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Z-SCHOOL AWARDS $122K IN SCHOLARSHIPS

TAMPA – Nearly 70 mass communications students in USF’s College of Arts and Sciences took home $122,750 from 20 scholarship funds at the annual banquet of The Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communications Thursday night in Traditions Hall at the Alumni Center.

Local radio personality Miguel Fuller of HOT 101.5 emceed the event, which included naming the Zimmerman’s School’s 26th Alumna of the Year, Mindy Thomas, class of 2001.

Thomas, a popular radio host, founded of the audio entertainment company Tinkercast. The company’s podcast Wow in the World is the first and only children’s program distributed by National Public Radio in its 49-year history and has over 26 million downloads to date.

Rod Carter of WFLA News Channel 8 was awarded the Kappa Tau Alpha (KTA) Hall of Fame Award for significant contributions to media practice in the State of Florida.

Carter’s award-winning journalism, significant community service and commitments to journalism education were recognized. He was the only local reporter embedded with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on the historic March on Washington 50th anniversary and the Selma Jubilee. He is Immediate Past President of the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists. The Zimmerman School has been awarding KTA Hall of Famers since 1978.

Six Z-School students were nominated for USF’s inaugural Eta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa: Paola Bahena Cardoso, Anh Nguyen, Roccio Raggio, Fernanda Arcay Rodriguez, Alexa Valence and Valeriya Zhuruli. Thirteen students were inducted into the USF Chapter of KTA, the national mass communications honor society. Anh Nugyen was named Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant.

Scholarships awarded included: the Adele Tyre Memorial Scholarship, the Advertising Endowed Scholarships, the Bright House Network Scholarships, the Cammie Lyn Krusoe Memorial Scholarships, the Deanne Dewey Roberts Scholarship, the Donald G. Bishop Scholarship, the Garner Rose O'Brien Halderman Endowed Scholarships, the Gary K. Bernstein Memorial Scholarships, the Jim Liguori Endowed Scholarships, the John and Jerry Wing Alexander Endowed Scholarships, the John Cassato Scholarship, the Kerry Sanders NBC News Fellowship, Michael B. Manning APR Scholarship, the Nelson E. Irving Endowed Scholarships in Photography, the Robert L. Hudson Endowed Scholarship, the Tampa Bay Television Endowed Scholarships, the Tampa Bay Times Endowed Scholarships, the Tampa Electric Company Minority Scholarships and the Walter E. Griscti Scholarship. 

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS:

Adele Tyre Memorial Scholarship:

Kaylen Alvarez

Advertising Endowed Scholarships:

Shelby Bachnik
Amber Batten
Gannon Cohen
Courtney Landis
Samantha Moffett
Darshan Patel
Chloe Robinson
Summer Slowik
Becky Smith

Bright House Network Scholarships:

Brianna Biehl
Emma Brandmaier
Garnet Brown Gordon-Somers
Arielle Duran
Megan Ghillyer
Christopher Scanlon
Gemini Thauberger

Cammie Lyn Krusoe Memorial Scholarships:

Joshua Barreto
Andrea Brito
Kamrin Bunn
Lauren Caplinger
Matthew Corrado
Dakota Garber
Melanie Margolese
Kennedy Murdock

Deanne Dewey Roberts Scholarship:

Zinah Haj Mohammad

Donald G. Bishop Scholarship in Mass Communications:

Pauline Tendoh

Garner Rose O’Brien Halderman Endowed Scholarships:

Adam Bakst
Mahmoud Bennett
Lizbeth Gutierrez

Gary K. Bernstein Memorial Scholarships:

Lyndsay Brunstetter

Jim Liguori Endowed Scholarships:

Camila Nakandakari
Candace Williamson

John and Jerry Wing Alexander Endowed Scholarships:

Lucia Acevedo
Jessica Barron
Lyndsay Brunstetter
Rachel Chastain
Rebecca Demski
Abdulrahman Elsingergy
Elena Esposito
Justin Garcia
Elysa Goldberg
Jaily Hernandez
Sheila Martinez
Inga Nafetvaridze
Paige Raburn
Janel Ramos
Jeslyn Santiago
Teresa Scavotto
Mariah Shanks
Alyssa Stewart
Olivia Weber
Rolynn Wilson

John Cassato Scholarship:

Kayley Alsina
Jessica Schmidtetter

Kerry Sanders NBC News Fellowship:

Josee Woble

Michael B. Manning APR Scholarship:

Ana Lemire

Nelson E. Erving Endowed Scholarships in Photography:

Camila Camacho
Eleni Kashis
Katelyn Williams

Robert L. Hudson Endowed Scholarship:

Margaret Urnek

Tampa Bay Television Endowed Scholarships in Mass Communications:

Jordan Gaias
Julia Nerstheimer
Salim Salem

Tampa Bay Times Endowed Scholarships:

Camila Nakandakari
Francisco Rosa

Tampa Electric Company Minority Scholarships:

Maria Espinosa
Camila Escobar

Walter E. Griscti Scholarship:

Jaiya Williams

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant:

Anh Nguyen

Kappa Tau Alpha Inductees:

Lucia Acevedo
Jessica Barron
Nada Blassy
Courtney Cadogan
Melissa Cameron
Katherine Ebner
Marina Jankovic
Tyler McConnell
Montana Modderman
Anh Nguyen
Rocio Raggio
Hannah Yechivi
Valeriya Zhuruli