Excellence in Journalism Awards Communication

Abigail approaches her reporting with intelligence and insight, tackling projects with enterprise and energy. She is a strong, concise writer and keen observer who gets to the nub of the story. She pushes ahead with great purpose as she pursues her lifelong dream of a career in journalism. ~ Prof. M. Saleseon

Collin’s journalistic super power is consistency! Class after class, Collin delivers clear, thoughtful, and easy to read stories – breaking stories, feature stories, any kind of story. Every sentence he puts on the page moves the story forward. Collin is also a consistent contributor to the Fourth Estate, having served as a staff writer for three years. ~Prof. K. Sweeney

Delaney writes with clarity and brevity and has the eagle eye of an accomplished editor! But Delaney’s real super power is their ability to ask smart questions of sources. Delaney put their skills to work as the lead copy editor for the Fourth Estate, a teaching assistant for COMM 361, as an intern in Mason’s Office of Communications and Marketing, and as the Editorial Assistant for Mason Spirit. ~Profs Curry, Miller, and Sweeney

Madeline graduated in Fall 2020 with a minor in journalism and a major in Global Affairs, and almost immediately landed a job as a staff writer with Korea.net, a news portal run by the Korean Culture and Information Service. During her time as a journalism student at Mason, Madeline consistently delivered well-reported, polished news stories. She also worked as an intern for Voice of America’s Student Union, filing multiple stories during 2020 and 2021. ~Prof. Sweeney

Kirk excels in compelling writing, both hard news and features. His news reporting demonstrates precise analytical understanding of complex subjects. His feature writing shows depth -- capturing the essence of why we care -- whether writing about sports, politics or the impact of COVID on the community. ~Prof Saleson

Sudiksha Kochi brightens up the classroom, even a virtual one with her intelligence and commitment. The editors at USA Today have already recognized her skills by offering her a highly competitive summer internship at USA Today. She is off to a great career in journalism, one the Comm Department and GMU will be proud of. ~Prof Curry

Savannah is a self-starting journalist who sets high expectations for herself and delivers on those expectations! She’s a diligent reporter and crisp writer who delivers fresh copy no matter the course. Four the past year, Savannah has served as a co-senior editor for Her Campus Media, as well as working as the social media and outreach intern for Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication. ~Prof Saleson & Sweeney

Lexi writes with precision and insight, especially in long-form features. She enjoys getting into interviews, even on sensitive matters, hearing people tell their stories, and then writing those stories in a compelling fashion. In her own pursuit of excellence, she has given much to the Mason community. ~Prof Saleson

Curious. Collaborative. Consistent. Principled. These are the qualities Laura Scudder brings to every journalism project she takes on, and these are the qualities that have earned her the respect of her peers and professors. Laura is the current Co Editor-in-Chief of the Fourth Estate and serves as an intern for Voice of America’s Student Union, and she is the former president of SPJ. ~Prof Saleseon & Sweeney

Whenever students had a choice of topic for a given assignment, Ross always tasked himself with a challenging one, often applying his considerate editorial skills to communicate esoteric materials into news content that the everyday news consumer would understand. He has already achieved leadership positions on campus and at the influential website DistrictDock. And is heading off to the prestigious Medill School at Northwestern in the fall. ~Prof Curry & Sweeney

Alexa’s writing is compelling, insightful and entertaining. She is tenacious reporting hard news, writing with precision. She excels in features, getting into angles and nuances others might miss. She is determined to achieve her goal of writing long-form for media such as The New Yorker. ~Prof Saleson