wears two watches, one his own and one his father’s, to constantly keep him in his thoughts and remind him of the impact his father made on him growing up. “My dad pulled 16-hour days for five years when he first opened his drug store,” Chris said. “If I could be just half the man he was I’ll be happy.” LUKE FRANKE

WKU junior forward George Fant lays the ball up to the rim during the WKU 81-76 win over Troy at Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014.  JEFF BROWN

Karbura Vincent, 51, rarely gets to see the sun as he goes about his days working long hours on the night shift at a local factory in Bowling Green, Ky. A refugee from Burundi, Africa, Vincent is the sole income source for his family of nine. BRITTANY GREESON

Each Thursday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Mustang Makeover Millionaire champion Bobby Kerr, of Hico, Texas, sits atop his mustang turned rodeo horse, Maypop at the WKU Agriculture Expo Center on February 8, 2014. Kerr has trained horses all his life but wasn’t able to do so as a career until 2011 when he stopped driving semi trucks to enter the Mustang Millionaire contest where horse trainers are given 120 days to train a wild mustang to do rodeo tricks. In 2011 he won the Fan Favorite award with his horse Poncho, and in 2012 he won the Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover and now travels the country with his horses doing shows for different rodeo companies. “It’s like winning the lottery,” Kerr said.  JUSTIN GILLILAND

Oralee Madison, 6, of Crawford, Ky., blows a bubble with her gum backstage before her entrance for the National Anthem during the Lone Star Championship Rodeo at the L.D. Brown Agricultural Exposition Center on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2013, in Bowling Green.  ADAM WOLFFBRANDT

Kyle Paige, of Celina, Tenn., is thrown back while competing in the bareback bronc riding competition during the Lone Star Championship Rodeo at L.D. Brown Agricultural Exposition Center in Bowling Green, Ky., on Saturday, Feb. 08, 2014.  JABIN BOTSFORD

Chris Dumas of Grand Blanc jumps for the first time at the Fenton Polar Plunge, an event that raises money for Special Olympics athletes, on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014 at the Fenton Moose Lodge in Fenton Township. “It’s cold, like real cold but I’ll definitely be back next year!” Dumas said after his plunge.  KATIE MCLEAN

Tony Flice, 41, of Flint, a maintenance worker, snow blows the outside of the Wade Trim Building in downtown Flint on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014.  KATIE MCLEAN

Chris Britton is new to the Bowling Green, Ky., fire department. The rookie has only been on the crew for five months, but he already feels his place in station one. “It took two years to get the job, after applying and going through fire school. I love being a part of the department. I feel a part of the family, like it’s my second home,” Britton said.  NICK WAGNER

Harrodsburg freshman, Lane French (left) talks to Louisville freshman, Kelby Auten as they wait for the results of the Dance Project tryouts at WKU’s Gordon Wilson Hall on Friday, Feb. 7, 2013, in Bowling Green.  ADAM WOLFFBRANDT

Just because it was winter break didn’t mean we took a break from making photos.  This post highlights some of the best of what our students took over the last month and a half, and goes to show that we’re already off to a great start for the new semester!

Each Thursday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Dawson Botsford, 19, water-skis on Lake Whippoorwill on December 25, 2013.  JABIN BOTSFORD

Melissa Patterson, 21, of Bowling Green, Kentucky.  BRITTANY GREESON

Billy Scott teaches his kid’s class how to put someone in a sleeper hold. Scott educates his students on the importance of respect for Mixed Martial Arts.  MICHAEL NOBLE JR.

United States Senator Rand Paul, of Kentucky, poses for a portrait before a meeting with local business leaders to discuss what has been happening in Washington, DC at The Greater Lexington Chamber of Commerce in Lexington, Ky., on Thursday, January 23, 2014.  JABIN BOTSFORD

Neal Tisher, a senior at University of Alabama, fails a vault during the 2014 Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational.  MICHAEL NOBLE JR.

Partiers dressed as Santa Claus dance at McFadden’s in Nashville during Santa Rampage on Saturday, December 14, 2013. The event brings an expected 1,000 revelers dressed as Santa Claus and other christmas icons to Nashville every year.  BRIAN POWERS

A fisherman stands on the Malecon, a seawall along the coast of Havana, Cuba.  NAOMI DRIESSNACK

Josh French, 34, of Linden, player for “Tucker Attorney” sustains a bloody nose after getting hit in the face with a hockey puck during his game against the “Canadian Tuxedos” on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014 during the Third Annual Lake Fenton Winter Classic at Barnum Lake.  KATIE MCLEAN

People are seen in reflective windows of the School of Physical Activity and Educational Services walking up and down West 17th Avenue in front of Ohio Stadium on Wednesday. The Ohio State University campus was quiet, cold and desolate after finals ended last week. Classes will start back for the Spring 2014 semester on Jan. 6.  JABIN BOTSFORD

Matt Stuller shows off his love of deer hunting with a homemade display showing various Christmas characters shooting deer with a bow and arrow, a snowman shooting a squirrel with a gun, and Santa’s slay and reindeer crashing into the roof of his home at 14437 East Broad St in Reynoldsburg, Ohio on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2013. Stuller has been hunting since the age of 8. “You see the same thing all the time on houses and this is different,” said Stuller. “Why would Santa shoot one of his reindeers? I don’t know but it’s funny.”  JABIN BOTSFORD

Tanner Phipps is thrown off of a horse as he competes in the bareback bronc competition during the World’s Toughest Rodeo traveling show at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. Phipps scored 82 after riding the full 8 seconds. Cowboys are judged on their control and spurring technique, and the horses are judged on their power, speed, and agility. A good score in the bareback riding is in the mid 80’s.  JABIN BOTSFORD

Every Thursday throughout the semester, WKU’s NPPA Student Chapter brought you some of the best images of the week taken by our very own classmates. Looking back, we couldn’t be prouder of our lil’ blog and all of the big strides we make each day.  We student officers decided to get together and reminisce one last time before spring semester starts by coming up with this post of some of our favorite pictures from this last semester.  Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who makes this possible, and we wish you all the best and more for 2014.

-WKU NPPA Officers: Naomi Driessnack, Danny Guy, Brandon Carter, and Jeff Brown

Princess, a chihuahua, relaxes on a boogie board with her owner Mckayla Manning during the Puppy Paddle hosted by the Bowling Green Warren County Humane Society at the Russell Sims Aquatic Center on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013.  SHELBY MACK

The front porch of Elizabeth Pedigo, center, acts as a gathering place for her family, “It’s where we come together,” she said as she sits on her porch with her son, Wayne Gray, left, and holds her granddaughter, Aliona Beck. Aliona’s mother, Ariel Pedigo, far right, plays with her twin sister Aubrey Beck while in Bowling Green on Thursday, September 26, 2013.  BRIAN POWERS

A man waits at dusk with other commuters at the State/Lake outer loop elevated metro station in Chicago.  NAOMI DRIESSNACK

Talen Sourcy, 6, of Auburn, Ky., plays with his umbrella during half time at the Greenwood vs Logan football game.  KATIE MCLEAN

Freshman Greenwood High School running back Alex Hines looks out toward the field while his teammates warm up for the Logan County vs. Greenwood Varsity football game held at Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Ky., on Friday, September 20, 2013.  Prior to the game, Logan County’s overall record was 0-4, while Greenwood stood at 1-3.  The score was 41-0 at the half.  DANNY GUY

Joann McCoy and fiancé Joe Smith of Glasgow, Ky. lean in during a joking argument (left) and Arthur and Annette Morton of Panama City (right) laugh at their discussion while Tremekia Dice watches after her niece, Dada Hamilto, 2, and her brother Malik Dice, 12, (center) on the steps of Wigwam Church during the Cave City Proud Days Festival.  KATIE MCLEAN

Seth Bickett (foreground) and KJ Simpson, both sophomores at Daviess County High School, practice tricks on their bicycles at the PNC Bank parking lot in downtown Owensboro, Ky.  KREABLE YOUNG

Reynalda Ruiz, of Chicago, Ill., watches over neighborhood children playing in a fenced-off alleyway between apartment buildings in the Pilsen neighborhood on Friday, October 4, 2013.  “I’m just babysitting for a friend,” said Ruiz, “just helping out.  This isn’t a job, they wouldn’t be able to pay me anyway.  The economy never changes, this is just normal.  This is how it always is.”  DANNY GUY

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts play with and make foam plate gliders and get an eye opening look at life in aviation as the Youth Aviation Adventure has a program at OSU Don Scott Field in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013.  JABIN BOTSFORD

During the wedding ceremony of Jamijo Gilbert and TIm Carter, Jody Garrett, mother of Jamijo, is kissed on the forehead by her life partner Bill Surian. Though they had planned the wedding to be next June, Jamijo and Tim were married on Oct. 4, 2013 at Covenant Health Care’s Chapel due to Jody’s recent diagnosis of terminal cancer. “It’s always a mother’s dream to see her little girl get married,” Jody said after the ceremony.  SAMMY JO HESTER

“When I haven’t slept in days I make photographs that feel as strange as I do.”  ERIC SHEA

Helen Kasey has been working the day shift at Moonlite Bar-B-Q for over 19 years. 61 years young she is often referred to as “momma” in the kitchen due to her warm and caring personality. Underneath that good spirit Helen is constantly reminded why she works as hard and as much as she does. Her husband Donald Kasey, 61, was diagnosed with Leukemia around four years ago and has been unable to work. Placing the stress of supporting the both of them squarely on Helen’s shoulders. “His disablement check helps out,” Helen said. “I try not to eat until I get here so I can save money.” The stress of her ailing husband and worrying about bills certainly hasn’t dampened Helen’s spirits. “It’s not a burden to take care of him because I am helping him,” she said. “I take the vows I made to him very seriously.”  LUKE FRANKE

Alexander Celestian makes etchings into the red top pavement while waiting to return to the playground at McNeill Elementary in Bowling Green, Ky., on November 5, 2013.  JUSTIN GILLILAND

A woman referred to as ‘Ms. Ann,’ a regular at Shake Rag Salon in Bowling Green, Ky., takes a nap under a hair dryer as she receives a relaxing treatment on her hair.  BRITTANY GREESON

Melanie Durrett, 22, of Hodgenville Ky. sits with her boyfriend of a year Derail Shelton and their dog Cochece in their temporary home, The Holiday Motel in Cave City, Ky. The two have been living there for about a month. “I’ve been trying to find work”, Durrett says, “It’s been real hard, a mixture of the recession and my hand tattoos.”  KATIE MCLEAN

Smiling as she stands in the doorway of her food truck along Veterans Memorial Ln in Bowling Green, 56 year old Barbara Jackson patiently waits for her next customer. “They’ll come, they know the food’s good,” she said with a laugh. A nurse by trade, Barbara usually spends her days at Tristar Skyline medical center in Nashville but her passion has always been food, so for extra money she started cooking for the masses and set up shop selling what she calls the best BBQ in Bowling Green.  BRIAN POWERS

A rider sits on a fence while waiting for his turn to bullride at the IPRA World Championship Rodeo in Cummings, Ga., on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013.  KATIE MCLEAN

The results from our Fall 2013 clip contest are in!  Thanks to Dave Weatherwax of The Jasper Herald, and Vaughn Wallace, Lightbox editor at TIME.com, for being our judges this time around!  Below you can find the winning photos with comments from our panels.  Thanks to everyone who submittted!

1.  DAVE WEATHERWAX, of The Jasper Herald:
“Overall, we were very pleased and encouraged by the quality of images being produced. Nice work. But the one thing we do want to emphasize is that we were very disappointed overall with the quality of caption writing. There were several photos that we probably would have given more consideration to placing had the photographer done the other half of their job and written more complete captions to help us better understand the moment captured. A lot of these photographs would not even be publishable in a publication because of the lack of information and because the subjects of the photos were not even identified. Even if these photographs weren’t captured for the purpose of a publication, do yourselves the favor and gather the information because one, it is practice, and two, if these photos end up in your portfolios, we can promise you many editors will not consider you for their internships or jobs without complete caption information in your portfolios.

1rst: We appreciated how the photographer got close and found an intimate moment between the two individuals on the right side of the frame. Sadly, no names for the individuals photographed.Friends, family, and fellow chefs stand together at the candlelight vigil for Chef Charlie Trotter at his old restaurant, Charlie Trotter’s on West Armitage Avenue on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013 in Chicago.  ADAM WOLFFBRANDT

Leslie Fewell, left, Star Simpson, center, and Suzanne Kotch hug as Paul W. Imhoff superintendent of Upper Arlington Schools announces the win during an election day party as the district receives the results of its 4-mill levy which was approved in Upper Arlington, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 05, 2013.  JABIN BOTSFORD

Fans cheer as team Speed Gaming faces team DK in the first game of the final match of the PC game, Dota 2, finals during the Major League Gaming Championship as thousands of spectators watch the best teams from around the globe compete in a three-day video game tournament for $100,000 in prizes playing the soon to be released and highly anticipated game Call of Duty: Ghosts (Xbox 360) and wildly popular PC game, Dota 2 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013.  JABIN BOTSFORD

 

2.  VAUGHN WALLACE,  Lightbox Editor at TIME.com:

Each Thursday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Kids crowd around the aquarium glass to catch a glimpse of a scuba diving Santa Claus at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium during the 25th anniversary of Wildlights, efficiently powered by AEP Ohio, where millions of LED lights have transformed the Columbus Zoo into a twinkling maze and will be open from November 22 until January 5th in Powell, Ohio on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013.  JABIN BOTSFORD

Grace Schenkelberg, a member of Infinity Athletics team Unity from Avon Lake, Ohio with girls age 14 and under, reacts with teammates to winning the Ultimate Pyramid award in the L3-Small Junior Cheer Division and winning a spot at the ULTIMATE National Championship in Orlando Florida in April 18-19, 2014 during the awards ceremony at the Cheerleaders of America Holiday Kick-Off Championship where cheer teams from around the midwest competed at The Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013.  JABIN BOTSFORD

Dixxie Mea, 23, of Louisville KY, posses as the Derby City Roller Girls logo.  Hair and make-up by Cassandra Weddell.  ALEXANDRA BRUMLEY

Shannon Barns of Louisville, KY, posses as the Cape Girardeau Roller Girl’s logo.  Make-up by Cassandra Waddell.  ALEXANDRA BRUMLEY