The Cerritos College campus was home to the annual So-Cal Journalism Association of Community Colleges Regional Conference on Saturday.

Journalism students from surrounding community colleges in Southern California had a chance to show off their skills in the contests that were being held by JACC.

Each contest focused on a specific aspect of essential fundamentals and staples in journalism: news writing, opinion writing, news photo, critical review and copy-editing.

The JACC Conference also supplied students with proper techniques and helpful strategies by hosting workshops on how to effectively cover stories in the variety of fields that journalism offers.

So-Cal Student Representative Evan Solano praised JACC’S ability to really include student participation.

“The board did a very good job of selecting the people who were planning out the conference. They really made sure that the voices of the students were taken into consideration.”

JACC also provided a platform for students to interact and network with fellow journalism students.

JACC State Student President Laura Tapia expressed what her favorite part about the conference was.

“My favorite part about today was the editor’s meeting. It was talking to each other and seeing what problems we face and pretty much trying to help one another out.”

Tapia added, “[…] this is the only place that we can get student journalism programs from the region together and you know talk about those instances that affect us.”

So-Cal Faculty Representative Patrick Schmiedt expressed how he believes students have benefited from this event.

“I think the benefits were the opportunities for networking not only with professionals and four-year schools but with people who are at the same level.

“These are the people that, in five years, you are going to be in the profession with and so getting a chance to meet with those people from those other schools, I think would be a tremendous opportunity that you don’t get that often outside of something like JACC.”