Black River Technical College (BRTC) Communications Specialist Jessica Rainwater was recently awarded two Arkansas Associated Press Awards at the Annual 2023 Arkansas Associated Press Association Conference.
She received one first place certificate of performance excellence for Best Reporting Series – Medium Weeklies in conjunction with Pocahontas Star Herald editor John Allen French. Rainwater wrote feature stories about four Randolph County women and their battles with breast cancer as a Breast Cancer Awareness Month series. French designed the layouts and overall look of the publication. Judges remarked, “This series stood out heads and toes above the rest. The stories flow and tell the story of each woman perfectly. A very well written and informative series.”
Rainwater was also awarded second place for her freelance endeavors. Judges remarked, “ This is what every newspaper needs, a freelancer who gets out and reports a story or event without trying to use fancy words and over the top descriptions. She’s a true journalist.”
Rainwater has been employed at BRTC in the Office of Institutional Advancement since November of 2022, where she handles public relations.
She earned an Associates of Art from BRTC in 2011, a Bachelor of Science in Journalism-News Editorial from Arkansas State University in 2013, and a Master’s of Science in Mass Communications in 2020.
Over the years, Rainwater has been employed either as a freelance journalist or a fulltime journalist at the following publications: The Jonesboro Sun, the Paragould Daily Press, the Clay County Times-Democrat, the Delta Crossroads, the Pocahontas Star Herald, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and the Arkansas Out of Doors. She was also previously employed at Arkansas State University as the College of Liberal Arts and Communication’s social media manager while earning her graduate degree.
She was BRTC’s Academic All-Star in 2010 and has given several presentations of her communications research at conferences across the U.S.
Rainwater currently resides outside of Delaplaine with her significant other of 15-years Chris McNabb and the couple’s two children, 11-year-old Asa and 5-year-old Emma.