Biola University’s student media group and three students earned seven awards at the awards conference held in San Francisco. Up against larger colleges in California, Biola students took first, second and third place in different categories.

The student media group, called the Chimes Media Group, consists of three outlets, focusing on different media — the digital Chimes Newspaper, printed The Point Magazine and the audio Torch Podcast Network.

At the conference, Biola was judged in the same category as many California State schools, which have larger student bodies and heftier budgets. The Torch received second place in the Best Podcast category, and The Point received second place in the Best Magazine category. Ariss Firkins, a junior communication major with a concentration in journalism and a Torrey Honors College student, received first place in the Best Magazine Story category. Cassandra Malas, a sophomore fine arts illustration major and Torrey student, earned third place in the Best Magazine Inside Page/Spread Design category. Sophomore English major Sakura Miller received three awards: second place in the Best Magazine Cover category, second place in the Best News Photo category and third place in the Best Magazine Photo category.

Students Thomas Rahkola, a junior communication with a journalism emphasis and Torrey student and editor-in-chief of the media group, Reagan Glidewell, sophomore communication with journalism emphasis student and executive producer of the Torch podcast network and Teresa Tikoo, junior fine arts major with a concentration in design and creative director of the Point Magazine, all spoke on a panel with representatives from two other colleges. They discussed how to grow and maintain multimedia outlets on college campuses.

With the Chimes Media Group in its first year of existence as a conglomerate rather than three separate media outlets, the students gleaned wisdom from other schools with more established groups.

“[During the panel discussion] We talked about how we, as a media group, have learned to collaborate and work together across the various branches. The angle at which we approached the session was that our media group is still so new. We presented with schools that have had a media group for a while now,” said Glidewell. “We primarily focused on how we collaborate across the different branches and also talked about what we called our ‘Swiss Army knife’ individuals. These were people who we felt like were willing to put on different hats and try different roles within the Chimes Media Group.”

Giving students a chance to network with other college students, the conference served them in more ways than one.

“The panel went really well, and it led to some really productive conversation between the different schools on the challenges we face as leaders in a student media organization,” said Rahkola. “Something we talked about — and that's increasingly part of our media group’s priorities — is using different media formats to convey the same story, in order to better connect with our audience who have their own media consumption preferences.”

While in San Francisco, Biola students had a chance to see a real newsroom at the San Francisco Chronicle led by Biola alumnus Christian Leonard (B.A. ’20). Leonard, a former Chimes editor-in-chief, is a current data reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.

“Seeing the San Francisco Chronicle was so cool! It felt a little bit surreal. The inside felt like a newsroom that you would see on TV. I didn’t know what to expect exactly, but it did feel kind of magical in a way. It really put into perspective how what we are all working toward in the Chimes Media Group and for us journalism students is a possibility,” said Glidewell.

Biola University is committed to preparing students for meaningful work beyond the classroom. Through opportunities to lead, collaborate and engage with professionals in their fields, students graduate equipped with the experience and confidence needed to step into their careers and make a lasting impact for Christ. Applications for fall 2026 are still open. Learn more and apply now.

Written by Sarah Dougher, strategic communication manager. For more information, email sarah.m.dougher@biola.edu.