The Collegiate Times, the independent student-run newspaper that serves the Virginia Tech community, was recently honored by the Virginia Press Association's (VPA) College Newspaper Contest. The award, presented for work published in 2008, was announced at the VPA headquarters in Glen Allen, Va.

Taylor Shapiro of Middleburg, Va., a senior majoring in English in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences was among those honored taking first and second place in Feature Writing. Shapiro, 22, the son of sports journalist Leonard Shapiro and writer-photographer Vicky Moon will graduate May 17 and hopes to follow in his parent's footsteps.

As a sophomore, then majoring in pre-vet studies, Shapiro was in his dorm room on April 16, 2007 during the tragedy that struck down 32 students. "As soon as we got the all clear, I ran to the student paper offices and began to work the story," he recalls. "After years of tagging along and watching both of my parents work, I knew where to go and who to find for interviews."

Shapiro's award winning stories covered: "A Different Perspective" about the first year anniversary of the shootings from the view point of four different people and "Hokie Faithful" about a Muslim student and his experience during the month of Ramadan.

"In the rush of the everyday production of the newspaper, it's easy to lose track of the great work that our student journalists do day in and day out," said 2008-09 Collegiate Times Editor David Grant, of Burke, Va., a senior majoring in religious studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. "To be on the receiving end of these awards is a testament to hard work and great skill as well as a challenge to both the winners and their successors to do great things in student media."

The Collegiate Times, Blacksburg's oldest newspaper, was established in 1903 at Virginia Tech. It began as a sports-oriented newspaper but has grown into a student-run, daily publication covering campus news, features, sports, and opinions. The newspaper stopped receiving university funds in 1979 and has since supported its operations with advertising and subscription revenues. The online version of the Collegiate Times officially launched in August 1995.

The Collegiate Times is the recipient of numerous awards. Most recently it won the 2008 Best of Collegiate Design Award presented by College Media Advisors and the 2009 Virginia Press Association First Amendment Award.

The Collegiate Times is staffed wholly by students, who have ultimate authority over all content and personnel issues. Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech is the nonprofit parent company of student media divisions at Virginia Tech, including The Bugle yearbook, College Media Solutions advertising, Collegiate Times newspaper, Silhouette literary and arts magazine, Student Publications Photography Staff, VTTV33 student television, and WUVT 90.7 FM independent radio.