News & Events

Student Awards

N. Frank Ukadike Award for Excellence in Media Studies

My name is Natalie Holderbaum, and I am a second semester senior pursuing a degree in Communications and Film Studies with a minor in Economics. After graduating in May, I am planning on staying in New Orleans, a city I've fallen in love with over the past few years, and pursue a career in communications and marketing in the entertainment industry. Over the summer I will be completing a seasonal internship with NOVAC in hopes of finding job placements on film sets in the city. In the long term, I wish to attend graduate school to further my studies in film and to travel abroad.

The Glendy Burke Medal in Communication

Juan Alejandro Olarte-Cortés is a Senior from Panama City, Panama graduating with a BA in Communications and International Relations, and a Minor in Liberal Arts Management (SLAMM). During his time at Tulane, Juan served as the President for both TU Gente, Tulane’s Latinx Student Organization, as well as TUFSA, Tulane’s Filipino Students’ Association. He also worked as a Service Learning Assistant for the Center for Public Service, and as an intern for the CNN Atlanta News Bureau. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a career in the media and entertainment industry.

The Ashton Phelps Award

Victoria Jordan is graduating a semester early with a BA in Communications and a minor in School of Liberal Arts Management. During her time at Tulane, Victoria excelled in her studies as an Honors Student and multiple-time Dean’s List recipient. Outside of the classroom, Victoria served as the Co-President/Co-Treasurer and Marketing Director of Spoon University’s Tulane chapter. Victoria also co-hosted Road TU Success, a virtual interview series with alumni discussing career insights and advice. Additionally, Victoria has applied her understanding of communications to various internships in the fields of marketing and communications. After graduation, Victoria intends to pursue a career in marketing, advertising, or public relations.

Other Communication News

• New York Times: My Unlikely Pandemic Dream Partner
  Merissa Nathan Gerson is the author of “Forget Prayers, Bring Cake,” forthcoming from Mandala Publishing in July 2021.
• Fidel between the Lines: Paranoia and Ambivalence in Late Socialist Cuban Cinema by Assistant Professor Laura-Zoë Humphreys was reviewed by Rielle Navitski in The Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, a peer-reviewed, scholarly publication of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (60.2, Winter 2021).
• Professor Esra Özcan talks about her book, Mainstreaming the Headscarf: Islamist Politics and Women in the Turkish Media
• The Paquete: Transforming Media Ecology
• Call for Papers/Panels - Society for Animation Studies 32nd Annual Conference
• Professor Mayer interviewed by public radio on the early history of Louisiana’s film industry
• Professor Ambikaipaker interviewed by Malaysian radio on critical race theory
• The growth of Communication Studies nationwide
• Archive