By Nogales Journalism Student Alondra Ramirez, Freshman
Zachary Silva entered The James Alan Cox Foundation contest on behalf of Nogales High School for photojournalism. The James Alan Cox Foundation for Student Photo Journalists website explains their mission, “to expand educational and developmental opportunities for student photographers demonstrating interest, talent, and financial need.”
In order to enter the contest, students must submit a variety of their best photos, Zach for example, submitted five. From there, the contestants eagerly waited for the result. The waiting period took about three months but fortunately for Zach, it was worth it. The winning prize was a brand new $800 camera.
Zach did not hesitate to compete in this contest because he still wanted to improve his photography skills and this was a great opportunity to even be rewarded for them. Zachary’s photography journey began during junior year, when his uncle gave him his first film camera. He found his passion and has never stopped.
The winning photo that led Zach to victory was taken at UCLA, with 3 police officers standing in the front. In the background of the picture, there is a mob of Trump supporters chanting. The photo was completed with a black and white filter
(pictured above
).
Once Zach found out that he won, he was speechless and thrilled. He said that it was one of the best feelings he has ever had. Zach would also like to see others try and compete, “I definitely encourage others to participate and don’t be afraid of getting in the middle of heavy conflict because you never know what your camera can capture.”
Zach is still planning to continue his journey of photo journalism in college.
