April & May 2024 College News

Place, Feature Photo, Blake Leschber First Place, TV Sports Writing, David Cuevas (First Place, PR Crisis Manage- ment), Abbie Taylor (Second Place, Best of Show, Newspa- per Division I Second Place, TV News Writing), Lucciana Chouiery (Third Place, Print News Writing), Blake Lesch- ber ( Honorable Mention, Spanish News Writing), Carlotta Pulgar (Honorable Mention, Newspaper Design), Sarah Manning (Previously Published Division I Second Place, Static Information Graphic), Megan Walters (Third Place, Sports Column), David Cuevas (Third Place, Photo Illustra- tion), Delaney Compean (Honorable Mention, Advertising Campaign), Michele DuPont Honorable Mention, Cartoon Strip/Panel. KTSW 89.9 received two awards in the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Previously Published Contests, including 1st Place in Live Sports Coverage – Audio category for a broadcast produced by Joseph Gonzales , Paxton Graf and Justin Brown , and 2nd Place in the Advertising/PSA/ Promo – Audio category for a public service announcement produced by Jaron Von Runnen and Destany Sanchez . The KTSW 89.9 staff was also recognized in multiple categories at the Inaugural Texas State School of Journalism and Mass Communication Student Media Arts Exhibition, including top honors in the Podcast ( Kimberly Olivas ), Radio/Audio Storytelling ( Preethi Mangadu ) and Commercials/PSAs ( Kimberly Olivas , Xavier Aldana , Roni Miller ) categories. Other entries received recognition as well, including two in the Podcast category produced by Sydney Bynes and Dylan Narcisse and Preethi Mangadu , and two in the Commercials/PSAs category produced by Jaron Von Runnen , Lauren Culp and Destany Sanchez . The School of Journalism and Mass Communication held their annual awards ceremony to honor the outstanding achievements of its top students. During the ceremony select students were inducted into the Kappa Tau Alpha and Alpha Delta Sigma honor societies. At the heart of the ceremony was the Gold Standard Awards, comprised of the top student in each of the undergraduate and graduate programs. [4] In addition to individual achievements, the ceremony also acknowledged the contributions of student leaders from our campus media outlets. Carson Weaver , the current Editor in Chief of the University Star, and Marisa Nunez , the future Editor in Chief, were honored for their exemplary guidance and editorial vision. KTSW Station Manager Avery Viers and Caitlin Collins , the newly elected Station Manager, were recognized for their outstanding leadership at the uni- versity's radio station STUDENT ACCOLADES Lucciana Choueiry , a highly engaged journalism junior and superior student, has been selected as the Presidential Upper-Level Award recipient by the College of Fine Arts and Communication Scholarship Committee. SJMC graduate student Elissa Jorgensen , along with undergrads Carlotta Pulgar and Abbie Taylor , gave pre- sentations about their experiences in SJMC at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association annual conference April 11-13 in San Marcos. Jorgensen was part of a panel where she shared her class experience covering the one-year anni- versary of the school shooting in Uvalde, and Pulgar and Taylor explained in their session how they help promote The University Star using public relations strategies. The students were joined by several faculty, staff, and other students who were presenters, judges, and exhibitors. Senior Lecturer Laura Krantz , who also is the faculty ad- visor for The University Star , was the conference organizer and participated in several panels. Other faculty presenters and judges included Jillian Ament , Terry Bertling , Eral- do ‘Dino’ Chiecchi , Kym Fox , Diana Fuentes , Jessica James , Charles 'Chuck' Kaufmann , Gilbert Martinez , Debra Price , and Sara Shields . [5] Kelly Engram showcased her pivotal role as a mentor in the Honors College, the Undergraduate Research Con- ference, by providing guidance for an exceptional Honors Creative Capstone project. The student she mentored, Lyla Keizer , a psychology major with a minor in nutri- tion, presented her innovative research on the psycho- logical impacts of dietary choices. The project, titled "Color Your Mood: Carotenoids and Mental Health," was presented in the engaging format of a vector-animated video. It aimed to educate college students on the benefits of carotenoids—vegetable compounds—on stress and depression levels. [6] Engram's expert advice was crucial in refining the proj- ect's technical aspects, particularly Adobe Illustrator, After Effects and video editing. These tools brought Lyla's scientific findings to life through high-quality animations and engaging narratives. Lyla's advisor, Kelly Haskard , also played a significant role in guiding the research direc- tion and execution of the project. Together, they formed a supportive network that propelled Lyla to produce a Capstone project that was not only academically rigorous but also visually and educationally effective. Seventeen Honors College students in Journalism Senior Lecturer Gilbert D. Martinez ’s Free Speech, Free Press and the Supreme Court of the United States class visited the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin on March 27 to hear oral arguments in two criminal cases. Afterward, the class met with Judge Bert Richardson and his law clerks, Paul Cho and Daniel Ludmir, to discuss the court’s role in Texas’ judicial system. Students got to see the court’s robing room and conference room where judges deliberate about cases after oral arguments. Public relations students got the chance to chat with pros at NASA, Pierpont Communications, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston First, the Houston Astros, and the Houston Texans as part of a PRSSA spring professional development trip to Houston. Highlights included getting inside the flight control room for the International Space Center at NASA, touring Minute Maid Park, and hearing expert insider tips from Chris Jones, Senior Vice President, Pierpont; Greg Grissom, President, Houston Texans; and Paul Konyha, International Space Station Flight Director, NASA. Nine students - two grad students and seven undergraduate students - participated in this year's Uvalde Reporting Project. The majority of the students went to Uvalde, Texas, to interview people impacted by the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. The students interviewed Uvalde residents such as Arnulfo Reyes, a teacher who survived the shooting after suffering two bullet wounds. They also interviewed Araceli Gomez, the mother of two boys, who rushed into the school after ignoring a Texas DPS officer's demands that she remain outside a perimeter. Gomez ran into the school and escaped with her two boys while the shooting was taking place. The students in this year's project are: Madison Jones , Riley Patrick , Victoria Greenhaw , Sierra Albrecht , Jolleen Vasquez , Georgina Barahona ; and grad students Elissa Jorgensen and Dylan Roddy . Ezekiel Ramirez , who worked on last year's project as did Elissa , returned to shoot video. SJMC held their annual awards ceremony for its top students Elissa Jorfensen and Carlotta Pulgur and Abbie Taylor gave presentations at the TIPA conference Kelly Engram provided guidance to Lyla Keizer during her Honors Creative Capstone Project 4 5 6 16 | April & May 2024 | College News College of Fine Arts and Communication | 17