Provided?Communication Club students and faculty pose on stage following the 16th Annual Communication Awards ceremony on April 28.
MAYS LANDING — On an evening filled with Oscar-style glitz, glamour, deserved accolades and tears of joy April 28, Atlantic Cape Community College’s Communication Awards Club hosted its 16th annual Communication Awards in the Walter E. Edge Hall Theatre.
More than 100 awards in more than 40 categories were presented to communication students, alumni, faculty and media professionals during the two-hour ceremony. The coveted Communication Major of the Year honor went to Katherine “Kat” Jaques of Buena for her exuberance and perseverance overcoming adversity. Her desire to be a leader in the Communication Club was reflected in her campaign video.
Communication Major of the Year recipient Katherine “Kat” Jaques of Buena.
Jaques said receiving the award was special since she was considering dropping out of the competition because everything was going wrong while making the video.
“I’ve been up all night, but I did it,” she said during her acceptance speech. “I am here, and I am so happy because I got this, and it really does mean everything to me.”
Four Communication Major of the Year candidates, Jaques, Olivia Matthews, Gavin Dolack and Ruby Taylor, who recorded her remarks while she is studying remotely and currently living abroad in England, spoke about why they would be the perfect choice for Major of the Year.
The evening began with students performing short skits to some of the Top 10 greatest songs of all time, such as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of Professor Forrest and Professor Thomas. This is such an important event as we take a moment to celebrate and this is really a highlight of the year,” Dean of Professional and Liberal Studies Denise Coulter said during her opening remarks. “Your nomination shows you have a talent and passion for your work. These qualities are essential to your success in college and in life. If you keep up the hard work what you may achieve is truly limitless. Your efforts make Atlantic Cape an institution of excellence and we are honored to celebrate your achievement.”
Author, mental health advocate, youth mentor, podcast host and Atlantic Cape Class of 2015 alumnus Nate Evans, Jr. of Mays Landing was recognized as the Communication Alumni of the Year.
Meanwhile, Christian Monroe of Cedar Creek High School and Kyle Warren of CharterTech High School for the Performing Arts were recognized as Faculty Pioneers for their long-time contributions to communication students in their districts.
From left, Communication Club Co-Advisor and Communication Professor Keith Forrest with Club students Katherine Jaques, Olivia Matthews and Gavin Dolack.
The award recipients are:
Newspaper Staff Awards – NJ Press Awards, Madison Scafario, Michael Bautista, Katherine Jaques, Chloe Cramutola and Dan Luna.
Gerri Black Creative Writing Awards – Best Screenplay, Liam Camp and Soleil Yakita; Best Fiction, Paul Giordano, Brya Gardella and Laci Trull; Best Poetry, Mariyah Black; Best Poetry Chapbook, Jay Corbin; Best Multi-Genre Work, Jessica White; and Rewrites, Alexis Cabrera.
Interpersonal Communication, Public Relations and Journalism Awards – Journalism Achievement, Chloe Cramutola; Best P.R. Group, Elijah Redmond, Melissa Matias and Brenna Lamon; PR Achievement, Brenna Lamon and Melissa Matias; Best Press Release, Brenna Lamon; Best Mass Media Achievement, Brenna Lamon; Best Feature Story, Haram Shahid; Best P.R. Practitioner, Haram Shahid; Interpersonal Achievement, Latona Bader, Abriannah Sanchez, Riley Finn and Miachi Williams; Best Crisis Communicator, Chloe Cramutola; and Atlantic Cape Review, Michael Bautista.
Public Speaking Awards – Public Speaking Achievement, Katherine Jaques; Best Informative Speech, Shannon Kell, Jaliyah Thompson, Caitlyn Rodriguez and Dima Dincheva; Best Persuasive Speech, Olivia Matthews, Sara Bethancourt-Cruz, Badrul Alam Ruhin, Eugene Reynolds, Mackenzie Michener, Julie Gayle and Katherine Jaques.
Theatre and Mass Media Awards – Best Comedic Scene, Michael Bautista and Francis Sargente; Best Dramatic Scene, Vivianne Martinez and Francis Sargente; Best Dramatic Monologue, Katherine Jaques; Theatre Arts Guild, Rebekah Allebach; Best Mass Media Paper, Victoria Prickett; Best Mass Media Project, Anthony Coccaro, Kyla Soria, Shayne Crowley and Madison Scafario; Best Creative Writing, Shane Crowley; Best Feature Story, Madison Scafario; Radio Club, Ethan Kresch; and Best Video Production, Navin Patterson.
Pop Music, Film and TV History Awards – Best TV History Project, Olivia Matthews, Brianna Lassiter and Charlene Maycott; Best TV History Paper, Charlene Maycott; TV History Achievement, Charlene Maycott; Communication Awards Club, Charlene Maycott; Pop Music Project, Anthony Coccaro, Victoria Prickett and Tabitha Taylor; Best Pop Music Paper, Tabitha Taylor; Pop Music Achievement, Tabitha Taylor; Best Film History Group, Cameron Main, Katherine Jaques, Paul Giordano and Brenna Lamon; Best Film History Paper; Brenna Lamon; and Film History Achievement, Brenna Lamon.
Alumni of the Year – 2023 Alumni of the Year, Nate Evans, Jr., Class of 2015.
Faculty Pioneer Awards – Christian Monroe, Cedar Creek High School and Kyle Warren, CharterTech High School for the Performing Arts.
Mentoring and Student Pioneer Awards – Mentoring, Chloe Cramutola, Kaitlin Frazier, Laura DeBlois, Alessia Ross-Terrigino, Anthony Coccaro, Dylan Ryerson, Ellie Moody, Julia Conner, Katherine Jaques, Natalie Arch, Ruby Taylor, Sebastian Bechard, Shannon Kell and Tabitha Taylor; Senior Mentors, Alexis Cabrera and Kayla Corson; Student Pioneers, Alexis Cabrera, Chloe Cramutola and Bobby Prince; Julianne Scott Volunteer Service Award, Bobby Prince; and Outstanding Academic Achievement, Chloe Cramutola.
“Atlantic Cape’s Communication program is a family. When I think of this generation, I know that our world is in very capable hands. I am very proud of the work our students do here,” Communication Professor and Communication Awards Club Co-Advisor Keith Forrest concluded.
