On May 10, 2024, the Communication Department held its annual Senior Spring BBQ and Communication Department Student Awards in the ILC HUB. Burgers, chicken, salad, and desserts were served while UMASS Communication branded tote bags were given out to graduating seniors.
The gathering also served as the awards ceremony for the Communication Department Student Awards, which represents work across the themes of our department, including Audio Visual (including; video, film, photography, multimedia, radio, podcasts, music, and visual art); Civic Engagement/Community Work (leadership in the community through activism, community-building or outreach projects); Speech & Performance (speeches and performances of all kinds); Research & Writing (any written product including, but not limited to, persuasive essays, screenwriting, etc.). Students submitted their work, which was judged by a panel of faculty and graduate students. Projects had to be completed in the context of a Communication class and needed to demonstrate a high level connection to Communication excellence. The winners were:
Audio-Visual:
• 1st: Jason Rollins (Title: A Project That Was (Almost) Never Made)
• 2nd: Rianna Jakson (Title: The Future of Coffee)
• 3rd: Adam Ford (Title: WMUA Today: A Documentary on UMass Radio)
Civic Engagement/Community Work:
• Eden Olayiwole (Title: Selah Space)
Speech & Performance:
• 1st: Maya Chubet (Title: Incarnated White "Culture": Non-ify my(our) Indoctrination)
• 2nd: Jonathan Brown (Title: Experimental Final Performance Text: The Weight)
Research & Writing:
• 1st: Lexie Jacob-Valencia (Title: Empowerment and Unity: Swearing Among College-Aged Females in Friendships)
• 2nd: Maya Chubet (Title: Cisgender: Neologism and Its Effect in Queer Studies)
• 3rd: Megan Lambert (Title: I Hate Tuesdays)
The department also took time to announce and celebrate the award winners of department, college, and university awards, including Aamaya Guzman, this year’s winner of the Elaine E. Nord Internship Fund for Creative Communications; Paulina Ortize-Orive, a recipient of the RISE summer research scholarship; and Rianna Jakson, one of the recipients of the university’s 21st Century Leader award .
Over food, conversation, and celebration of our outstanding students, faculty, staff, and students made space to acknowledge the hard work and accomplishments of our students.