The Detroit Writing Room and Coaching Detroit Forward are proud to share that our students and coaches took home 12 Society of Professional Journalists Detroit Chapter Awards for their stories and photography published in the 2021 edition of Perspectives Magazine. The students were up against over 600 Metro Detroit journalists who entered the 2021 SPJ Detroit Awards.

With our in-person photography camp and virtual journalism camp, high school students from Detroit and nationwide had the opportunity to work with a variety of seasoned professionals to develop their writing and photography skills. Students covered topics such as racial injustices, how schools and students are coping with the pandemic and how local businesses and nonprofits are bouncing back.

LayLa Sherman, a graduated senior from Cass Technical High School who is attending Tennessee State University to study accounting, took first place in the health category for her story, “The Loss: How Death Can Affect Children Under 18.” In this piece, LayLa, who attended the 2021 journalism and photography camps, details the struggles faced by adolescents who have lost close family members. Having lost her father when she was 16, LayLa emphasizes the importance of having conversations about loss for teens.

“At first, I didn’t want to talk about it,” she says. “But when thinking about it, I realized that this is something that needs to be discussed, especially in urban communities.”

When asked what it meant to her to win this award for a piece on such a personal subject, LayLa responded, “I took something that was so hard for me and made it such a big deal for myself and my family. It was really an honor to win first place.”

Tamjid Islam, a graduate of Frontier International Academy who now attends Wayne State University, also took home a first place award in the community reporting category. In his piece, “The Vicious Cycle of Detroit’s Burnt Houses,” he covers Detroit’s struggles with abandoned neighborhoods.

Coaching Detroit Forward 2021 students Tamjid Islam, Kadence Caffee and Madison Galloway hold up Perspectives Magazine at the SPJ Detroit Awards ceremony in Troy, Michigan on May 5, 2022. Photo by Stephanie Steinberg

Kadence Caffee, a current junior at Cass Technical High School, was also excited about her third-place award for feature photography. Her black-and-white photo showcased a downtown Detroit building from a unique angle. She expressed her gratitude for Coaching Detroit Forward’s summer Photography Camp.

“I really don’t think my photos would have turned out as good as they did if I didn’t have the help from Coach Sacred, Stephanie or any of the other photographers that came in to talk to us,” she says. Kadence has since launched a photography business, Kady’s Kanvas, where she offers portraits and event photography.

Photography Coach Erin Kirkland taught photojournalism and photo ethics during the photography and journalism camps.

"It's so exciting and rewarding to watch both the photography and journalism camp students hold their own against industry professionals in the annual SPJ Detroit competition,” says Kirkland, who freelances for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other publications. “Seeing the students grasp and implement concepts that I wasn't even considering at their age reassures me that their futures are bright no matter what fields they decide to pursue."

Detroit high school students received scholarships to attend the 2021 camps for free thanks to support from the Fisher Foundation, Dow Jones News Fund, Kapnick Insurance and several organizations, businesses and individuals.

“Our camps truly help jumpstart careers for students who are interested in pursuing photography, journalism and other professions that involve writing or storytelling. Others discover new hobbies or ways they can use their skills to freelance,” says CDF Executive Director Stephanie Steinberg. “We’re so proud of all the students and congratulate everyone who has been recognized with SPJ Detroit Awards.”