2025-2026 student award and scholarship recipients

Updated May 19, 2026

Congratulations to these College of Media students who received campus and college awards and honors, and scholarships and fellowships that were made possible thanks to our donors.

HONORS

Bronze Tablet
Inscription on the Bronze Tablets in the Main Library recognizes students ranking in the top three percent of their graduating class.

• Amanda Barry
• Christina Kivarkis
• Hailey Kotowski
• Mallory Miller
• Adelyn Mui
• Layli Nazarova
• Sydney Populorum
• Konrad Przeczek
• Lauren Redenius
• Benjamin Shlau
• Kara Yoo
• Jiaying Zhou

Highest Honors
Highest Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors in the top five percent of their graduating class.

• Audrie Ballard
• Amanda Barry
• Emily Chen
• Christina Kivarkis
• Hailey Kotowski
• Jenny Lin
• Mallory Miller
• Adelyn Mui
• Layli Nazarova
• Sydney Populorum
• Konrad Przeczek
• Lauren Redenius
• Yingying Ren
• Benjamin Shlau
• Kara Yoo
• Jiaying Zhou

High Honors
High Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors in the top 10 percent of their graduating class.

• Nicole Amrhein
• Samantha Barajas
• Sam Brody-Goldberg
• Ruoxuan Chen
• Reis Glover
• Lauren Keith
• Mattie Kennel
• Ava Kolodziej
• Caitlyn Land
• Christopher LaPorte
• Rory McFadden
• Justin Meyers
• Charles Michaels
• Kendall O’Keefe
• Caroline Pulford
• Katherine Ratke
• Heejae Shin
• Lillian Paige Walk
• Zhuoyi Wu

Honors
Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors in the top 20 percent of their graduating class.

• Thanistha Bisalputra
• Natalie Circolone
• Li Deng
• Elie Dixon
• Kyle Ehrenhaft
• Rawan El-Bawab
• Siyi Gao
• Lillian Garski
• Raegan Gooding
• Jillian Grabowski
• Megan Harding
• Macy Hull
• Eunsung Koh
• Kate Lamb
• Shirley Ma
• Maria Mancero
• Haley Maser
• Ryan McGee
• Connor Micklos
• Drew Mutchnik
• Kaitlyn Nichols
• Kyu Ha Nick Park
• Piper Pascarella
• Mary Piacente
• Humza Qazi
• Mariana Quezada Marquez
• Eduardo Quintana
• Chen Tu
• Sofia Walters

James Scholars
This university-wide honors program encourages James Scholars to develop skills in leadership and service, research or honors coursework, service learning and global studies, and professional development.

• Samantha Barajas
• Amanda Barry
• Diyosa Funk
• Reis Glover
• Raegan Gooding
• Sofia Kanda
• Eunsung Koh
• Hailey Kotowski
• Megan Krok
• Christopher LaPorte
• Peirong Li
• Jenny Lin
• Haley Maser
• Mallory Miller
• Nathan Murphy
• Layli Nazarova
• Kaitlyn Nichols
• Kendall O’Keefe
• Humza Qazi
• Katherine Ratke
• Madeline Santori
• Sydney Spotts
• Megan Ashley Wood

Kappa Tau Alpha
This college honor society recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication.

• Jenny Lin
• Mallory Miller
• Layli Nazarova
• Lauren Redenius
• Jiaying Zhou

Senior 100 Honorary
This campus honor recognizes academics, leadership, service, and engagement at the University of Illinois.

• Emma Biallas
• Sofia Kanda
• Shivam Patel
• Katerina Souleles
• Sydney Spotts

AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS, & FELLOWSHIPS

A-Mark Journalism Master’s Scholarship

• Kaniz Fatema

American Advertising Federation Most Promising Students

• Odinakachukwu (Odi) Ogbuefi
• Claire-Michelle Sweet
• Kara Yoo

Anthony J. Petullo Endowment in Design and Advertising Fund

• Alexandra Ehrhart
• Zixuan (Zia) Lu

Barton A. Cummings Graduate Assistantship / Richard and Audrey Christian Graduate Assistantship

• Tunga Jois
• Michelle Martinez

Betty Hinckle Dunn Memorial Fund in Journalism

• Annisyn Krebs-Carr

Bill Geist Broadcast Journalism Writing Prize

• Mary Piacente

Brett Lerner Memorial Scholarship in Journalism

• Sijie (Jenny) Lin

C&U Poster Advertising Company Scholarship

• Tomi Dugbo

C. Arthur and Eleanor Hemminger Scholarship

• Karys Boeriu
• Yueming Gong
• Yash Jagtap
• Sofia Kanda
• Tiffany Liu
• Rory McFadden
• Diego Miranda
• Konrad Przeczek
• Claire-Michelle Sweet

 C.O. “Doc” Erickson Scholarship in Journalism

• Eunsung (Anna) Koh

Calvin Hugy Scholarship

• Gabriella Blangiardo
• Nevin McVicar
• Kris Modi

Cardiss Collins Scholarship for Advertising Studies Fund

• Kayla Robinson

Carl and Ruth S. Stephens Scholarship

• Brendan Gallian
• Isabella Lazansky
• Maraya Petrova
• Liliana Rodriguez
• Madison (Maddie) Shaw

Charles G. Sotir Journalism Scholarship

• Michael Sweeney

Clifford G. Christians Institute of Communications Research Career Advancement Fund

• Tingyu Chen

College of Media Alumni Scholarship

• Eduardo Quintana

College of Media Annual Fund Scholarship

• Brianna Alvarado
• Eli Kennel
• Danielle Mitchell
• Sophia Negrete
• Livia Nigro
• Josslyn Ostrom
• Isabella (Izzy) Phillips
• Rein Phone
• Mary (Molly) Sloan
• Elianna Williams

College of Media Dean’s Honors Scholarship

• Thea Abang
• Denise Aguilar
• Maya Brito
• Samantha (Sammy) Hernandez
• Laila Hinton
• Allison Ibarrientos
• Jaelynn Isbendy
• Quinn Isberg
• Calli Kraft
• Aria Manfroi
• Jocelyn Melchor
• Gabriel Montano
• Noor Najjar
• Isaiah Rohn
• Yoselin Sanchez-Miran
• Jenna Sissom
• Joseph Tempel
• Megan Weiss

College of Media Endowed Scholarship

• Yufan Du
• Elena Janeva
• Ella Yoder

Cynthia Browne Placek Endowed Scholarship

• Kennedy Caldwell

Daily Illini Journalism Scholarship Fund

• Sofia Boddy
• Qyler Bowie
• Adam Edwards
• Mariana Quezada Marquez
• Alexandra Murphy
• Emily Nnodi
• Mary Piacente
• Lillien Salas
• Zachary Shapero
• Evelyn (Evy) York

Daniel and Nancy Balz Endowed Fund in Journalism

• Edgar Nava Garcia
• Josephine (Richelle) Gunawan
• Evelyn (Evy) York

David Shaul Endowed Scholarship in Journalism

• Mariana Quezada Marquez

Dawn M. Turner and Kim D. Turner Endowed Scholarship in Media

• Taya Brown

Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell Scholarship

• Ben Shlau

Department of Journalism Scholarship

• Faith Routley

Donald E. Chamberlain Journalism Scholarship

• Prayse Odomes

Donald P. Mullally Internship at Illinois Public Media

• Grace Merki

Ed Wilks Memorial Scholarship in Journalism

• Giuliana Means

Florence Hood Miner Scholarship in Journalism

• Jahzara Norris

Florence J. Johnson Scholarship

• Yidan (Lisa) Hu
• Peirong (Zoe) Li
• Yuechen (Bonnie) Li
• Nathaniel Murphy
• Odi Ogbuefi
• Atharva Sindwani
• Zakk Wolovich
• Megan Wood

Forsyth Family Endowed Scholarship

• Karys Boeriu

George Will Endowed Scholarship

• Emily Chen

Gerald P. Johnson Scholarship

• Gabriel Alpher
• Andrew Burkey
• Eli Mitzenmacher

Gerald Robert Bland Scholarship

• Amelia Benson

Glenn Hanson Scholarship in Visual Communication

• Knox Mynatt

Glenn Holman Roberts Journalism Scholarship

• Piotr Fedczuk

Goldie Maxine Cord and Marcus Franklin Cord Scholarship

• Anthony Geritano

H. Maxine Gladding Greenwood Scholarship

• Temitola (Temi) Akinyemi

Harold E. and Dorothy Johnson Sortor Journalism Scholarship

• David Lyle

Harold Gustave Roettger Memorial Award

• Amanda Barry
• Mallory Miller
• Adelyn Mui
• Layli Nazarova
• Sydney Populorum
• Konrad Przeczek
• Jiaying Zhou

Helen C. and Theodore B. Peterson Scholarship

• Sarah Slattery

Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Scholars Graduate Fellowship

• Dwayne Banks
• Rocio de la Rosa Vasquez
• Kaniz Fatema
• Reed Lofstedt

Ian Fleming Foundation Undergraduate Research Scholarship

• Yufan Du
• Yidan (Lisa) Hu
• Yuhan Zhou

Illinois Broadcasters Association Scholarship in Broadcast Journalism

• Liliana Rodriguez

Iris Chang Journalism Award

• Katie Dalton

J. Christopher and Robin N. Kaler Scholarship

• Jonathan Mathew

James Webb Young Travel Fund

• Jiyeon Chang
• Kirby Cook
• Yujin Lee
• Jiayi (Joy) Wang

Jay Lin Scholarship

• Valerie Oviedo

Jenny Lenzini Memorial Scholarship

• Adelyn Mui

Joe Sutton Honorary Scholarship

• Evelyn (Evy) York

Joel D. and Analee Weisman Scholarship

• Nathan Gonzalez
• Megan Krok

John R. Foreman Scholarship

• Emily Burciaga
• Ashley Howerter
• Layli Nazarova
• Cooper O’Kelly
• Ella Peterson
• Fernanda Romero
• Alyssa Thomas

John H. and Sylvia N. Schacht Memorial Scholarship

• Paige Walk

John Russell Heitman Fellowship

• Farah Bassyouni

Jonathan Laxamana Award in Student Filmmaking

• TBD

Jonathan Laxamana Endowment Fund

• Kris Modi

Judy Blasdell Bligh Journalism Endowed Scholarship

• Jonathan Mathew

Jules and Jody Anne Becker Scholarship

• Eunsung (Anna) Koh

Karen Lucas Petitte Endowed Scholarship in Journalism

• Brendan Gallian
• Megan Krok
• Mallory Miller

Klues Scholars

• Mia Avila
• Andrea De La Torre
• Kamron King
• Larimar Rivera
• Alanna Ross
• Evita Zimmerman

Lulu Kelly Nardine Awards

• Elissa Eaton
• Mallory Miller
• Mary Piacente

Lynne Blanton Student Travel Fund

• Jiyon Chang
• Jennifer Cintron
• Haochen Ji
• Youngin Kang
• Ji Won Oh
• Se Il Park
• Wei Xiao

Marian and Barney Brody Creative Feature Article Writing Awards in Journalism

• Adelyn Mui – 1^st place – “More than a holiday tradition: Reindeer are a way of life at the Hardy Ranch in Rantoul”
• Mackenzie (Mack) Jones – 2^nd place – “Horses Nap on their Farm”
• Sijie (Jenny) Lin – 3^rd place – “Urbana will explore alternatives to mental health crisis intervention without police involvement”

Marilyn Miller Kaytor Fellowship

• Colae Eason
• Claire McDaniel

Marilyn Miller Kaytor Scholarships

• Felicity Abbott
• Sonja Aghakhan
• Chloe Barbarise
• Amelia Benson
• Taylor Casey
• Jean-Luc Charles
• Kathryn Dalton
• Edgar Nava Garcia
• Mackenzie Jones
• Haley Maser
• Giuliana Means
• Kyle Murry
• Amanda Muscia
• Layli Nazarova
• Cooper O’Kelly
• Jude Panlilio
• Addison Petrinos
• Humza Qazi
• Ford Quaintance
• Samuel Rink
• Liliana Rodriguez
• Penelope Roewe
• Fernanda Romero
• Riley Shankman
• Tristan Starzec
• Cora Steele
• Alexandria Tatman
• Paige Whiteside

Mark L. Brandt Public Engagement Fellows Program Fund

• Andrei Badulescu
• Mariah Brooks
• Ruoxuan (Christina) Chen
• Kaitlyn Devitt
• Oluwatomi Dugbo
• Paige Gaines
• Megan Harding
• Kris Modi
• Adelyn Mui
• Ektarit (Gus) Nophaket
• Joy Wu

Mary Fulton Rothermel Fellowship

• Yi (Sarah) Lin

Maureen Moore Memorial Fellowship in Advertising

• Seo Jeong Heo
• Tianxuan (Nikki) Wu

Murray Kalis Awards for Creativity in Advertising

• Paige Walk – Best Single Ad
• Christina Kivarkis – Best Portfolio
• Jacklynn Cartwright – Best Campaign

Nancy Ronald and Ronald L. Hartshorn Internship Fund

• Felicity Abbott
• Nathan Gonzalez

Neil and Lynn Gissler Experiential Learning Fund

• Brooke Babbington
• Vanessa Benavides
• Taya Brown
• Ange Chang
• Madelyn (Maddy) Collier
• Yosef Fissahye
• Gracieanna (Gracie) Gordon
• Cooper Haynes
• Alayna Irby
• Eli Kennel
• Hailey Kotowski
• Madeline (Maddie) Kraus
• Sara Kulesza
• Mora Lozar
• Alessandra Lugo
• Valery Mayorga
• Odinakachukwu (Odi) Ogbuefi
• Sarah Page
• Emma Roedder
• Kathryn San Roman
• Sydney Spotts
• Kambyl Stipes
• Georgia Sussenbach
• Claire-Michelle Sweet

Nelio A. Florio and Patricia M. Florio Scholarship in Journalism

• Sarah Slattery

Paul C. Fulton Scholarship

• Hailey Kotowski
• Christopher LaPorte

Paul Schrage-McDonald’s Fellowship in Advertising

• Seo Jeong Heo

Raymond O. Torr Memorial Scholarship in Journalism

• Cooper O’Kelly

Richard Hildwein Memorial Photojournalism Award

• Samuel Yohnka

Richard Tuttle and Lois Marie Orr Endowment Scholarship

• Grace Bernstein
• Jaedynn Clark
• Chloe Plyler
• Katherine Ratke
• Samuel Rink
• Abby Timm
• Samuel Yohnka

Robert N. and Lorraine M. Wilt Scholarship

• Mariah Brooks

Robert O. Endres Endowed Internship at Illinois Public Media

• Stephanie Orellana

Roger Ebert Fellows in Media Criticism

• Paige Gaines
• Amir Rehab
• Jin Wang

S. Watson and Elizabeth S. Dunn Fellowship

• Kirby Cook

Schlueter Family Endowed Fund for Internships in Journalism

• Mariana Quezada Marquez

Veronica Pontarelli Toussaint and Dr. Paul Toussaint Scholarship

• Justin Meyers

Wilkey Scholarship for Print Journalism

• Olivia Dvorak