Craig Schaefer, professor of media studies at Loras College

Kate is both a reporter and the producer of our campus newscast.   Why both?  Well, I dare anyone to try and stop her.  She is as passionate as any journalist I have ever met, professionals included. 

At the Iowa College Media Association, Katrina personally swept first, second, and third place in the News Storytelling category.  Some of those stories were features, others hard news.  It doesn’t really matter.  She finds them and tells them well.  The judges (all professional broadcast journalists) praised her writing, use of nat sound and creativity.  In fact, the next week a News Director who judged the entries called me to try and hire her as a reporter.  I had to tell him that unfortunately, she was only midway through her junior year. 

And while all her efforts and awards are impressive, I think I appreciate Katrina’s attitude most of all.  Katrina has this wonderful combination of small-town values and big-city attitude.  She is confident, but never arrogant.  She is aggressive, but never pushy.  She learns from mistakes.  In short, she brings out the best in her fellow journalists.  

Paul R. Kohl, associate professor of media studies at Loras College

Perhaps the best example of her journalistic skills has come most recently. We had the opportunity to send Katrina and another reporter to Washington, D.C. to cover the Pope’s recent trip to America.  They were unable to cover the major events with their limited press credentials, so they covered the story from the most important perspective: the person on the street, filled with wonder at what they are experiencing. 

They discovered stories that, as they blogged, “can’t be found from the press box.  They only happen if you open your mind to the possibility that a story can be found anywhere.”  Katrina holds to that principle at all times, that a story can be found anywhere, from Washington, D.C., to a Wisconsin field near her family home where she found and told the tale of some metal dinosaurs. 

Jill Olson, coordinator of media operations at Loras College

One thing is certain, if you haven’t heard of Katrina Berning before, you will in the near future. 

The first word that comes to mind when I think of Katrina Berning is Powerful.   Of course you might not see at first glance…you’d notice her big smile or her contagious laughter. But spend five minutes talking with her about broadcast journalism and you’ll see her in action.

Did I also mention that Katrina is also extremely modest?  If you asked Katrina what her accomplishments were thus far, she would passionately talk about her experiences, however, she would leave out the fact that so far in her college career she has received 12 awards for reporting and producing from the Iowa Broadcast News Association and the Iowa College Media Association. In May 2008, Katrina had the honor of being selected to sit on the Iowa Broadcast News Association Board as their student representative.

Source | LCTV13
Sara Medieros has been playing softball since before she could read, and she was still playing as a Duhawk when she received some life-altering news last spring. The announcement that she was pregnant at the end of last season surprised everyone, including her head coach.

Source | LCTV13
LCTV takes a look at Karen's story of adoption and the circumstances behind it.

Source | LCTV13
LCTV takes a look at one Wisconsin man's eyecatching hobby.

Source | LCTV13
These are the stories of those who traveled to and make their home in the DC area that came to see Pope Benedict.