Class of 2020 Commencement events to be held Sept. 17-19

Syracuse University will host a Commencement ceremony—delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic—and other celebratory events for the Class of 2020 during the weekend of Sept. 17–19.  

Commencement will be held Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. at the Stadium. This University-wide ceremony, where Syracuse University Chancellor and President Kent Syverud will formally confer degrees, is for all undergraduate, graduate and doctoral candidates. Doors open at 8 a.m.

Following Commencement, all 2020 Newhouse graduates and their families are invited to join Dean Mark J. Lodato and the faculty and staff for a celebratory reception. The event will include a dean’s welcome, recognition of participating graduates and an opportunity to reconnect with faculty. A precise time and location will be announced soon; stay tuned for details.

For more information about Commencement activities for the Class of 2020, see the event listing.

2024 Newhouse Student Awards Roundup

It’s student award season! Here are the Newhouse students who have been recognized so far this spring semester for their outstanding work. Check back for updates.

Society of News Design

Newhouse students and campus media outlets took home 11 awards including three top prizes in this year’s Society for News Design’s Student Design Contest.

Best-Designed Student Magazine, First Place: Moody Magazine

            Second Place: Jerk

Best-Designed Student News Website, Third Place: ZippedMag.net by Zipped magazine

Special Section Design, First Place: “The Daily Orange 4/20 Guide 2023” by Bridget Overby and Santiago Noblin 

Standalone Multimedia, First Place: “Phone Scammers Wreak Havoc on Americans and Their Wallets” by Emily Baird and Matthew Brodsky (Infodemic)

            Second Place: “Scammers Target College Campuses With Phishing Emails” by Emily Baird, Ryan Stephens, Chris Scarglato, Natalia Deng Yuan (Infodemic)

Digital Storytelling Design, Second Place: “Infodemic” by Natalia Deng Yuan and Emily Baird

Magazine Cover Design, Second Place: Moody Magazine’s “Foody” issue by Jennie Bull, Mia Hernandez, Emma Lueders, Emma Barbosa 

Art & Illustration Design, Third Place: “Mom’s Magic Touch” by Jinning Wang (Baked)

            Honorable Mention: “Embracing AI” by Bridget Overby, Flynn Ledoux (The Daily Orange)

            Honorable Mention: “Love is Love” by Samantha Mai Currier (The NewsHouse)

2024 SND Student Design Contest 

Syracuse Press Club Awards

Newhouse School students and members of the WAER staff were recognized with 20 honors including eight First Place awards in this year’s Syracuse Press Club Awards.

Newhouse Students and Staff Shine at 2024 Syracuse Press Club Awards

Society of Professional Journalists

Newhouse students had a great showing at the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Mark of Excellence Awards with 10 winners and 17 finalists. The winners will advance to compete against other SPJ regional winners for the national Mark of Excellence Awards announced this summer.

Newhouse Students Win 10 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards

Syracuse University Scholars

Nicole Aponte and Yasmin Nayrouz were among the 12 seniors named as 2024 Syracuse University Scholars, the highest undergraduate honor the University bestows. 

2024 Syracuse University Scholars Announced

Hearst

Newhouse School senior Chilekasi Adele took top prize this spring in the Television News competition at the prestigious Hearst Journalism Awards. Adele was among several Newhouse students honored by the Hearst Journalism Awards as the competition announced winners over the past few months.

Newhouse Student Wins First Place at Prestigious Hearst Journalism Awards 

White House Correspondent Association Scholarship

Magazine, news and digital journalism sophomore Danielle Blyn is one of 30 students from 16 colleges and universities around the country to be selected for the White House Correspondent Association Scholarship.

2024 Scholarship Winners Announced

Berlin Indie Film Festival

Alexandra Siambekos ’23 won the Best First Time Director, Documentary award in the Berlin Indie Film Festival’s monthly competition. She won for her documentary film “The Keepers of Manari,” which served as Siambekos’s honors thesis while she was a television, radio and film student at Newhouse. 

Newhouse Students Honored in Berlin Indie Film Festival, White House Eyes of History Contest

The White House News Photographers Association

Four Newhouse students earned accolades in this year’s Eyes of History contest—sponsored by The White House News Photographers Association—including three wins for broadcast and digital journalism (BDJ) senior Nicole Aponte and a First Place honor for BDJ senior John Perik. 

Newhouse Students Honored in Berlin Indie Film Festival, White House Eyes of History Contest

Broadcast Education Association

Newhouse School students and their projects had a phenomenal showing at the 2024 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts with 25 awards, including a Best of Festival honor for the The NewsHouse‘s “Infodemic” reporting project and five First Place wins. 

Newhouse Students Win 25 Awards at BEA Festival of Media Arts

Graphic Design USA

Seven Newhouse School students each won an American Graphic Design Award for their design projects at the 60th annual Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) showcase. It was a remarkable showing in a competition with over 8,000 entries.

Newhouse Students Win 7 GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards

Graphis

Newhouse graphic design majors and multimedia, photography and design graduate students won 22 awards across several categories in this year’s design competition.

Silver

Stamps
Alex Ryberg Gonzalez 
Nicole Beaudet 
Samantha Swiss 
Hailey Lawless 

Type Design
Darren Cordoviz 
Quinn Carletta 

Honorable Mentions

Poster
Ally Manziano 
Elliot Rosenberg-Rappin 
Charlotte Little 

Illustration
Ally Manziano 

Product Design
Olivia Doe

Stamps
Charlotte Little 
Ally Manziano 
Amelia Flinchbaugh 
Lior Edrich 
Elizabeth Vogt 

Type Design
Ita Kim 
Ethan Rujak 
Dean Lourenco 
Cayla Israel 
Zhengrong Chai 
Jonathan Wideman 

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

Newhouse students and faculty earned five Gold honors and swept the video/film and advertising categories in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) 2023-2024 VIMFest Contest. The work will be featured at the AEJMC national conference in Philadelphia in August.

Large School (10,000+ )​ Schoolwide/Multi-class Media Project, Gold – Infodemic by The Infodemic Staff
Student – Video/Film, Gold – Murphy McFarlane​, “Full Circle”

• Silver – Collin Bell, “Bets on a Burning Farm”
• Bronze – Will Birks, Tien Tran, Brett Rood and Jacob Dean, “44 Films: SyraCruz”
• Honorable Mention – L.J. Guerra, Elizabeth Coleman and Justin Dalaba, “Scarification”
• Honorable Mention – Tien Tran, “44 Films: Home”

Student – Advertising, Gold – Brooke Hirsch​ and Charlotte Shea, “Digital Blackout”

• Silver – Matthew Powers​ and Jasmine Chin, “Cruelty Rebranded” 
• Bronze – Meiling Xiong, “The Necessity in Continuation”

• Honorable Mention –  Noah Lourie​ and Dashawn Austin, “Second Favorite Arch”
• Honorable Mention – Tori Aragi and Kayla Beck, “Avoidable Reality”

Student – Interactive and Motion Design, Gold – Emily Baird, “Metanoia”
Faculty – Advertising, Gold – Milton Santiago and Jason Lozada, “Infodemic Launch Spot”

Bella Tabak is Fashionably Flying Through Newhouse

In her seemingly rare moments of spare time as a Newhouse School student and co-editor of University Girl magazine, Bella Tabak can be found being launched through the air during athletic events at the JMA Wireless Dome as a member of the Syracuse University Cheer Team. 

Tabak was so busy one day this past semester that she even showed up at Newhouse in her cheer gear before sprinting to the Dome to assume her lofty role as Cheer Team flyer. She was determined not to miss class.  

“I try and balance it, but sometimes I have to [prioritize] one over the other,” said Tabak, who will be a junior in the fall. “But if I could be in two places at once, I definitely would be.” 

Like many of her many Newhouse classmates, Tabak balances academics, extracurriculars and personal interests in filling her schedule. Those three areas intersect with her work at University Girl, fulfilling a passion for writing and desire to bring sustainable fashion practices to the forefront. 

A magazine, news and digital journalism (MND) major, Tabak began her journey with University Girl the summer before starting college at Syracuse. When trying out for the Syracuse Cheer Team in her senior year of high school, the eastern Connecticut native heard from a friend on the team who also worked at University Girl. She recommended Tabak for the staff, too.  

“I ended up following [University Girl] and they posted something about how they were taking summer interns. I said, ‘Well, I’m not on campus yet, but I’ll just see. The worst that they could say was no,’” Tabak explained. “Then I ended up interning for them over the summer.” 

Less than two years later, she’s the co-editor-in-chief alongside MND senior Ellie Batten, who graduated this May. They make editorial decisions and provide direction to writers, editors, designers and photographers.  

Tabak’s favorite part of the job is writing and giving feedback to other writers.  

“Being able to make sure that my vision for my own piece is achieved – because I’m the one running the show – is very, very nice,” she said. “So much goes into [the magazine] and to be able to help guide all of the other, amazing talented women into creating something like the print magazine is super exciting.”  

Tabak was undeclared in the College of Arts and Sciences for her first year. Though she always loved writing in middle school and high school, she said she “never thought that it would be a profitable career for me, so I never really looked into it until I got to college.”  

After spending her first year at Syracuse writing for University Girl, Tabak decided to pursue a career in fashion and pop culture journalism.  

“That’s when I was like, ‘I need to switch to Newhouse,’” she said, transferring into the school before the start of sophomore year in fall 2023.  

Within Newhouse, Tabak also joined the Fashion and Beauty Communications Milestone, a partnership between Newhouse and the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). The program gives her priority access to Newhouse and VPA classes about the fashion and beauty industry. 

Using those resources, Tabak hopes to pursue a career in sustainable fashion journalism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she researched fast fashion, which is cheap, trendy clothing that’s mass produced and quickly shipped to retail stores, leaving massive amounts of waste and pollution in its wake. 

“I found out about how horrible it is for the environment… so I started researching how I can stay away from this. I got super into thrifting,” she said.  

Tabak took a course last semester about sustainable fashion. She said the course gave her the opportunity to combine her new knowledge of sustainable fashion with her passion for journalism. In the spring 2024 print edition of University Girl, which dropped May 3, Tabak wrote an article all about sustainability in fashion and reducing overconsumption, called “A Beginner’s Guide to Slow Fashion.”  

With the magazine finally out, Tabak jumps right into running the University Girl summer internship, which two years ago opened the magazine’s door for her. But she’s also reflecting on the work she’s done.

“Since the semester is over and I’ve looked back on all the stuff that I’ve accomplished with University Girl just this semester, I do feel really proud of myself because it takes so much.” 

Byron Allen to Receive Dressler Leadership Award at 2024 Mirror Awards

Byron Allen, the founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, will receive the Fred Dressler Leadership Award at the 2024 Mirror Awards on June 13 in New York City.

Headquartered in Los Angeles,  Allen Media Group  owns 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 U.S. markets and 12 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 300 million subscribers. Allen Media Group is the first African American-owned multi-platform media company producing and distributing wide-release motion pictures and content for all platforms.

The Dressler Award is given to individuals or organizations that have made distinct and consistent contributions to the public’s understanding of the media. Past recipients include: Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent at PBS; Jorge Ramos, anchor with Univision Noticias; Sheila Nevins, executive producer and former president of HBO Documentary Films and Family for Home Box Office; legendary journalist Tom Brokaw of NBC; and Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times.

MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, an award-winning nonprofit digital newsroom in Memphis, Tennessee, focused on the intersection of poverty, power and policy, will be honored with the Lorraine Branham IDEA Award. Accepting the award will be founding editor and publisher Wendi C. Thomas.

Established in 2021 in honor of late Newhouse Dean Emerita Lorraine Branham, the IDEA Award recognizes a media organization that has worked to promote inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility over the previous year. Specifically, the award acknowledges the hiring and development of leadership talent who create change, both to the organizations they oversee and the content they produce. The inaugural Lorraine Branham IDEA Award went to Brown Girls Doc Mafia. Previous recipients also include The 19th News and Amplifier.

Master of Ceremonies

CNN anchor and national correspondent Erica Hill will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening. An award-winning journalist and veteran of morning TV news , Hill most recently anchored HLN’s “On the Story with Erica Hill,” a daily, New York-based daytime news program. 

During her CNN tenure, Hill co-hosted six CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall specials for families about COVID-19, one of which earned the network’s first-ever Daytime Emmy Award nomination. Hill was also part of an NBC News team that won a Peabody Award in 2013. Two years later, the Alliance for Women in Media honored her with the Gracie Award for Outstanding Correspondent.

About the Mirror Awards

The Dressler and IDEA awards are the featured non-juried prizes at the annual Mirror Awards event. The ceremony will be held again this year at the Edison Ballroom in midtown Manhattan.

Established by the Newhouse School in 2006, the Mirror Awards honor the reporters, editors and teams of writers who hold a mirror to their own industry for the public’s benefit.

The competition is open to anyone who conducts reporting, commentary or criticism of the media industries in a format intended for a mass audience. Eligible work includes print, broadcast and online editorial content focusing on the development or distribution of news and entertainment. Winners are chosen by a group of journalists and journalism educators.

To Live and Learn in LA: The Newhouse LA Experience

If I had to sum up my experience in Los Angeles during the Syracuse University Dick Clark Los Angeles Program—which houses the Newhouse LA program—with one phrase, it would be “more than worth the price of admission.”

As someone who was born and raised on the East Coast, I always wondered what it would be like to live in Los Angeles. Before committing to Syracuse University, I was even interested in attending schools like the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. The Newhouse LA program allowed me to spend a semester in a city I might never have had the chance to live in otherwise, and now, I have roots here that will extend far beyond my time here this semester.

From the moment I arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport, I felt as if I was in a totally different world than Syracuse—and that was OK. There is no doubt that there was a transition period. From the time difference to the lowest temperature being in the mid 50s in January (although no complaints there), I knew immediately that I wasn’t in Upstate New York.

Instead of living in a South Campus apartment, I was treated to a beautifully modern apartment in Burbank with amenities like pools and a gym, among other things. And although certain buildings on the Syracuse campus —like Newhouse—are stunning in their own right, the Los Angeles program campus is brand new and has a premium feel to it. Syracuse University does an excellent job of providing everything a student needs to feel as comfortable as they would feel on campus and it’s very much appreciated.

Of course, it would only be a vacation if it weren’t for the classes. I took seven classes this semester, which is definitely more than most students. But if I had to choose the most memorable courses, it would be the sports production and acting classes.

As somebody who is interested in going into the sports media field, the sports production class—part of the Newhouse LA sports media communications program—was right up my alley. Taught by Jeff Proctor, a former producer at CBS and Fox Sports, the class was all about what goes into producing a sports broadcast.

Arguably, the best part of the class was the field trips, including outings to see the Los Angeles Lakers, the G-League’s South Bay Lakers and the Los Angeles Lakers. We got a behind-the-scenes look at the production truck and the work it took to produce live sporting events.

In some cases, we even got to do a pregame report from the field of play that was fully produced by the same professionals that produced the game. For those interested in sports television and broadcasting, that class alone is worth the trip to Southern California.

The acting was taught by former actress Barbara Deustch. Prior to this semester, I had never taken an acting class, nor did I have any interest in doing so. However, I’m so happy that I did. Barbara started us off with improv exercises and by the end of the semester I was performing a scene from the 1992 film “A Few Good Men” in front of a large audience. I always thought acting was an innate skill, but this class taught me that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Outside of classes, I interned with Fox Sports as a features intern over the semester. Getting to work in one of the major sports channels was really cool and I got to meet producers as well as talent for studio shows such as “Speak” with Emannuel Acho, Joy Taylor and others.

When I wasn’t working on classwork and internship responsibilities, there were tons of things to do in Los Angeles. The program offered many events for us such as movie premieres, outings to a Los Angeles Dodgers game and more. We also did some community service by doing a beach clean-up at Santa Monica beach.

Without a doubt, this has been the best semester of my college career, and I am so glad I took a leap of faith to travel across the country for this program.

Photo Gallery: 2024 Newhouse Convocation Ceremony

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Reflecting on My Year at Newhouse  

Thinking back, I can vividly remember how I tried to prepare for what my year at Newhouse would look like…especially boot camp! I asked my program director and a current MND student so many questions as I really wanted to know what I was walking into. I’ll admit, I like having a plan for everything, but one thing graduate school has taught me is that not everything will go according to plan. I’ve come to learn that it’s okay because I’ve had the opportunity to have so many amazing experiences that I could have never planned for!  

For starters, the friends I’ve met at Newhouse have been unbelievable. In such a short amount of time, I have created long-lasting friendships. The community of your friends and your cohort is so crucial in a fast-paced program that includes so many late nights. I still remember my cohort helping one another out during man-on-the-street interviews in the summer or the night we all got together in the library to complete our Data Journalism final (what a class!)  

Through my friends, I’ve learned the importance of self-care and creating a work-life balance in grad school. It’s not always easy but a simple trip to the movies or a walk in the park can make all the difference. Together, my friends and I have explored so many of Syracuse’s shops, bakeries and restaurants (I recommend Secret Garden for sushi, and Cake Bar for lattes, desserts and a great atmosphere to hang out or do homework). Last October, we took a trip to Philadelphia to see one of our favorite artists in concert which was a great way for us to bond outside of school. I also had the opportunity to go to Puerto Rico during winter break with my friend who is from the island. I could have never planned this experience, but I am so grateful she invited me, and that I was able to travel to such a beautiful place and make memories that I will never forget.   

During my time at Newhouse, I also appeared on a trivia game show on  Orange Television Network. This was a fun and new experience to be on set and “compete” against a friend of mine. I’ve also had the chance to write music reviews for magazines on campus and intern as a life and culture reporter for the local newspaper syracuse.com. In both my internship and classes at Newhouse, I have had the opportunity to go out in the Syracuse community to not only tell stories but also create relationships with so many inspiring community members who are committed to making a difference. During the fall semester, I wrote enterprise news articles centered around Black health in Syracuse under the guidance of Professor Greg Munno who has been one of the best professors I have been so fortunate to work with and learn from.   

This summer, I will head to Charleston, South Carolina, where I will be covering the Spoleto Festival USA. I look forward to building more memories with members of my cohort as well as classmates from the Goldring arts journalism and communications cohort.  

With my year at Newhouse slowly coming to an end, I can look back and treasure the memories I have made, the people I have met and the skills I have gained along the way.  

3 Lessons Learned as an International Student at Newhouse 

As an international student studying abroad for the first time, attending Newhouse is a wonderful opportunity to broaden my horizons and acquire new knowledge. However, cultural differences also present special challenges. For prospective international students at Newhouse, I would like to share three lessons I learned over the past few months, hoping to smooth your transition into academic life here.

1. Carefully read the instructions and policies 

For pre-arrival preparations, ensure you read all instructions and key documents thoroughly, especially regarding visa, I-20, health records and other necessary documents. These are crucial for your entry into the United States, official enrollment and daily activities. For instance, when traveling abroad during breaks, you need to carry an I-20 with a travel signature to avoid issues at customs. Notifications from the University or orientation sessions for international students often cover these topics. Therefore, from the beginning of enrollment, read notices carefully, make preparations early and stay informed to ease your start at Newhouse. 

It is also a clever idea to familiarize yourselves with the syllabus for your academic career. Read the syllabus for every course you select at Newhouse carefully. Professors outline their expected learning objectives, assignment requirements and grading policies here. Careful reading of these will help you grasp the course content, achieve academic success and boost personal growth efficiently throughout the semester.  

2. Embracing cultural differences 

Cultural differences manifest in various situations, from classroom discussions to everyday interactions on campus. For example, in communication courses at Newhouse, classmates may react differently to the same events due to diverse backgrounds. These moments can be disorienting but also offer opportunities to understand and adapt to different perspectives. 

To navigate cultural differences, I have learned about, express and acknowledge them. Firstly, proactively engaging with international student groups and classmates enriches our understanding of varying cultures. Secondly, expressing our feelings and perspectives in unfamiliar situations fosters mutual understanding and reduces misunderstandings. Lastly, acknowledging and accepting cultural differences as neither superior nor inferior allows us to appreciate the diversity around us. 

3. Do not fear asking for help 

Despite our best efforts, we are unable to resolve problems on our own at times. My experience at Newhouse taught me the importance of seeking assistance, often leading to unexpectedly helpful outcomes. During the past semester, I got a lot of support through office hours with professors. Talking about the message missed in the course or the uncertainty about my future career, professors always generously provided support and shared their views with me. Similarly, you can also seek help from various resources in the school. I would reach out to the career development center to help check my resume before an interview. As a non-native English speaker, I can always get valuable advice from those around me. 

Even off campus, it was easier than I expected to be supported when I asked for help. Whether it is online shopping, renting, account rituals, through an email, a phone call, or a walk-in visit, things may be resolved quickly. When you encounter difficulties in life, please believe that you are cared for and supported, and do not hesitate to ask others for help. 

Studying far from home as an international student is challenging but also thrilling and rewarding. While we face many unknowns, the journey at Newhouse is filled with opportunities for learning and growth. Embrace this journey with an open heart and mind, and I promise it will be a transformative and treasurable experience. 

How the Year Has Prepared Me for My Capstone 

The world of “arts communications” felt so unfamiliar to me at the start of this year. I’ve spent such a large portion of my life dreaming of being a critic. First it was food, then it was film, and then I moved into theater and the general world of art. I’ve always known these careers existed, so I knew I had something to look forward to. 

As I became older, I started to hear phrases like “art needs more funding,” or “theater is dying,” and, of course, the moniker of the “starving artist.” How could theater be dying? Isn’t it centuries old? As a society we consume so much media that we’ve quite literally left some forms of live art in the dust. Still, I believe there’s a space for adaptation, growth and better resources to allow the performing arts to be in our future. 

The Spoleto Festival USA is an arts festival in Charleston, South Carolina that is currently in its 48th season. Nearly five successful decades of live art is a feat, and this festival happens to be my capstone. Traditionally, Goldring students have been assigned as reporters for this festival. We make our way to Charleston for three weeks and write previews, reviews and attend shows, immersing ourselves in the culture of Spoleto. This year a handful of us have the opportunity to work directly with the festival as communications interns, advocating for and writing about the work and artists featured in this year’s lineup. 

I’m immensely excited to work with this team because I finally have the opportunity to be in a space that is firsthand advocating for the arts. If we can continue to prove the value of this work, enhance its relevance and show people what the arts are made of, then we can continue creating this work. As a communicator it’s important to think deeply about the impact of your specified field. Of course, in the immediate sense, like for example, a three-week festival in South Carolina, but also in the zeitgeist of the performing arts in the 21st century.  

Overall, I’m most grateful to close out my time at Newhouse with an internship in this field. I’ll be working on media requests from journalists, itineraries for guests, blog posts for the website, and a variety of other PR and marketing efforts inside of the festival’s offices. It’s a great opportunity that encompasses the myriads of skills I’ve acquired over the course of my year, and I have no doubt that it’ll further my knowledge of this world I’m entering. 

A Gift to Celebrate Life, Exploration and the Mother-Daughter Bond

It’s 10:30 a.m. in Sydney, Australia, as Ann Covitz ’62 answers the phone and reflects on her life from the other side of the world. Hers is a story that deserves to be told, and one no parent ever wants to experience. It’s about a final act of love to forever connect a mother and daughter, and a gift intended to bring light from darkness.

A Queens, New York, native, she always wanted to be a teacher, and friendly influences and a strong School of Education led her to Syracuse University. “My best friend Susan wanted to go to Syracuse, and it got to be a whole clique of people in the neighborhood who went,” she recalls. “It was too big a school for me, really. But I loved the area all around campus.”

One weekend she met David Covitz, a Cornell University student in the same fraternity as her brother. After Ann graduated from Syracuse, the couple married and settled near Cornell. They later moved to Long Island, where their daughter, Jill, was born. But Ann ran the household as David was frequently attending to his veterinary practice, and the marriage fell apart when Jill was 2 years old. Ann adapted as best she could, focusing on her teaching career and raising her little girl.

For 35 years Ann split her time between teaching and family therapy. She always loved children and became a Montessori School directress. She also organized parenting classes. Ann applied the lessons she learned as a single parent to help build up other families and guide schoolchildren in the same way she nurtured her daughter.

“She was such a happy kid—the girl whose perpetual, dimpled smile would light up the room,” Ann recalls. “I remember her receiving the ‘Friendliest Camper Award’ as a young child. They used to call her ‘bubbly’; she was very outgoing and made friends everywhere she went.”

A Love of Travel

Jill Covitz ’92 loved music throughout her childhood, especially bands. And while Ann admits Syracuse wasn’t the ideal choice for her, it was perfect for Jill, who joined Alpha Chi Omega sorority and majored in electronic media production at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She loved the entertainment aspect of the music industry and aspired to work in events production.

Of all her Syracuse experiences, a semester abroad set the tone for the rest of Jill’s life. “Jill studied abroad in London and traveled all over Europe. She loved being in a group and exploring, especially being an only child,” Ann says. “She always had the travel bug, but Syracuse was the place that gave her the inspiration to live internationally.”

Jill graduated cum laude and spent over a decade in New York City, working for Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment. But she still wished to live in another part of the world and was drawn to Australia for its people and its beauty.

“Australians are very happy people—boundless. They have a light about them similar to Jill’s personality, and she loved the camaraderie,” Ann recalls. “She said, ‘Mom, one day I want to go to Australia. It’s just the place I want to be.’”

Newhouse Students and Staff Shine at 2024 Syracuse Press Club Awards

Newhouse School students and members of the WAER staff were recognized with 20 honors including eight First Place awards in this year’s Syracuse Press Club Awards.

STUDENT DIVISION

Print/Digital News Story

• First Place: “Experts say governments break law hiding behind nonprofits,” Tyler O’Neill  (Infodemic)
• Second Place: “Scammers target college campuses with phishing email,” Ryan Stephens, Christopher Scarglato, Nate Harrington  (Infodemic)

Print Digital Features Story

• First Place: “‘The best of us’: Chris Snow’s belief, strength helped him leave an impact wherever he went,” Connor Smith (The Daily Orange)
• Second Place: “Fried food, prancing pigs: Spend a day at the New York State Fair,” Rachel Raposas (The Daily Orange)
• Honorable Mention: “How Gen Z became the face of skincare marketing,” Jenny DeStefano (The NewsHouse)
• Honorable Mention: “Scamming the Scammers,” Abby Presson (Infodemic)

Print Digital Sports Story

• Second Place: “LYONS LEGEND: Jim Boeheim’s hometown of Lyons, New York, celebrated with him in 2003,” Anish Vasudevan (The Daily Orange)
• Honorable Mention: “Conspiracies about Damar Hamlin’s injury find traction,” Cameron McKeon  (Infodemic)
• Honorable Mention: “The ending was bizarre, and Jim Boeheim deserved better,” Connor Smith (The Daily Orange)

Television/Video News Story

• First Place: “Zipcar Zooms Out of Syracuse,” John Perik (NCC News)

Television/Video Feature Story

• First Place: “Dandelion,” Wendy Wang (The NewsHouse)
• Second Place: “Kay and Mal,” Collin Bell (The NewsHouse)
• Honorable Mention: “Preaching Pride to the Choir,” Nicole Aponte (NCC News)

Television/Video Sports Story

• First Place: “Local Boxing Gym Gives Hope to Parkinson’s Patients,” Nick Luttrell (NCC News)

Radio/Podcast Story 

• Honorable Mention: “Hidden Identity,” Ronnie Parrillo (NCC News)

PROFESSIONAL DIVISION

Radio/Podcast – Spot News

• First Place: “Police have leads in drive-by shooting of 11-year-old honor student,” Scott Willis (WAER)
• Second Place: “Syracuse Diocese to give sex abuse survivors $100 million,” Natasha Senjanovic (WAER)

Radio/Podcast – Sports 

• First Place: “Playing for Something Bigger,” Jordan Leonard (WAER)

Radio/Podcast – News Feature or Series

• Honorable Mention: “How museums can misrepresent people and cultures,” Charles Sirey (WAER/Infodemic)

Photography – Feature Photo

• First Place: “Rip the Runway fashion show,” Nicole Hopwood (The NewsHouse)