Hernando Sun reporter Hanna Maglio placed third in the national 2024-25 Hearst Personality/Profile Writing Award. Along with the prestigious award, she received $1500 and the University of Florida received a matching award.
The University of Florida could only enter two articles into the contest. This meant that Hanna’s article had to be chosen out of all the student articles at the University of Florida. The entries from schools around the country were evaluated, with Hanna receiving third place out of 130 entries from 72 different schools.
The Hearst awards are often referred to as the collegiate equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes. The article that won the award was a profile of Mike Steele called “Not Homeless, Just on an Adventure.”
The article highlighted a man who has become a pillar of the Hernando County community. He is ubiquitous at Hernando County events with outfits to match his oversized personality. He provides sage advice to the youth of the county. The story highlighted challenges he overcame as a student, including living in the high school football stadium. He now announces football games in that same stadium. He fondly remembers the support he received from the community and returns it in spades.
The first and second place Hearst articles entwined politics into their stories. First place was awarded to Nicole Blevins, a senior from Indiana University, for “‘We deserve to stay’ – Dreamer faces uncertainty as election approaches.” Second place was by Marshall Baker from Arizona State University, “‘We’re never going to go away’: How Kenneth Shirley danced Indigenous representation into the mainstream.”
Hanna is graduating from the University of Florida in a week and the future for her is wide open. She is applying for several positions, but she always has a home here in Hernando.
Read Hanna’s article at: https://www.hernandosun.com/2024/12/20/not-homeless-just-on-an-adventure/
