Scholarship, fellowship, and award recipients in The Hugh Downs School of Human Communication were guests of honor on April 25 in the Heritage room of the University Club on the Tempe campus. Scholarship donors Hugh and Ruth Downs, Kristin Bervig Valentine, Milissa Hutloff Koehler, and Christine Muldoon were there to share in the celebration along with the award winners, their families, and faculty.
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS
Several merit-based scholarships were awarded:Hugh Downs School of Human Communication Scholars Program scholarships were awarded to Alison Lynn Graham, Mimi Claire Ringness, and Karen Leslie Wisniewski.
Lynda Ann Brown was awarded the House of Broadcasting Inc. Endowment Scholarship. Rachel Ellen Harrison-Lewis was awarded the 2012 Study Abroad program scholarship.
Although they were not able to be present at the awards reception, the following students were also recognized:Cassandra Marie Smith was awarded the William & Teeny Drakos Endowed Scholarship, Steffi Chen was awarded the Gentleman Endowed Scholarship in Communication, and Katelin Anne Hodson was awarded the Louis & Louise Menk Endowed Scholarship. Jimmy Bunn was awarded the Rusty and Rosie Lyon Endowed Scholarship.
Dwayne Holmes was awarded The Kristin Bervig Valentine Undergraduate Scholarship in Performance Studies. This scholarship has been awarded annually since 2000 to undergraduate students who excel in performance studies communication classes and who made significant contributions to the study of performance through creative activity, scholarship and/or community service.
Michelle Nicole Vered was awarded the Robert & Sue Karatz Forensics Endowed Scholarship. All students with at least a 3.0 ASU GPA who are members of the Forensics Team are considered for this scholarship.
Sebastian Paz was awarded the Dean’s Medal. This is the first year this highly competitive award will be given. According to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences web site: “Honoring academic achievement, Dean’s Medals will adorn 18 of the 4,000 ASU seniors graduating with degrees in natural sciences, humanities and social sciences this spring. The medal was created by Robert E. Page, Jr., dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, to recognize the top graduating student in each of the degree-granting schools and departments in the college.”
GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
Gino Giannini was awarded the Milissa Hutloff Koehler Endowment Fellowship. This fellowship is given to a graduate student with a minimum 3.0 GPA and demonstrates ASU campus involvement that contributes toward the advancement of ASU.
Suzanne Pullen was awarded the Christine Duff Muldoon Communication Fellowship. The recipient of this award must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and will likely make important contributions to the communication discipline.
Chema Salinas was awarded the Dessie E. Larsen Graduate Fellowship. This fellowship provides support for an outstanding graduate student with the potential for great success in performance studies.
Lauren Amaro was awarded the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication Ph.D. Student Service Award in recognition of her excellent and sustained contributions to the Hugh Downs School, the University, and the communication discipline.
Gino Giannini was awarded The Hugh Downs School of Human Communication Superior PhD Student Research Award. In the last year, he has published two peer-reviewed journal articles, including a solo-authored paper in the Western Journal of Communication, two competitively selected convention papers in 2011 and two in 2012, one of which was the top student paper in health communication.
Tim Huffman was awarded The Hugh Downs School of Human Communication Outstanding Ph.D Student Teaching Award. Tim was selected for this award because of his creative course development, excellent classroom teaching, and his mentorship of undergraduate students.
Tim Huffman was also awarded The Hugh Downs School of Human Communication Ph.D. Public Scholarship & Engagement Award in recognition of his ability to effectively integrate his research interests with his interest in helping the community. He serves as Executive Director of Stand Up For Kids (SUFK), an all volunteer organization that supports homeless and at-risk youth in Maricopa County. He was recently awarded the ASU Martin Luther King Servant Leadership Award because of his service within SUFK.
Shawna Malvini Redden was awarded The Hugh Downs School of Human Communication Outstanding PhD Student Research Award. She has been a prolific scholar during her doctoral program. In the past year, she published a singly-authored article, received a top paper award, presented her research at five conferences and contributed to a federally-funded research project focusing on improving substance abuse recovery treatment.