Outstanding Students Honored During 7th Annual SAMC Awards
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Creative energy was soaring high on Sunday, April 28, as the School of Arts, Media, and Communication (SAMC) dedicated a single night to honoring the talent, dedication, and passion of 35 students during the 7th annual SAMC Awards.
“The SAMC Awards offers the four departments an opportunity to showcase some of the best artistic products of their students and also recognizes individual achievers,” said Dr. Diana Sipes, Associate Dean of SAMC at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. “The level of creativity and professionalism exhibited by these students is truly remarkable and inspiring.”
During the ceremony, Islander students wowed the audience with performances from each department, including a string quartet musical presentation, clips from award-winning films, and dance and theatre showcases.
Award recipients were selected by faculty and staff of each department for their achievements over the past year. One recipient, Kristina Jaime, also served as one of two emcees for the ceremony. After graduating from the Island University, Jaime will move on to earn her Master of Fine Arts from Case-Western Reserve University while working at the Tony Award-winning Cleveland Playhouse.
Also honored was Jaxson Twine, senior media production student, for his documentary titled “Coming to America: Chasing the American Dream.” After leaving A&M-Corpus Christi, Twine will attend Boston University to earn his Master of Science in Advertising. Once he earns his master’s degree, Twine will pursue his dream of becoming creative director for a top advertisement agency.
This year’s student honorees were:
Music:
- Alondra Crystal Aguilar, Excellence in Service & Excellence in Scholarly Activity
- Kara Apostol, Excellence in Performance
- Gabriella Choma, Excellence in Scholarly Activity
- Nathan Thomas Darst, Excellence in Scholarly Activity
- Alexandra Olivia Flint, Excellence in Performance
- Dustin Hernandez, Excellence in Service
- Tlaloc Perales, Excellence in Performance
- Sebastian Rodriguez, Excellence in Service
Art & Design:
- Allison Bahr, Excellence in Graphic Design
- Charles Chung, Excellence in Drawing
- April Galindo, Excellence in Photography
- Sarah Keller, Excellence in Sculpture
- Kayla Massey, Excellence in Art History
- Alexandria Pena, Excellence in Ceramics
- Angela Resendez, Excellence in Painting
- Annabel Leah Treviño, Excellence in Printmaking
Communication & Media:
- Kehinde Agbaje, Outstanding International Student
- Raul Alonzo Jr., Outstanding Journalism Student
- Caitlin Becho, Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant
- James Jones, Outstanding Public Relations Student
- Meagan Midkiff, Outstanding Scholar in Communication Studies
- Cassandra June Scheick, Outstanding Student Leader
- Ellenor Sprague, Outstanding Narrative Film
- Jaxson Twine, Outstanding Documentary Film
- Kurtlen Wilkinson, Outstanding Scholar in Media Studies
- Karen Zerda, Outstanding Graduate Scholar
Theatre & Dance:
- Russell Aguirre, Outstanding Director
- Brandon Besse, Outstanding Choreographer
- Lauren Champion, Outstanding Theatre Education Student
- Blake Cooper, Outstanding Theatre Technician
- Eden Goodwin, Outstanding Designer
- Amber Hullum, Outstanding Theatre Student
- Kristina Jaime, Outstanding Actress
- Jacob Salazar, Outstanding Actor
- Katherine Womack, Outstanding Dance Student
