Rogers State University students took home a record number of awards for their outstanding work in video, audio, scriptwriting and new media at the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association student award competition held on March 24.
“Our students demonstrate their gifts and talent in this competition. Our communication faculty bring years of real-world experience to the classroom,” Lee Williams, assistant professor in the department of communications, said. “Each year our program gets stronger, and our students get stronger. We build each other.”
OBEA holds the annual competition for undergraduate students enrolled at its member institutions across the state, which include public and private colleges and universities ranging from two-year colleges to the state’s comprehensive universities. Each entry is judged and critiqued by local media professionals.
In the video category, graduate Skyler Drinnon’s received first place for his DOC-long video The Jesus of Southern Boogie. Senior Alaina Orban received first place for her music video Lemonade. Senior Katrina Christian won second place in scriptwriting (long category) for her screenplay Karma in the Newsroom. Graduate Nicholaus McCauley won third place in the same category for his short film script for Four Polaroids. In addition, the Karma in the Newsroom team won third place for best narrative video for the same short film, and the Four Polaroids team placed fourth for its video. Senior Maria Turley won second place for her video PSA Melissa’s She Brews Testimonial and Senior Sarah Laughlin received third place for her video PSA Compassion Women’s Center.
In the audio category, Matthias Falcon and Senior Austin Peachey received first place for their audio narrative Private Eye. Austin Peachey placed first for his radio dramedy, Mathias Falcon Private Eye. Senior Caden Coleman received third place for his commercial spot Reflect with Pepsi. Additionally, Coleman and Junior Caleb Broeker won third place for their entertainment/talk radio show It’s Kind of Late with Caden. Broeker also won third place for his station/programming promo the Turbo’s Metal Meltdown. Senior Maria Turley received first place for her personality reel Maria Turley Talent Reel. Coleman and Broeker tied for second place for each of their personality reels.
In the new media category, RSU took home the top three places for the interactive media subcategory. Junior Aaron Ashcroft won first place for Website for a Band, Molthar, Senior Dorothy Holman-Washington won second place for Boujetto Life Coaching and Jordan Capron won third place for Enter the Pantheon.
RSU’s Studio III Media, a student-run public relations and marketing firm, received a first-place tie for the team’s Love Letters social media campaign and Hoover’s Social Media campaign. The team won second place for their Studio III Publicity campaign.
In the scriptwriting category, Shea Brandt won third place for her scriptwriting-short the Interviewer. Katarina Christian won second place for her scriptwriting-long Karma in the Newsroom and graduate Nicholaus McCauley won third place for Four Polaroids.
“It is a great feeling when students take the skills they have picked up in classes and use them to create something tangible,” RSU Radio General Manager Tip Crowley said. “These students have been recognized for their exceptional work out of many students from across the state. It goes to show how outstanding RSU communications students are.”
RSU’s Bachelor of Arts in Communications includes options in strategic communication, broadcasting and new media, and communication arts.
The Student Broadcasting Association at Rogers State University is focused on preparing the next generation of broadcast professionals. For more information, visit www.rsu.edu/communications.