Elon has been repeatedly recognized for the number of its alumni who participate in the Fulbright Program as teachers, graduate students, and researchers and has been named a top-producer of Fulbright students in six separate years. Students and alumni interested in the Fulbright Program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office. The deadline to notify the office of your intent to apply for Fulbright in this upcoming cycle is June 1, 2026. Rising seniors are required to work with the National and International Fellowships Office to apply for Fulbright, and alumni are highly encouraged to do so.

Those who received awards this year are:

Azul Bellot 鈥�26

Azul Bellot, a double major in psychology and sociolinguistics with a minor in TESOL, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. She is The Elon Commitment scholar in the Odyssey Program and a student scholar with The Center for Engaged Learning.

Bellot has been preparing for an experience like Fulbright long before she arrived at Elon. Reflecting on her early years, she says, 鈥淕rowing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants, I was my family鈥檚 translator from a young age. I navigated formal systems, adult conversations, and bureaucratic spaces in both English and Spanish long before I had the language to describe what that experience was doing to me. It gave me a deep understanding of what it means for language to be a gateway, and what it costs when that gateway is closed.鈥�

These formative years laid the groundwork for her time at Elon, where she developed her own independent sociolinguistics major, volunteered as an English tutor for children and adults, and conducted research on meaningful mentoring relationships. To Bellot, a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Spain is 鈥渢he most honest intersection of everything [she鈥檚] been working towards:聽language, identity, education, and community.鈥�

After Fulbright, Bellot plans to pursue more international fellowships before returning to academia to earn her PhD in Applied Linguistics. Her Elon mentors include Archie Crowley, assistant professor of English; Nina Namaste, professor of Spanish; and Sylvia Mu帽oz, assistant dean of students and director for the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education.

Anya Brati膰 鈥�26

Anya Brati膰, a double major in international & global Studies and public policy with a minor in public health, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Vietnam. She is an Elon College Fellow, a Periclean Scholar, and the Student Government Association Student Body President.

To Brati膰, Fulbright represents the intersection of her two greatest passions: global engagement and teaching. She found ways to blend these passions during her time at Elon. As a Periclean Scholar, she had the opportunity to study abroad in India to understand what mutually beneficial relationships look like in practice, not just in theory. As a student consultant with the Center for Design Thinking, she developed a love for teaching and facilitation, specifically the challenge of guiding others through the structured process of finding meaningful solutions to 鈥渨icked鈥� problems. Serving as an English teaching assistant will allow her to refine her intercultural and teaching skills while strengthening diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam.

After Fulbright, Brati膰 is interested in pursuing a career in diplomacy or global social impact. 鈥淪imply put, I want to work at the intersection of people, policy and purpose,鈥� she says. Brati膰鈥檚 constellation of Elon mentors includes Amanda Tapler, associate teaching professor of public health studies; Safia Swimelar, professor of political science and public policy; Sean McMahon, professor of entrepreneurship; and Danielle Lake, director of design thinking and associate professor of human service studies.

Molly Moylan 鈥�26

Biochemistry major Molly Moylan has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain.

At Elon, Moylan took every opportunity to foster and blend her passions for STEM research, teaching and service. As a researcher, Moylan worked with chemistry professor Dan Wright to study trace metals within medicinal herbs and spices. She refined her teaching skills by serving with America Reads, the Village Project, the CityGate Dream Center, and more. Most notably, Moylan found a way to combine her passions by co-founding Imagine Science, a program designed to address declining student engagement in science education by bringing hands-on experiments and activities to local after-school programs.

In Spain, Moylan will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Galicia, a region that is especially interested in promoting students鈥� scientific thinking skills. This Fulbright year will serve as crucial preparation for Moylan as she applies to medical school. The language and cultural skills she will gain in Spain will allow her to better serve Spanish-speaking patients in the future.

Moylan鈥檚 most influential Elon mentor has been Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dan Wright. 鈥淒r. Dan Wright has been instrumental in my success at Elon,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hrough his continued support, my confidence in both my personal and professional capacities has grown immensely, and I am extremely grateful to have had him as a mentor.鈥�

Madison Powers 鈥�25

Madison Powers, who graduated in 2025 with a degree in journalism and a minor in Spanish, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. At Elon, Powers was a communications fellow and a 2023 Pulitzer reporting fellow. Since graduating, she has served as an editorial intern at Garden & Gun Magazine in Charleston, South Carolina.

Powers has long had her sights set on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Spain. During her undergraduate years, she spent a semester in Sevilla and fostered her dual passions for cross-cultural exchange and global education. Eager to return, she applied for Fulbright in last year鈥檚 application cycle and was named a semifinalist. She remained so committed to the value of a Fulbright experience that she chose to reapply this year, and her hard work and persistence paid off.

Powers will serve as an English teaching assistant in Madrid. She is excited to live and work in a large, diverse city while improving her Spanish language skills and forming connections with her community. Serving in Madrid will also allow her to work closely with students on Global Classrooms/Model UN projects, which are important to the development of their critical thinking and cross-cultural skills.

This Fulbright year will serve as a bridge between Powers鈥� current and future journalistic work. Upon returning to the U.S, she plans to work as a journalist reporting on and working in Spanish-speaking communities. Her Elon mentors include Kelly Furnas, associate teaching professor of journalism; Jan Register, administrative assistant for the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life; and Pablo Celis-Castillo, associate professor of Spanish.

Aryanna Vindas 鈥�25

Aryanna Vindas, a graduate of the class of 2025, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in South Korea. She graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a minor in Asian studies.

Serving as an English teaching assistant in South Korea is a natural extension of the work Vindas began at Elon. She completed a two-year undergraduate research project about Korean Buddhist mindfulness, studied abroad for a semester in South Korea, and undertook a rigorous course of Korean language study. Simultaneously, she developed her teaching skills by serving as a volunteer English teacher, tutoring Spanish, and leading and assisting dance classes.

Because her grant does not begin until January 2027, Vindas has chosen to go above and beyond to prepare. She will spend this summer in South Korea completing intensive language study at Yonsei University in Seoul, which will help her integrate more successfully into her future host community and build more meaningful relationships with her students.

After Fulbright, Vindas plans to enroll in graduate school to continue the research on Buddhist mindfulness she began at Elon. Vindas鈥� Elon mentors include Renay Aumiller, associate professor of dance; the 鈥渨onderful鈥� dance staff; and Pamela Winfield, professor of religious studies and associate director of international & global studies.

In addition to these students, one senior has been named an alternate. Alternates are still in the competition and have the chance to be promoted to finalists (recipients of the grant) up until the official start of the grant period. We will update this story as we continue to hear news of their progress.

Rebecca Lovasco 鈥�26

Rebecca Lovasco, a psychology major with minors in women鈥檚, gender, and sexuality studies and neuroscience, has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright study/research grant in Taiwan to earn a master鈥檚 degree in Mind, Brain, and Consciousness at Taipei Medical University.

Lovasco is an Elon College Fellow who went on to win the Lumen Prize. Her research, which integrates cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, and philosophy of mind, explores how anxiety and depression affect reinforcement learning and conscious visual perception. Outside of her research, Lovasco is proud to have served as a law enforcement crisis counselor with the Campus Alamance program.

Lovasco鈥檚 Elon mentors include Kristina Krasich, assistant professor of psychology; William Schreiber, associate professor of psychology; Kim Epting, professor of psychology; Alexa Darby, professor of psychology; and Jill McSweeney,聽assistant director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning聽and assistant professor of wellness.

Smith Elementary School transformed into a vibrant international showcase during Global Week as university professors offered a cultural event connecting local students and their families with cultures and languages from around the world.

The event, organized by Mayte de Lama, associate professor of Spanish, featured a series of interactive tables, each representing a different country or culture. Faculty members Shereen Elgamal, Federico Pous, Ketevan Kupatadze, Mayte de Lama, Ricky Mendoza, Samuele Pardini, Bethanny Sudibyo, along with French majors C茅cile Charron and Noelle Murray and with French minor Julia Canto, volunteered their time to create engaging experiences. Together, they offered children and their families an opportunity to explore communities from across the globe. Rod Salazar, owner of Iraz煤 Coffee, also contributed his time, expertise and coffee beans by helping bring Costa Rican culture to life.

Each table was thoughtfully curated with authentic materials. Visitors could browse children鈥檚 books in different languages, learn to write basic characters, and participate in hands-on activities such as traditional games and crafts. Colorful displays of photographs, artifacts and clothing provided insight into daily life and cultural celebrations, while snacks and sweets offered a literal taste of each culture and reinforced language learning. At several tables, families gathered as professors demonstrated how to write in non-Latin alphabets, sparking curiosity and excitement among young learners. Children who completed their journey across the different countries received stamps in a 鈥減assport,鈥� which they later exchanged for a prize.

Families, teachers, and staff expressed strong appreciation for the opportunity to 鈥渢ravel鈥� and learn together in an interactive and accessible setting. By bringing university professors into the elementary school community, the event created a meaningful bridge between higher education and early learning.

On November 20, 2025 students and faculty gathered in Carlton Commons to watch and participate in two theatre performances created by Associate Professor of Spanish Federico Pous鈥� Spanish 4500 Innovation/Social Protest Theatre Class.

Associate Professor of Spanish Pablo Celis-Castillo鈥檚 SPN3300 “Spanish Speaking World Through Media” class was in attendance, as well as Associate Dean of Elon College David Buck and Associate Professor of Spanish Nina Namaste.

The performance was “forum theater,” an interactive performance that centers around a social issue. After watching the performance, audience members are asked questions about the issue they saw and how to solve it, and they are then invited to join the scene, replacing an actor and changing the way their character handles the situation.

The class is composed of nine students who performed two plays entirely in Spanish. The first group of students’ performance was centered around feminism. The production, titled “We Can Do It,” centers around a college class where two boys do not contribute to the group project, and the girls are forced to do all the work and are given lower scores than the boys. Throughout the theatre performance, the girls try to figure out how to get justice.

The second performance, titled “First Word, Last Day,” takes place in an office, where a new female employee learns quickly that she is silenced whenever she voices her suggestions in a male-dominated advertising company, where she feels that 鈥渢hey are a team and I am alone.鈥� In this performance, the other employees dismiss her idea and presence, which makes the work environment unpleasant and extra difficult for her to feel valued in. The boss dismisses her idea saying, 鈥淵ou’re new and don鈥檛 have much experience, listen to him and listen to me.鈥�

Both performances depicted misogynistic issues that can arise in both academic and professional settings. Professor Pous engaged the audience by asking thought-provoking questions to examine these systems of power critically. He asked, 鈥淲hat was the conflict?鈥� followed by 鈥淲hat do you think could solve it?鈥�

After the discussion, audience members were invited to step in and replace the problematic character in a scene that they wished to change. In the first play, an audience member volunteered to support one of the female group members to talk to the professor and confront her male counterparts. In the second play, two audience members stepped in, one replacing a passive coworker and the other replacing the boss.

Several audience members participated in each of the performances, replacing characters and changing various scenes in an attempt to solve the issue originally presented. Many creative ideas were presented, which led to engaging discussions about the social issues presented.

The National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi, recognizes students who excel in the study of the Spanish language, literature and cultures鈥攁nd who foster understanding, appreciation and respect for the Spanish-speaking world. Its motto, Span铆as Didag茅i Pro谩gomen, means 鈥渢o continue under the inspiration of the Spanish language.鈥�

Eighteen students were inducted into Elon鈥檚 Rho Eta chapter during a ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 5:30 p.m. in Lakeside (2nd floor). The event was a team effort planned and organized by Assistant Teaching Professor Ricardo Mendoza, Program Assistant Annetta Womble (World Languages and Cultures & Interdisciplinary Programs), WLC student assistants, WLC faculty and students, and community collaborators Raquel Johanna Giraldo and Helen McLeod.

The ceremony was led by Ricardo Mendoza, assistant teaching professor and president of the Rho Eta chapter, and presided over by Elon students Stephanie Mirsky and Izzy Greenstein. Alumna MacKenzie Martinez 鈥�21 offered words of encouragement, sharing how Spanish has shaped her professional path in border-region advocacy. Martinez, a proud Jewish Chicana from Richmond, Virginia, double-majored in Spanish and Anthropology with minors in Gender Studies and Latin American Studies. She has served with Al Otro Lado and the International Rescue Committee and is currently Advancement Manager at Alliance San Diego.

The program featured live music by Raquel Johanna Giraldo (Colombia). Parents, relatives and friends joined the celebration via Zoom. WLC faculty Ketevan Kupatadze, April Post, Nina Namaste, Mayte de Lama, Bethanny Sudibyo, Pablo Celis-Castillo, Federico Pous and Ricardo Mendoza participated and shared remarks with the inductees.

Congratulations to the Fall 2025 inductees:
Faith Almond, Sofie Cate Suzanne Crabbe, Lindsey Grace Dwyer, Miranda Justine Fitch, Jinelle Alexa Gonzalez, Olivia Christine Guarino, Erin Elena Howard, Natalie Hudson, Ella Kathryn Kinman, John Cooper Carlos Ludlow, Archibald Meskhidze, Logan Marlene Miller, Samuel Potter Montgomery, Molly Moylan, Allison Orozco Rosaldo, Annabelle Kay Richardson, Logan McAdam Scott and Amelia Summers.

Eligibility: To join Sigma Delta Pi, students must complete three years of college-level Spanish (18 semester hours) or the equivalent, including at least three credit hours at the junior level in Hispanic literature or Hispanic culture/civilization.

She presented the work of the Diocesan Commission for the Defense of Nature (CODIDENA), an organization that advocates for the restoration of the identity and spirituality of the Xinka Indigenous people of Central America while protecting nature against extractivist mega-projects. Lemus talked in detail about the case of the peaceful resistance to the Escobal mining project, and their everyday struggles against the government and the mining corporations.

During the talk, she shared the values of her community to protect the earth and how they recognize themselves as Xinka by recovering their language and their culture. She also expressed the difficult reality faced by her community in rural areas as well as the challenges faced by organizers advocating for the Xinka land rights. The talk explored how they were able to stop the development of the mining project after three years of struggle, based on the Indigenous and Tribal People Convention, an international agreement acknowledged by the International Labour Organization, in which indigenous people must be consulted in case of any project affecting their population. In this case, after consulting with the Xinka people, they decided to reject the mining project given the multiple threats to their health and the environment.

Lemus also showed her grassroots initiative with young scientists in the Xinka community to address water contamination issues provoked by mining operations. This project not only capacitates the new generations, but also advocates for an intergenerational collective growth of the whole Xinka people. As a result of this initiative, community members created a system for measuring the degree of contamination in the water, empowering communities to defend themselves in their fight for environmental justice.

Over 50people attended the event. Students from peace and conflict studies, Latin American studies, as well as from different Spanish courses, the Core Curriculum, and philosophy classes learned about the complexity of current environmental struggles in Guatemala. After the talk, students asked several questions regarding the role of the Guatemalan government in this conflict and the recognition of the Xinka identity, engaging in a very fruitful dialogue about the importance of advocating for indigenous rights and environmental justice in peaceful demonstrations. The conference was conducted in Spanish with interpretation performed by Emily Rhyne from the organization Witness for Peace.

Lemus also participated in a roundtable discussion in Spanish with other human rights activists at El Centro. The roundtable focused on Guatemalan history and cultural diversity, generating a constructive dialogue among students learning about Latin American indigenous identities. The speakers talked about the work of their organizations at the local, national and global level, emphasizing the need to construct strong networks of solidarity. Students from the Spanish program engaged in a vivid conversation during the event, learning about the intercultural richness of Central America and the political relevance of the region in relation with the U.S. government today.

This visit was co-organized by the Peace and Conflict Studies program and the Latin American Studies program, and it was sponsored by the Department of World Languages and Cultures; El Centro; the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning; International and Global Studies; Isabella Cannon Global Education Center; Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexualities Studies; the Department of Philosophy; and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

This cohort of eight upper-level Spanish students鈥揜aquel Berrocal de Castro, Ally Cisar, Lorenzo Tibolla, Merritt Edwards, Hunter Siegel, Izzy Greenstein, Tobias Coker and Anne Rhodes, all in Professor Pous鈥� class, had spent the previous month immersing themselves in the history and functions of participatory theatre. Also called Forum Theatre, this concept of theatrical performance sprung out of the 鈥淭heatre of the Oppressed鈥� movement in 1970s Brazil (Augusto Boal).

Forum Theatre seeks to bring attention to relevant social issues and themes through a 5-10 minute sketch followed by an open conversation with audience members about what the social conflict represented. Lastly, the audience members are invited onstage, where they have the opportunity to engage directly with the material by replacing an actor of their choice and bringing in a different interpretation/action/solution to any scene they choose. The original and newfound actors then improvise the rest of the scene to flush out different nuances, choices, and directions the play can take.

Pous鈥� students fully wrote and produced two, approximately 10 minute works. 鈥淯na familia perfecta,鈥� or 鈥淎 Perfect Family鈥� focused on conflict and family dynamics after a recent college graduate moved back into her house while 鈥淒inero o moralidad鈥� or 鈥淢oney or Morality鈥� explored questions of morality through a graduating college senior balancing a job offer from the industrial weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

Both of these plays were developed to engage the audience with universal situations of conflict and morality so that they could discuss these issues, think about how they would respond, then gain the opportunity to go in and bring their perspectives to the conversation through acting.

The student performers were enthused to bring their course themes of examining the Magical Realist literary movement鈥檚 mixing of reality, imagination, history and magic to the stage.

鈥淔ede鈥檚 class about Magic Realism really ties to participatory theatre,” said Hunter Siegel. “They are both about how people use imagination and theatre, whether through literature, movies, TV, music, or plays to reflect, process, and give commentary on real-world situations that could otherwise be more difficult or painful to face without a creative or imaginative medium. Putting on this play has not only been a lot of fun and a big accomplishment, I am glad to have seen the participants engaging in discussion about useful themes and maybe learning more about themselves in the process.鈥�

The audience members were also enthused to see and participate in this project.

鈥淚 had so much fun attending Teatro Foro,” said Emma Kennedy. “I loved that it was all about controversial topics related to experiences we have as college students. It was easy to understand everything going on and the students were expressive actors! The interactive element was so much fun because it really made me think about the situation and how I might resolve it.鈥�

Fifteen students were inducted into Sigma Delta Pi Chapter Rho Eta Hispanic Honor Society during a ceremony held on Tuesday, Nov. 12 in the Numen Lumen Pavilion鈥檚 McBride Gathering Space.

The ceremony is a team effort, planned and organized by Lecturer in Spanish Ricardo Mendoza, Program Assistant for World Languages and Cultures and Interdisciplinary Programs Ronnie LoCash, WLC student assistants, WLC professors and students and members of the community Oscar Oviedo and Helen McLeod.

The Sigma Delta Pi Honor Society recognizes students who foster an understanding, appreciation and respect for the peoples, cultures and societies of the Spanish-speaking world, and honors those who have promoted and contributed to a better understanding of the Spanish-speaking world for all.

The honor society鈥檚 motto 鈥� Span铆as Didag茅i Pro谩gomen 鈥� means to 鈥渃ontinue under the inspiration of the Spanish language.鈥�

The ceremony was led by Lecturer in Spanish and President of the Hispanic Honor Society Sigma Delta Pi Chapter Rho Eta Ricardo Mendoza and was presided over by Elon students Camilla Bondy, Merritt Edwards, Pheriby Bryan and Lorenzo Tibolla. The induction ceremony included words of encouragement from Elon alumni Ethan Krone 鈥�23, who lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Krone shared how he is using Spanish to make a difference in the lives of others.

There was live music from Oscar Oviedo, who is from Colombia, and parents, relatives and friends of the new inductees were able to participate through Zoom. Finally, WLC faculty members Elena Schoonmaker-Gates, Mina Garc铆a, Bethany Sudibyo, Federico Pous and Ricardo Mendoza shared words of advice for the inductees.

Congratulations to the newest inductees of Sigma Delta Pi Fall 2024:

Sarah Caroline Allen聽
Virginia Isabel Campbell聽
Samantha Coleman
Jillian Dolman
Kyla Joy Farrell
Anna Marie Grupp
Anna Riley Gutierrez
Lucy Julia Horn
Claire Marie Jablonski
Emily Maher
Ryan John Maier
Stephanie May Mirsky
Annabelle Marie Roberts
Devon Elizabeth Sweeney
Annelise Weaver

To join Sigma Delta Pi, students must have completed three years of college-level Spanish (18 semester credit hours) or the equivalent thereof, including at least three semester hours of a course in Hispanic literature or Hispanic culture and civilization at the junior (third-year) level.

During their visit, the Elon community had the opportunity to view聽Gu茅rette’s film “L鈥檃udience” (The Hearing) which documents a Congolese family’s journey immigrating to Canada. The screening was followed by a Q and A session with Carballo and Gu茅rette. Both visitors spoke extensively about their experience with the Canadian immigration system and the process of applying and being granted refugee status in Canada. Elon students and faculty also enjoyed conversations with Carballo who offered insights about her experience as a writer, translator and interpreter, as well as an immigrant.

Both Carballo and聽Gu茅rette graciously spoke to classes and interacted with Elon students. This was a wonderful opportunity to engage students with diverse voices and perspectives on immigration narratives.

The visits were made possible by the generous support from and collaboration with the Fund for Excellence Grunt from Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, Sigma Delta Pi Honor Society, Global Neighborhood and the Department of World Languages and Cultures.

Runestad鈥檚 presentation, 鈥淔eeding Mothers, Making Citizens: Japanese Clinic Meals as Treatment, Care and Identity,鈥� was based on her peer-reviewed article published in Verge: Studies in Global Asias聽fall 2023 special issue on food and foodways. Namaste鈥檚 presentation, 鈥淒elineating Identities: Teaching Food as a Marker and Transgressor of Boundaries,鈥� was based on her forthcoming publication in Teaching Food & Literature聽(a Modern Languages Association volume) and on-campus course, IDS 2040 Edible Ideologies: Food, Power & Identity. Travel was supported by and the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.

The Umbra Institute food conference values the intersection between research and pedagogy and included three pedagogy sessions and several pedagogy-related individual papers. The theme this year was hybridity, and it provoked rich discussions about intersections, combinations and fusions. Runestad has participated and presented at the conference previously, while this was Namaste鈥檚 first time attending.

Runestad valued the focus on relationality and connection between people and places, particularly for applications within Asian Studies. Applying relationality to Japan (as opposed to often-used and problematic lenses of collectivism and group mindedness) helps explain socio-cultural trends in general. Relationality is also useful for teaching and conducting research in the anthropology of food because attention to place-based connections can address human factors in a way that a focus on the seasonality of food production cannot.

Namaste enjoyed the variety, depth and interdisciplinary nature of the research presented as well as learning about the extremely varied ways in which food studies courses are taught at other institutions.

Runestad and Namaste were also able to participate in a dinner event at Numero Zero, a restaurant that specializes in supporting neurodiversity in the community, and a tour of Perugia that highlighted the food history of Perugia as linked to local architecture and artistic expression.

Adam Taylor Brown didn鈥檛 mince words when he initially critiqued Matt Newberry鈥檚 student entry in the .

鈥淚 was prepared to hate this when I read 鈥�10 different typefaces,鈥欌�� the judge wrote of Newberry鈥檚 鈥溾�� submission. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 actually really good. The brilliant trick being executed here is diffusing so many aesthetic styles such that chaos becomes the leading look. The accompanying visual elements and colors hold it all together super well. Frankly, this is damn near professional.鈥�

That is high praise from Brown who works for Marrow, a brand consultancy in Lexington, Kentucky.

On the judges鈥� recommendations, Newberry鈥檚 entry won the competition鈥檚 General Design category and was recognized during VIM Fest鈥檚 March 8 virtual award presentation as part of AJEMC鈥檚 Southeast Colloquium. But the communication design and Spanish double major wasn鈥檛 done. His logo redesign concept, titled “Mi Familia Vota,” earned an honorable mention in the contest鈥檚 General Design category, and his immersive, guerrilla marketing concept, titled “Sonos Headphone Booths,” was also named an honorable mention in the Advertising category.

鈥淢att clinching three separate awards is a testament to his exceptional talent and dedication in design,鈥� said Assistant Professor of Communication Design Shannon Zenner, who serves as head of the AEJMC Visual Communication Division and helped launch the new peer-reviewed competition. 鈥淗is entries were notably clever and smart conceptually, with his Gold Award for branding of the ‘La Tomatina’ festival standing out as a prime example.鈥�

On the heels of its outstanding showing at the AAF Triangle鈥檚 American Advertising Awards gala, Live Oak Communications won a Gold Award in the contest鈥檚 Small School (<10,000) School-Wide/Multi-Class Multimedia Advertising category. The student-run agency was recognized for its , an extensive undertaking that featured new merchandise, revamped menus, a fresh photoshoot, and other strategies to enhance the Burlington restaurant鈥檚 family-friendly atmosphere. It is also noteworthy that Newberry served as Live Oak鈥檚 creative director during the campaign.

Finally, Assistant Professor of Communication Design Rebecca Bagley also captured a Gold Award in VIM Fest鈥檚 General Design category, recognized for her logo design for the Dublin (NC) Golf Expo.

Persistence pays off

Newberry鈥檚 award-winning designs are affirmation that persistence can pay off.

As part of Zenner鈥檚 fall 2022 Design of Visual Images class, Newberry began his initial work on his 鈥淟a Tomatina鈥� project, challenging himself to create a solely typographic logo that incorporated several different typefaces. It was design that pushed him far 鈥渙utside of my comfort zone,鈥� he said.

Zenner was impressed with Newberry鈥檚 vision for the project and the imagination he showed. What really stood out? His tomato goggles for the Spanish tomato throwing festival. 鈥淚t epitomizes Matt’s ability to blend creativity with practicality,鈥� she said.

While he devoted hours to the project, Newberry admits his early work never fully became what he envisioned. As a result, when he began compiling portfolio pieces last fall in Associate Professor Ben Hannam鈥檚 Design Strategies and Solutions course, Newberry revisited the project.

鈥淚 completely revamped it with a more grunge, brutalist approach,鈥� Newberry said. 鈥淭his technique finally gave it the punchy energy that I was searching for earlier, so it became a project that really represents my growth as a designer.鈥�

AEJMC wasn鈥檛 the only organization to take notice of Newberry鈥檚 work on his 鈥淟a Tomatina鈥� project. His artwork recently , one of the world鈥檚 most prestigious annuals with award-winning work from international students in design, advertising, art/illustration and photography.

Newberry credits Zenner and Hannam, as well as Bagley 鈥撀爃is honors thesis mentor 鈥� for their continuous direction and support. As he prepares for graduation, Newberry thanked Hannam for his thoughtful advice that impacted his portfolio site, which will be an instrumental piece in his employment search.

鈥淔or each project, Professor Hannam鈥檚 feedback helped me develop my pieces even further,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e also provided me with the confidence I needed to challenge myself with each design.鈥�

Simple, but effective

There are few recommendations stronger than good word-of-mouth.

That is how Bagley got involved in creating a logo for the 2023 Dublin (NC) Golf Expo.

Having previously completed work for nonprofit organizations and events in Chapel Hill and Pittsboro, Bagley was approached by the expo鈥檚 organizers with a clear goal for the project: simplicity 鈥撀爓ith a hat tip to their respective sport.

鈥淭hey wanted to integrate some kind of golf reference in the logo and with the 鈥淟鈥� in the word Dublin, and it worked out beautifully for a typographic logo,鈥� Bagley said.

While she found it initially difficult to pinpoint the right typeface, Bagley eventually landed on Optima, which went well with the concept and fit with the golf club illustration.

For history buffs, Optima is a humanist san serif that was developed in 1958 by Hermann Zapf in Germany. Brands such as Aston Martin, Jaguar, Nordstrom and Yahoo all .

鈥淭he logo was simple, yet fun and I went on to design posters and some apparel for the event,鈥� Bagley said. 鈥淭his is also a good logo to animate, which I may do in the future.鈥�

Zenner applauded her colleague in the Department of Communication Design for her award-winning work, noting Bagley鈥檚 talent for design. 鈥淧rofessor Bagley鈥檚 recognition with a Gold Award 鈥� further highlights the exceptional talent within our community, showcasing our collective excellence and innovation,鈥� Zenner said.

VIM Fest

The new AEJMC Festival of Visual & Interactive Media or VIM Fest contest was created by the Visual Communication division, in partnership with several AEJMC divisions. It is an opportunity to have one’s creative research, or student work, vetted in a blind-juried, peer-reviewed international competition. Gold, Silver and Bronze are awarded in each category. Gold student winners receive a $50 award.