Campus News

By Andrea V. Watson, Director of Marketing & Communications

Rockford University’s Marketing and Communications copywriter, Sara Myers, has been writing and editing for most of her life. That passion and love of storytelling was recently acknowledged when she received a prestigious writing award last month for an article she published in the Beloit Daily News. 

Prior to joining RU, Myers worked as a reporter with the Adams Publishing Group, who owns Beloit Daily News. Her story, “Closing the ‘Boyfriend Loophole’ in Gun Law May Impact Domestic Violence,” received First Place in the “Localized National Story” category of the 2022 Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s (WNA) Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.  Learn more about her award here.

The judges’ comments were:

“Really great job of presenting the data in a way that is simple to understand. This story was well-researched and incredibly well-written. Although guns being used in homicides more often than any other weapon seems obvious, the writer does a great job of including statistics to drive home the point. Using the local cases along with statewide data really localizes the national issue for the reader. This could be a textbook example for the category. Also, the compelling quote at the end resonates well. Excellent choice for the ending.” 

“I was very surprised to hear I won this award,” Myers said. “I want to thank the judges for giving me this honor and thank them for their kind words. I also want to thank my family, friends, past editors (especially Clint Wolf of Beloit Daily News), colleagues, college professors and my boyfriend, Ian for supporting me and my career.” 

Myers is a Rockford, Ill. native who said she grew up knowing she wanted to write professionally. 

“At the age 14 I was inspired to go into the journalism field after reading magazines like Rolling Stone and Alternative Press,” she said. 

Myers attended schools in the Winnebago School District and graduated from Winnebago High School in May of 2013.  She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in Platteville, Wisconsin with her B.S. in Media Studies, with an emphasis in Journalism and a minor in Public Relations.  

Her resume includes an Editor-In-Chief position for her college’s newspaper, a radio DJ, and both editor and multimedia editor roles. Myers has written news and feature articles, as well as produced video content for both editorial and marketing projects.  

When she’s not writing professionally, Myers said she enjoys writing songs and poetry. She also spends her free time attending concerts with friends or her boyfriend Ian. Besides loving and listening to music, Myers said she loves spending time with her dog Pearl, and friends and family, especially her new niece, Georgia, who turned 1 in February.