Some courses at Creighton give students the opportunity to take trips and receive school credit. Others let students experiment with video cameras and make their own documentaries.

Backpack Journalism in the Dominican Republic, THL342/JMC322, did both of these things and also won Best in Show and Best Documentary at the Elkhorn Valley BEA D7 Film and Media Conference Saturday.

The six-credit class spent 10 days last summer in the Dominican Republic, shooting the documentary “Esperanza,” (Spanish for “hope”), a profile of Pedro Almonte, a Roman Catholic deacon who serves the impoverished community of Cien Fuegos. The nine-member class was accompanied by Theology professor John O’Keefe and associate professors of Jounalism Tim Guthrie and Carol Zuegner.

“The trip was an inspiration.” Arts & Sciences junior Emily Hanigan said. “It was a way for all of us to know that we are capable of doing great things. This video is proof of that.”

Three other Creighton students placed at the conference as well. Creighton 2010 grads Jordan Hanson and Jordan Mapes and Arts & Sciences senior Deidre Birkholt received honors for their video pieces, “Wild Thing,” “Smoking New Beginning” and “The Brewing Process,” respectively.

“It felt great to be recognized for my video when I was up against a lot of very talented amateur filmmakers, Mapes said. “It gave me a lot of ideas for the future and ways I can better my skills. I hope to attend next year in another category to broaden my portfolio and gain more experience.”

The Backpack Journalism class plans to embark on a trip to Uganda for a similar project during the summer of 2011.

To read the blogs and learn more about the program, visit Creighton’s Backpack Journalism website.

Watch Jordan Mapes’ “Smoking New Beginning” on Vimeo.