Eleven students will receive financial awards and certificates that reflect their talent, hard work, dedication, service and academic excellence at the Department of Communication’s annual awards banquet on Saturday, April 20.
The event is slated from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Williams Center’s Horizon Room.
The keynote speaker is 2020 alumnus Patrick Ryan, a news reporter at WIVB-TV News 4, Buffalo, NY, and a native of Hamburg, NY. He graduated with the Class of 2020, receiving a B.A. in Communication: Journalism with a minor in Political Science. His address will be: “The Folo Through: Navigating Your Post-Graduation Path.”
While at Fredonia, Mr. Ryan was active on campus, serving on several executive boards, including WNYF-TV as president and general manager.
Following graduation, Ryan worked as a digital producer for WIVB-TV, breaking stories to News 4’s website, app and social media platforms. In October 2022, he was promoted, becoming an on-air general assignment news reporter. News events Ryan has covered include: the May 14 Tops mass shooting, the Christmas 2022 blizzard, death of Buffalo firefighter Jason Arno, jail escape of Michael Burham and the Town of Bethany water crisis, among many others.
Ryan received a regional Edward R. Murrow Award, Journalists Association of New York (JANY) AP Award, and the Buffalo Broadcasters Association Tim Russert Medal of Merit. He also earned a New York Emmy nomination.
Family and friends will be attending the banquet to celebrate student winners. Several scholarship benefactors will also attend. The scholarships were established through the Fredonia College Education Foundation.
Student recipients, listed with their current year of study, academic major, hometown, and respective scholarship, include:
- Rachel Bayer, sophomore, Communication: Public Relations and Sports Management, Pittsburgh, PA - Arthur R. Maytum Scholarship;
- Hayley Mercer, junior, Communication: Video Production, Batavia, NY - Arthur R. Maytum Scholarship;
- Elizabeth Weiglein, senior, Communication: Video Production, Buffalo, NY - Arthur R. Maytum Scholarship; Kathleen McDonough Communication Scholarship;
- Ashley Kipferl, junior, Communication: Communication Studies, Pittsford, NY - Arthur R. Maytum Scholarship;
- Daniel Granados Molina, junior, Communication: Audio/Radio and Communication: Video Production, Williston Park, NY - Edward S. Edelman Scholarship, Dan Berggren Excellence in Audio and Radio Scholarship;
- Chloe Kowalyk, senior, Communication: Journalism and Psychology, Cheektowaga, NY - Anne Bernstein Memorial Award;
- Alex Needham, senior, Communication: Video Production, Westlake, OH - Anthony Ellis Memorial Scholarship;
- Carlie Curtis, junior, Communication: Communication Studies and Business Administration Management, Hornell, NY - Richard and Pamela Ryan Scholarship;
- Amarah Ghori, junior, Communication: Media Management, Buffalo, NY - Chilberg Applied Communication Award;
- Dominick Corsi, junior, Communication: Journalism and Communication: Public Relations, Dunkirk, NY - The Ann Reynolds Carden Public Relations Star Award;
- Sara Lodespoto, sophomore, Communication: Journalism, West Babylon, NY - Arlie Muller Parks Scholarship.
The Fredonia Department of Communication, founded in the Spring of 1981, strives to foster an understanding of the role, process, and practice of communication through teaching, research/creative work, and service.
