Area students attending Fort Hays State University were recently announced as award winners in the Kansas Professional Communicators state competition. The conference at which the winners were announced was at Bethany College, Lindsborg.
“Students who place first at the state level have the opportunity to go on and compete nationally through KPC’s parent organization, the National Federation of Press Women,” said Linn Ann Huntington, professor of communication studies. “Students must be members of the NFPW to compete nationally.”
National winners will be announced at the National Federation of Press Women’s Conference from Sept. 20 to Sept. 21 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“All of the entries were part of service learning projects created in public relations, advertising and journalism classes taught by Dr. Hsin-Yen Yang, assistant professor of communication studies, and Dr. Qingjiang Yao, assistant professor of communication studies, and me,” said Huntington. “News, feature and investigative reporting entries were published in The Hays Daily News or the University Leader campus newspaper.”
Every year, four $500 Kansas Professional Communicators scholarship are given away to outstanding Kansas communication students. This year Kara Hackney, Hays junior, received one of the four scholarships.
“This scholarship will greatly aid me in continuing my education at Fort Hays State University as I pursue my bachelor’s degree in communication studies,” said Hackney. “As any present or past college student knows, every little bit of financial aid helps, and I extend my sincere gratitude to KPA and the scholarship committee for making these funds available to me.”
Students listed as special students instead of as freshman or sophomores, etc., are students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree and are now working on another degree or are taking classes for other reasons.
Winners, with their classifcations, awards and the categories, are listed below:
- Ellis: Jeremy Lovin, a graduate student majoring in instructional technoloy, placed third in the professional category of Investigative Reporting.
- Hays : Bryan Gilligan, a graduate student majoring in art, placed first in Collegiate Writing for the Web: Not-for-Profit, Government or Educational Organization Site.
- Hays : Samantha Drees, a sophomore majoring in communication, placed third in Collegiate Public Relations Campaign for a Non-Profit or Educational Institution.
- Hays : Natalie Fisher, a junior majoring in communication, placed third in Collegiate Public Relations Campaign for a Non-Profit or Educational Institution.
- Hays : Jenna Rolland, a special student majoring in communication, received an honorable mention in Collegiate Public Relations Campaign for a Business.
- Mengzi Yunnan, China : Ziqi Zhuang, a graduate student majoring in communication, received an honorable mention in Collegiate News Writing for newspaper, Magazine, or Special supplement.
- Hays : Kara Hackney, a junior majoring in communication, won a $500 Kansas Professional Communicators Scholarship.,
All totaled, sixteen Fort Hays State students earned awards in the state competition.