Glitz, Glamour and Performances Highlight Atlantic Cape’s 16th Annual Communication Awards Ceremony

MAYS LANDING — On an evening filled with Oscar-style glitz, glamour, deserved accolades and tears of joy, Atlantic Cape Community College’s Communication Awards Club hosted its 16th Annual Communication Awards on April 28 in the Walter E. Edge Hall Theatre.

More than 100 awards in over 40 categories were handed out over the course of the two-hour-long ceremony to current Communication students, alumni, faculty and media professionals. The highly-coveted and prestigious Communication Major of the Year honor was awarded to Katherine “Kat” Jaques of Buena. Jaques’ outgoing exuberance, perseverance in overcoming adversity and sincere desire to be a leader within the Communication Club was reflected in her student-produced campaign video.

“It really does mean the world to me. It was really stressing me out. I had almost withdrawn from the competition because everything was so last minute, everything was going wrong, the video was going wrong because there was wind in the background and it was so stressful,” Jaques admitted afterwards. “I’ve been up all night, but I did it! I am here and I am so happy because I got this and it really does mean everything to me.”

Each of the four Communication Major of the Year candidates - Jaques, Olivia Matthews, Gavin Dolack and Ruby Taylor, who recorded her remarks while she is studying remotely and currently living abroad in England - spoke to those in attendance about why they would be the perfect choice for Major of the Year.

The evening began with students performing short skits to some of the top 10 greatest songs of all time, such as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of Professor Forrest and Professor Thomas. This is such an important event as we take a moment to celebrate and this is really a highlight of the year,” said Atlantic Cape’s Dean of Professional and Liberal Studies Dr. Denise Coulter during her opening remarks. “Your nomination shows you have a talent and passion for your work. These qualities are essential to your success in college and in life. If you keep up the hard work what you may achieve is truly limitless. Your efforts make Atlantic Cape an institution of excellence and we are honored to celebrate your achievement.”

Author, mental health advocate, youth mentor, podcast host and Atlantic Cape alumnus Nate Evans, Jr. ‘15 of Mays Landing was recognized as the Communication Alumni of the Year. Meanwhile, Christian Monroe of Cedar Creek High School and Kyle Warren of CharterTech High School for the Performing Arts were recognized as Faculty Pioneers for their long-time contributions to communication students in their districts.

Here is a list of the award recipients:

Newspaper Staff Awards - NJ Press Awards: Madison Scafario, Michael Bautista, Katherine Jaques, Chloe Cramutola and Dan Luna.

Gerri Black Creative Writing Awards - Best Screenplay: Liam Camp and Soleil Yakita; Best Fiction: Paul Giordano, Brya Gardella and Laci Trull; Best Poetry: Mariyah Black; Best Poetry Chapbook: Jay Corbin; Best Multi-Genre Work: Jessica White; and Rewrites: Alexis Cabrera.

Interpersonal Communication, Public Relations and Journalism Awards - Journalism Achievement: Chloe Cramutola; Best P.R. Group: Elijah Redmond, Melissa Matias and Brenna Lamon; PR Achievement: Brenna Lamon and Melissa Matias; Best Press Release: Brenna Lamon; Best Mass Media Achievement: Brenna Lamon; Best Feature Story: Haram Shahid; Best P.R. Practitioner: Haram Shahid; Interpersonal Achievement: Latona Bader, Abriannah Sanchez, Riley Finn and Miachi Williams; Best Crisis Communicator: Chloe Cramutola; and Atlantic Cape Review: Michael Bautista.

Public Speaking Awards - Public Speaking Achievement: Katherine Jaques; Best Informative Speech: Shannon Kell, Jaliyah Thompson, Caitlyn Rodriguez and Dima Dincheva; Best Persuasive Speech: Olivia Matthews, Sara Bethancourt-Cruz, Badrul Alam Ruhin, Eugene Reynolds, Mackenzie Michener, Julie Gayle and Katherine Jaques.

Theatre and Mass Media Awards - Best Comedic Scene: Michael Bautista and Francis Sargente; Best Dramatic Scene: Vivianne Martinez and Francis Sargente; Best Dramatic Monologue: Katherine Jaques; Theatre Arts Guild: Rebekah Allebach; Best Mass Media Paper: Victoria Prickett; Best Mass Media Project: Anthony Coccaro, Kyla Soria, Shayne Crowley and Madison Scafario; Best Creative Writing: Shane Crowley; Best Feature Story: Madison Scafario; Radio Club: Ethan Kresch; and Best Video Production: Navin Patterson.

Pop Music, Film and TV History Awards - Best TV History Project: Olivia Matthews, Brianna Lassiter and Charlene Maycott; Best TV History Paper: Charlene Maycott; TV History Achievement: Charlene Maycott; Communication Awards Club: Charlene Maycott; Pop Music Project: Anthony Coccaro, Victoria Prickett and Tabitha Taylor; Best Pop Music Paper: Tabitha Taylor; Pop Music Achievement: Tabitha Taylor; Best Film History Group: Cameron Main, Katherine Jaques, Paul Giordano and Brenna Lamon; Best Film History Paper; Brenna Lamon; and Film History Achievement: Brenna Lamon.

Alumni of the Year - 2023 Alumni of the Year: Nate Evans, Jr., ‘15.

Faculty Pioneer Awards - Christian Monroe, Cedar Creek High School and Kyle Warren, CharterTech High School for the Performing Arts.

Mentoring and Student Pioneer Awards - Mentoring: Chloe Cramutola, Kaitlin Frazier, Laura DeBlois, Alessia Ross-Terrigino, Anthony Coccaro, Dylan Ryerson, Ellie Moody, Julia Conner, Katherine Jaques, Natalie Arch, Ruby Taylor, Sebastian Bechard, Shannon Kell and Tabitha Taylor; Senior Mentors: Alexis Cabrera and Kayla Corson; Student Pioneers: Alexis Cabrera, Chloe Cramutola and Bobby Prince; Julianne Scott Volunteer Service Award: Bobby Prince; and Outstanding Academic Achievement: Chloe Cramutola.

“Atlantic Cape’s Communication program is a family. When I think of this generation I know that our world is in very capable hands. I am very proud of the work our students do here,” Communication Awards Club Co-Advisor and Communication Professor Keith Forrest concluded. 

About Atlantic Cape Community College

Atlantic Cape is a comprehensive two-year community college serving the residents of Atlantic and Cape May counties. The college offers over 40 career, transfer and workforce development programs to more than 8,000 students annually at three campuses in New Jersey: Atlantic City, Cape May Court House and Mays Landing.