Endicott College’s student newsroom has officially entered award-winning territory.
Jewel Farrin ’25 and Olivia Cafarelli Manzi ’25 have received a New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA) award for Environmental Reporting for their investigative reporting series examining restoration efforts in the Great Marsh. The series was published last spring in The Manchester Cricket, in partnership with Endicott’s Massachusetts News Service, where students work as professional journalists, producing stories in collaboration with regional media partners.
The honor places Farrin and Cafarelli Manzi’s work alongside some of the strongest environmental journalism in New England this year. Notably, the series was submitted in the professional journalism category, competing directly against veteran reporters from established newsrooms across New England rather than in a student category.
Distinguished Professor of Journalism Lara Salahi, who edited the series, was also named a recipient of the NENPA Environmental Reporting award for her editorial leadership and mentorship.
“Being recognized as a student alongside well-established professional journalists is both humbling and affirming,” said Cafarelli Manzi, International Student & Marketing Advisor in Endicott’s Office of Global Education. “It also speaks to Endicott College’s commitment to hands-on learning and meaningful, real-world reporting opportunities. Now working at the College, it’s especially meaningful to represent Endicott in this way and to see firsthand how those experiential learning opportunities continue to shape students beyond the classroom.”
During the final semester of her senior year, Cafarelli Manzi enrolled in Salahi’s Newsroom course and began publishing work through its adjacent Massachusetts News Service. The experience provided hands-on exposure to pitching, reporting, and writing original stories published by dozens of news outlets across the state.
“Learning in such a professional environment, especially under the guidance of a distinguished female journalist, was both empowering and formative as I prepared to enter my professional career,” she said.
Farrin, a marketing communication and advertising major with a minor in digital journalism, came to journalism through coursework that included travel writing while studying abroad in Italy at the Florence University of the Arts. After her advisor, Professor Sara Allen, encouraged her to enroll in the Newsroom course, she deepened her reporting experience through hands-on, professional storytelling.
“One of the first stories I pursued required me to select a Massachusetts coastal community and report on its plans to manage rising sea levels,” recalled Farrin, who served as a Programming and Student Life Fellow from 2023 through 2025 for Endicott’s Office of Sustainability.
With a longstanding interest in environmental issues, Farrin initially planned to focus on Gloucester, Mass., but soon broadened her scope to the entire Great Marsh restoration area after The Manchester Cricket pitched the project as a story about a natural barrier to coastal flooding.
“They were in phases of meetings with the Essex Conservation Commission, which led me to attend one of them on Zoom,” said Farrin.
That reporting momentum extended beyond the Great Marsh series. Farrin also contributed a four-part feature series on Marblehead’s oldest businesses for The Marblehead Current and reported for The Manchester Cricket as part of the Newsroom’s downtown revitalization series.
“I am so proud of Jewel and Olivia. Their recognition is a reflection of the curiosity, drive, patience, and empathy they bring to their reporting,” said Salahi. “They didn’t limit their work to phone calls or Zoom interviews from their dorm rooms—they showed up. They followed the trail of sources, shook hands, and met people where they were. They truly embraced community-centered journalism, which is at the heart of what I teach in our news-academic partnership. Our newsroom is a testament to the power of news-academic partnerships to strengthen local, community-rooted journalism.”
“Completing the environmental series was the highlight of my experience—it spanned nearly the entire spring semester, so receiving recognition for it is a true honor,” Farrin said. “The course gave me hands-on experience across multiple forms of journalism, from reporting and photography to interactive maps, while allowing me to build relationships with local news outlets. The flexibility Professor Salahi provided was especially valuable as I prepared to graduate.”
Their award-winning work also exemplifies the Endicott Experiential Edge, the College’s signature learning model that emphasizes applied learning. Farrin currently works in marketing and advertising design at her local newspaper, The Lincoln County News, in Midcoast, Maine.
“I’ve been able to apply and expand both my journalism and marketing skill sets, thanks to the many experiences from my time at Endicott,” she said.
The NENPA awards honor excellence in journalism across New England, recognizing impactful reporting, storytelling, and public service journalism. Farrin, Cafarelli Manzi, and Salahi will learn whether their series placed first, second, or third at the New England Newspaper Convention, taking place March 13–14, 2026, at The Venue at Portwalk Place in Portsmouth, N.H.