UFCJC Alumni, Faculty, Staff and Students Honored at 2026 College Awards Banquet
The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) annual Awards Banquet on April 10, 2026, celebrated the achievements of students, faculty and staff and honored five new alumni Hall of Fame members.
- James Dupree, B.S. Broadcasting 1985
- Eric Esteban, B.S. Journalism 2006
- Artie Kempner, B.S. Public Relations 1981
- Mary Shedden, B.S. Journalism 1990
- Mark Swanson, B.S. Telecommunication 1997
Faculty and Staff Award winners:
- Faculty Research Award: Kun Xu
- Faculty Service Award: Elizabeth “Lissy” Calienes
- Faculty Mentor of the Year: Elizabeth “Lissy” Calienes
- Teacher of the Year: Ryan Hunt
- Adjunct Teacher of the Year: Bryan Ruiz
- Professional Advisor of the Year: Layne Weitzel
- Staff Superior Accomplishment Award: Nathan Carpenter
2026 CJC Legends inductees:
- Faculty: Mickie Edwardson
- Faculty: Jon Roosenraad
Graduate and Research Award winners:
- The Julie Dodd Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award: Chris DeFelice
- Outstanding Student Research Award: Chris DeFelice
- Outstanding Master’s Student: Tse-hsi Chien
- Outstanding Master’s Student, Online: Edward W. Niser
Advertising Award winners:
- Outstanding Advertising Scholar: Ian Brent Colston, Samantha Stillmunks, Sharyl Marie McGlynn, Trevor Zuelch
- Joseph R. Pisani Service Award: Isabella Abouhana
- Robert Glafcke Award: Brenna Alderman
- Richard W. McGinnis Professional Promise Award: Sofia Morales-Guzman
- John Sutherland Great Ideas Award: Samantha Stillmunks
- Marshall Respess Award: Nicole Batista
Journalism Award winners:
- Outstanding Journalism Scholar: Nicolette De Value and Rebecca Marks
- John Paul Jones Jr. Award: Alissa Gary
- Elmer Emig Award: Nicole Beltran
- G. “Buddy” Davis Award: Alex Land
- Jean Chance Service Award: Lee Ann Anderson
- Jon Roosenraad Society of Professional Journalists Award: Garrett Shanley
- WJXT-TV Award: Juan Carlos Chaoui
Media Production, Management, and Technology Award winners:
- Outstanding Scholar: Raegan DiRenzo, Caroline Eaton, Jacob Islam and Sarah Leon
- May Burton Award: Sarah Leon
- Major Garland Powell Award: Carolina Rosanelli Tortorelli
- Leslie Smith Management Award: Matthew van Wert
Public Relations Award winners:
- Outstanding Public Relations Scholar: Grace Anderson, Ava Markel, Silvana Noriega, Saravia, Abigal Schenker and Maya Vaidya
- Frank F. Rathbun PRSSA Award: Elena Limonta
- Charles Wellborn Service Award: Kayla Docteur
- Jack Detweiler Professional Promise in Public Relations Award: Eva Pantoja
- Florida Public Relations Association Award: Silvana Noriega Saravia
Media Properties Award winners:
- Kenneth A. Christiansen Award: Maria Avlonitis
- Frank Counts TV Award for Outstanding Television News Production and Creative Services: Kimberly Blum
- Jon Quattlebaum Award: Hayli Balgobin
- Ralph L. Lowenstein Broadcast News Award: Gabriel Velasquez-Neira
- Doris Bardon Award for Overall Excellence in Broadcasting at WUFT-FM: Sara-James Ranta
- Walter “Red” Barber Award: Liana Handler
- Excellence in Digital Media Award: Nicole Borman
- Excellence in Media Leadership: Emily Drelick and Mikayla Johnson
- Excellence in Multimedia Meteorology Award: Aiden Wacksman
- Excellence in Spanish-Language Media Award: Oriana Torre
College-Wide Student Award winners:
- Dean’s Cup for Scholarship: Grace Anderson, Ian Brant Colston, Nicolette De Value, Raegan DiRenzo, Carolina Eaton, Jacob Islam, Sarah Leon, Ava Markel, Rebecca Marks, Sharyl Marie McGlynn, Silvana Noriega Saravia, Abigail Schenker, Samantha Stillmunks, Maya Vaidya, Trevor Zuelch
- Dean’s Cup for Service: Lee Ann Anderson, Carolina Rosanelli Tortorelli
- Dean’s Cup for Professional Promise: Sofia Morales-Guzman, Garrett Shanley
- Ruth and Rae O. Weimer Award: Sarah Leon, Silvana Noriega Saravia
The 2026 awards were presented at Hilton University of Florida Conference Center in Gainesville, Florida.
A photo gallery of the banquet is available at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1520259126546327&type=3
Category: Alumni News, College News, Student News
Tagged: Artie Kempner Elizabeth Calienes Eric Esteban James Dupree Kun Xu Layne Weitzel Mark Swanson Mary Shedden Nathan Carpenter Ryan Hunt
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