On April 18th, the School of Communication hosted the annual Undergraduate Scholarship & Awards Ceremony. This event is a way to celebrate the achievements of students through awards and scholarship recognition. The school awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships, and the celebration returned to an in-person event after two years on Zoom. 

Dr. Kelly Garrett, newly-appointed director of the School of Communication, opened up the ceremony.

Top Communication Scholar was awarded to Jane Parry, and the Top Journalism Scholar was awarded to Morgan Gibbs. These awards are given to students who are the top junior-rank students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement. The Director’s Award for Achievement for the top senior majoring in communication went to Olivia DeFine.

The Robert F. Wolfe Journalism Honor Medal, the school’s oldest award, was presented to Isabella Czajkowski. Established in 1918, this award is traditionally given to a senior journalism student.

The school appreciates all of the alumni donations that make this support for students possible.

Alumni interested in helping the school fulfill its mission to make the next generation of communicators and communication scholars the best it can be can review donation opportunities.

The following students were honored with awards and scholarships for their outstanding academic and professional achievements:

• Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award: Rick Milenthal
• BASCA Scholarship: Keilah Thompson
• Bollinger-Kissell Scholarship: Jessica Barboza 
• Marsha S. Bosley Memorial Scholarship: Athena Markowski
• Michael V. DiSalle Scholarship: Steven Kishpaugh
• William Drenten Memorial Scholarship: Coby Maeir
• Charles W. Durfey Memorial Scholarship: Jasmyne Smith
• Robert W. Ferguson Award for Excellence in Writing: Evelyn Kretzer
• John B. Fullen Scholarship: Jacob Benge
• Lester C. Getzloe Memorial Scholarship: Hosna Sadaqat
• William Randolph Hearst Scholarship: Megan Husslein
• Sandra M. and Michael J. Hermanoff Scholarship: Carrington Calder
• Donald L. Kidwell Memorial Scholarship: Tyler Danburg
• George J. Kienzle Memorial Scholarship: Thomas Hanks
• Kappa Tau Alpha (KTA) Recognition of New Members: Mackenzie Shanklin, Sarah Szilagy, and Tess Wells
• Kappa Tau Alpha (KTA) Top Scholar Award: Sarah Szilagy
• Kappa Tau Alpha (KTA) Paul V. Peterson Memorial Scholarship: Mackenzie Shanklin
• Brennan Family Award for Courageous Journalism: Sarah Szilagy
• Hermanoff Lantern Editor Position: Christian Harsa
• Carolyn N. Kraft Lantern Editor Position: Gabe Ware
• Patricia B. Miller Lantern Editor Position: Arianna Smith
• John R. Oller Lantern Editor Position: Thomas Hanks
• Robert F. Wolfe Journalism Honor Medal: Bella Czajkowski
• Ann Mack Communication Technology Scholarship: Stephen Billingsley
• Judy Stewart Mesenburg Memorial Scholarship: J.D. Mooney
• Ohio Newspaper Scholarship: Jessica Sunderhaft
• James E. Pollard Memorial Scholarship: Amani Bayo
• Robert E. Schaefer Scholarship: Angela Ciarochi, Hannah Puckett, Joel Macias
• Walter W. Seifert Award: Olivia Cohen
• Stairway to Heaven Scholarship: Keilah Thompson
• Frank J. Tate Scholarship in Journalism: Arianna Smith
• Director’s Award for Achievement: Olivia DeFine
• Marcy Hill Terry Memorial Scholarship: Ligia Refalo
• Paul Underwood Endowment Scholarship: Gabe Burggraf
• Paul Williams Scholarship: Mariyam Muhammad
• Wilson Sports Writing Scholarship: Casey Smith
• Bill Zipf 4-H Scholarship: Aubrey Wright
• George E. Hammond Scholarship in Communication: Caelyn Boyd, Daniel Fogarty, Alexys Nukes
• Top Scholar Award- Communication: Jane Parry
• Top Scholar Award- Journalism: Morgan Gibbs