Scholarship Winners

Chiara Garcia

Hi! I'm Chiara Garcia, a junior majoring in Communication Studies, and minoring in Education and Studio Art, at the University of Puget Sound. I am originally from Pleasant Hill, California. I am currently pursuing a career in education as a teacher, and I also hope to organize creative projects and installations after I graduate. The reason why I chose to major in Communication Studies is because of how applicable the field is to a wide range of careers. I am able to apply the skills I’ve learned every day, within my on-campus job, interpersonal life, networking circles, etc. In my Communication Studies classes, I often find myself diving deep into aspects of the social world around me that I took as a given, and noticing how many iconic moments and artifacts were made possible only through intentional communication and rhetoric. Since taking my first few COMM classes, I have noticed how much more actively I pay attention to the subtle ways in which communication skills can make huge differences in achieving specific goals. Thank you so much to the Communication Studies department for this award, and for another great semester!
 

Katie Hayhurst

This year I am a senior Communication Studies and Business Leadership double major from La Crescenta, California. Before coming to Puget Sound, I loved asking questions about why people act the way they do, and after hearing about my sister’s experiences as a Communication Studies major at a similar university, I decided that I wanted to take classes in the COMM department and consider the major. Every communication studies course I have taken (eight so far) has been an amazing experience with professors who were engaging and passionate about their class; I am so thankful I decided to pursue this area of study. 

My involvement on campus includes a lot of music. I play the violin (and sometimes percussion) in the Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Strings Club, and this will be my third year working in the School of Music Office as the social media assistant. Outside of music, I am a member of the Business Leadership Program, where I take cohort classes and attend extra seminars that help prepare me for entering the workforce. I am also a member of Phi Eta Sigma, a national honors society on campus. 

In the summer of 2022, I was an Institutional Advancement intern at the Center Theatre Group of Los Angeles where I was reminded of my love of consuming theatre, and has made me interested in the possibility of pursuing arts administration after graduation. This recent summer I was a communications intern at King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks in the Water and Land Resources Division - an internship I found through the COMM Department emails! This experience helped develop my skills in writing blog stories and creating various social media packages. Working for these two impressive organizations has reassured my goal of eventually working somewhere with a meaningful mission and a positive impact on its community. 

I am incredibly thankful for this academic department and for the donors who made this generous scholarship possible.
 

Anya Lipkowitz

My name is Anya Lipkowitz, and I am a current Junior at the University of Puget Sound. I am majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in English. I am from Albuquerque, New Mexico. My hometown, during the throws of COVID-19, made incredible efforts in making immunization possible. In fact, my aunt, Anna Pentler is the executive director of the New Mexico Immunization Coalition. Watching my aunt make vital, lasting impacts on my home, through education and increasing accessibility of vaccinations, helped me to more fully understand the importance of communication and messaging. She inspired me to pursue a degree in communications, and aim for a Masters in Public Health Communication, in the future. New Mexico, with the leadership of my Aunt, became one of the leading states in vaccination rates during COVID-19. 

Additionally, through taking classes such as Health Communication Campaigns and Qualitative Research Methods, my view of the world has shifted dramatically. Because of the opportunity to walk through the entire process of forming a health campaign, or learning how to truly analyze and understand qualitative data, I have a more full view of how engaging and compelling communication can effect lasting, positive change in communities. The classes I've taken here have inspired me to strive for making the world a better, safer place, for all different types of people.

Thank you to my wonderful professors for pushing me to dig deeper and to my parents for their consistent, unwavering support! Thank you to the communications department and this incredible gift from the donors!
 

Maya Martin

My name is Maya Martin, and I am currently a senior at the University of Puget Sound. I am from Auburn, Washington, and major in Communication Studies and minor in Musical Inquiry. I first took a communications class as a part of my CORE requirements, and did not expect to love it as much as I did. This specific class centered around interpersonal communication, and I was fascinated at just how applicable the subject was to typical human interactions. I absolutely loved exploring these relationships and quickly realized that I wanted to declare my major in this field.

Outside of my education at the university, I am very involved on campus. For instance, I have been a Campus Tour Guide since the second semester of my freshman year, and have also been an orientation leader for incoming freshman (Passages) my sophomore and senior year. I am also active in the a cappella group Underground Sound and work as the Success Coaching Assistant for the Department of Student Success. Additionally, I am a member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honors Society.

Overall, I am eternally grateful for the countless opportunities that the Communication Studies Department has afforded me. Studying Comm at UPS has helped me gain an abundance of knowledge, make meaningful connections, explore many opportunities to build a career off of, and prepare for life after college. I am especially thankful for the amazing faculty in this department, namely my academic advisor and former professor, Dr. Bianca Wolf. I also want to extend my thanks to the incredible donors who made this scholarship possible. I am so grateful to have been given these amazing opportunities within the Communication Studies Department at the University of Puget Sound!
 

Kate Patterson

I’m Kate Patterson, a Junior from Portland, Oregon double majoring in Communication Studies and Politics & Government. I declared my Communication Studies major spring of my freshman year, the earliest students may do so. From my first class in this department, Intro to American Civil Rhetoric, I’ve known that I wanted to study the power of words and how we build relationships with others. I especially love how classes in the COMM department range topics, like my public health campaigns class last year. I feel so grateful to be in this department and to truly enjoy my course work almost every day. 

I’m involved outside of the classroom as a Passages coordinator, Managing Copy Editor of The Trail (our student newspaper), Senior Spiritual Life Leader, campus security assistant, Lillis barista, and member of Clearcut Ultimate. My passion is working to increase student belonging, which has been especially central to my roles in passages and in the University Chaplaincy. 

In my limited free time I love going on walks, eating pesto pasta, and going on runs around Tacoma. 

Thank you so much to those who made this scholarship possible!
 

Natalie Wilson

I am Natalie Wilson, a University of Puget Sound senior majoring in Communications. Before attending the University of Puget Sound, I intended to study Political Science on the Pre-Law route. However, it wasn’t until my first Communication course, American Civic Rhetoric 171, that sparked my interest in the discipline. The course intersected my passions for political and social discourse by critically examining its potent impacts on society. Rhetoric is an efficient vehicle for curating political and social messages through empowering and influential language. As a persuasive and compelling force, rhetoric is all-encompassing and structures our fixed ideologies, convictions, attitudes, social norms, expectations, and behaviors. I am privileged to take Communication courses in rhetoric that compel me to think critically to challenge and dismantle these structured beliefs and values. I am indebted to the Communications department for developing and supporting me in becoming an abstract, critical, well-rounded thinker and student. I plan to pursue my master’s in Communications; I will continue to apply, refine, and enhance the skills and knowledge I have gained through the University of Puget Sound Communications department.

Outside of my involvement as a student in Communications, I work in the department as a Course assistant for the same course that sparked my curiosity for Communications; I assist American Civic Rhetoric 171. I also work for the University of Puget Sound’s Speech and Effective Advocacy Center, where I am a Speech Coach, supporting students in structuring and presenting speeches. I am also a member of the University of Puget Sound’s Forensics program, the university’s debate team, where we compete and practice strategies of public deliberation. I also serve as the University of Puget Sound’s Mortar Board President, a selective senior honors society that promotes scholarship and innovation. Finally, I am a member of the Lambda Pi Eta Communications Honors Society, which welcomes students who display a robust commitment to the field of Communication.

I am profoundly passionate about the field of Communications. Thank you to the department for this generous scholarship, which empowers me to strengthen the application of my studies. Finally, thank you to the charitable donors for creating and distributing the scholarship to encourage students like myself to continue to pursue and apply my passions wholeheartedly.