Former Daily Collegian sportswriter Ryan Hockensmith, a senior majoring in journalism from Duncannon, Pa., became the first Penn State student and Collegian staff member in 32 years to qualify for the individual championships of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation's Journalism Awards Program.

The program is conducted under the auspices of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication and is funded by the Hearst Foundation.

In the 41st annual competition, Hockensmith earned a spot in the individual competition, often called "the Pulitzer of college journalism," with two top 10 finishes.

He won second place in the Features category for a first-person account of his battle with meningitis and an eighth place in the Profiles category for a story on Penn State assistant football coach Jay Paterno, son of head coach Joe Paterno.

The last Penn State students to qualify for the individual championships were former Collegian Editor in Chief Paul Levine and Managing Editor Bill Epstein, alumni of the journalism program, in 1969.

Hockensmith received an all-expenses-paid trip to San Francisco in June to compete against seven other Hearst finalists from universities nationwide in on-the-scene writing assignments.

To be a Hearst finalist, students from the country's 105 accredited undergraduate programs must qualify in the intercollegiate writing competition, which consists of six monthly contests: features, editorials, in-depth, sports, profiles, and spot-news. The intercollegiate broadcast news competition, which consists of two monthly contests in radio and television in the categories of Features and News, is also open to students from the country's accredited programs.

"I love sports and I love competing, so I immediately was excited about the contest," Hockensmith said. "I had my primary goals of educating the public about meningitis and telling a good story, but I'll admit, in the back of my mind, I was hoping my story would be good enough to enter."

Hockensmith's first-person account tells the story of his struggles with each step of his battle with meningococcal meningitis, from contracting the disease last October at the University of Illinois while covering a Penn State football game for the Collegian, to the lasting effects he feels today.

He was pleased with the attention the story received because he wrote it to educate students at Penn State.

"If every college student could have seen what my feet looked like or had to spend a few weeks in an intensive care wing of a hospital, I don't think there would be many complaints about a little needle pricking their shoulder with a vaccination."

While many memories returned as Hockensmith wrote the article, he said writing it was therapeutic.

"As absurd as this sounds, I think it was the best thing that ever happened to me," he said. "Nothing than a million positive things can come out of one negative thing."

Hockensmith's story had a lasting effect on the Penn State community. While many students and Collegian staff members flocked to get the vaccination, members of the faculty expressed their confidence in his talent.

"Looking past the disease that left him in a wheelchair for six months and at home healing, this confidence kept him 'in the game' and in the frame of mind to return in September 2000," said Hockensmith's mother, Christie Berger.

The community's reaction also astounded Berger. Her son received countless cards, emails and even a sports reporting book from Dean of the College of Communications Douglas Anderson.

Upon his return, Hockensmith received many gifts and flowers from Collegian staff members, students and the community. One Collegian staff member had a football helmet signed by the 1999 football team. Hockensmith also received phone calls from President Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno.

"I can't believe what a phenomenal community Penn State really is," he said.

Hockensmith's real love for writing lies in sports journalism. Since he was 12 years old, he knew he wanted to be a sports reporter and being affected by the disease solidified his goals.

"I went from being very sure I wanted to be a sports journalist to being completely certain," he said.

Lindsay Mellor, editor of The Collegian Insider, contributed to this account.