The majority of Sam Houston students missed out on quite the party this week as the annual Mass Communications banquet commenced.
A massive banquet was held in the Performing Arts Center Tuesday, in honor of outstanding mass communications students receiving both awards and recognition for their work.
Numerous students were recognized with scholarships, internships and awards throughout the night before their fellow students in an event filled with by celebration. Twenty-six scholarships were awarded in total to the ecstatic students.
An always intense race for the Dan Rather Internship concluded with the announcement of a winner. The internship includes spending the summer at the CBS station in New York City with Sam Houston State alumn, Dan Rather himself. In addition, transportation and housing are covered by the internship while the participant learns the tools of the trade through first hand involvement and experience.
Amongst the many mentioned was mass communications senior and Dan Rather Internship winner, Miranda Landsman.
“I’ve always had a passion for freedom of speech and it’s just something that ever since I was a little girl I wanted to learn more about and I’m very interested in the law as well,” said Landsman. “My biggest aspiration would be to tell the stories that can’t be heard and to always write the truth and to always check the facts and to be one of those reporters whose known for being accurate.”
There were two rarities presented during the events. Honorary degrees in film were given to Samuel Sanchez and Gerald Morris. Sanchez founded the Raven Films production group on campus. Sam Houston State introduced a degree in film production, in response to the groups popularity and an increasing demand for an educational integration.
“I was really taken aback. That’s not something that you really hear of,” said Sanchez. “I was also very elated . . . it’s awesome that they would think of me in such a high capacity.”
Sanchez and Morris’ next feature, “Walk Away” finished principle photography in January.