Communication & Media Studies Awards

The Communication & Media Studies (CMS) program awards several honors each year to our students, in memory of former students, faculty, and families of students.

2025 Award Recipients (left to right): Jordan Wood (Economos), Samuel Rose (Levine), Shelby Meek (Felarca Senior), MiAsia Timmons (Felarca Undergraduate), Betsy Eastman (Felarca Senior), Kristen Lim (Felarca Undergraduate).
2024 Award Recipients (left to right): Ruby Levitt (Felarca Undergraduate), Heather McCormack (Felarca Undergraduate), Arianna Carman (Economos), Katelyn Krapf (Felarca Senior).
2023 Felarca Senior Award Recipients Prachi Ruina (left) and Amita Chatterjee (right).
2023 Felarca Undergraduate Award Recipients Willensky Joseph (left) and TaNiya Kees (right).
2023 Economos Prize Recipient Jihane Atlassi.
2023 Levine Prize Recipient Ella Doerr.
2022 Felarca Award Recipients (left to right): Linus Berggren (Senior), Richard Bialik (Undergraduate), Jimae Hayes (Senior), Jihane Atlassi (Undergraduate).
CMS 2019 Convocation. Front Row: Award Recipients (left to right): Candy Luo (Felarca Senior Award); Maya Williams (Felarca Travel Award); Cydnii Jones (Felarca Senior Award); Lucy Keyser (Economos Award); Mandile Mpofu (Levine Award); Lexi Hengeveld (Felarca Travel Award); and Nicholas Aliquo (Felarca Travel Award). Back Row: Professors.
2018 Erin Felarca Award Recipients (left to right: Cydnii Jones (Study Abroad), Hannah Geib (Study Abroad), Kate Ericksen (Senior Academic Achievement), Madeline Hardy (Senior Academic Achievement).
2017 Erin Felarca Award Recipients: (left to tight): Andie Schoenfeld (Economos Award), Michelle McAdams (Felarca Senior Award), Candy Luo (Felarca Travel Abroad), Madison Krchnavy (Felarca Travel Abroad).
2016 Erin Felarca Award Recipients (left to right): Alex Alverager (Study Abroad), Jaida Scarborough (Study Abroad), Imani Williams (Study Abroad), Rosalind Railton (Senior Academic Achievement).
2015 Erin Felarca Award Recipients (left to right): Sharnell Huff (Study Abroad), Rosalind Railton (Study Abroad), Dorie Chevlen (Senior Academic Achievement).
2014 Erin Felarca Award Recipients (left to right): Jenna Sumar (study abroad award), Rachel Martin (senior academic achievement award), Jaclyn Peiser (senior academic achievement award).
2013 Erin Felarca Award Recipients: (left to right): Ilana Schear (study abroad award), Catherine Hawley (senior academic achievement award), Lyle Hawthorne (senior academic achievement award), Rebecca Mark (study abroad award).
2012 Erin Felarca Award Recipients (left to right): Olivia Sentelle (study abroad award), Ariela Rodban (study abroad award), and Irene Gutierrez (senior academic achievement award).

The Felarca Awards

Erin Felarca

Each year the Communication and Media Studies Department honors graduating seniors and rising sophomores and juniors during the annual spring convocation ceremony. These awards are generously funded by David and Irene Pankey in memory of their beloved daughter Erin Felarca, Class of 2005. During her four years at Goucher, Erin was honored with several awards. In 2001, she received the Marvin Perry Award. Erin graduated with department and college honors. She received the department’s award for academic excellence in 2005 and she was also a Phi Beta Kappa inductee. Her senior thesis, “White or Something Like It: The Self-Proclaimed All-American Hapa Haole as the Cure for Racism,” adroitly examines the post 1960’s mixed race movement, specifically the rhetoric surrounding the half-white, half-Asian demographic.

Erin was passionate about travel and new experiences. She was committed to investigating and understanding complex issues. She was a talented musician, a gifted athlete, and a good friend who showed compassion towards people in general and, especially, those in need. She wrote for the Quindecim and produced radio programming for the campus station. Her essay, “Female Body Builders: The Ultimate Feminists?” was published in the first edition of Goucher’s student journal The Verge.

Erin’s love of learning, her high academic achievements, her ability to synthesize and organize complex ideas, and her grace and dignity will long be cherished by the faculty of the department. We are honored to remember Erin each year as we choose students for two memorial awards.

Erin Felarca ’05 Memorial Academic Achievement Award

The Erin Felarca ’05 Memorial Academic Achievement Award is given to seniors from the Communication and Media Studies Department who have demonstrated excellence in academics and embody in any way her spirit and humanity. Past recipients of the award are:

2025 - Betsy Eastman, Shelby Meek
2024 - Mackenzie Barnes, Katelyn Krapf
2023 - Amita Chatterjee, Prachi Ruina
2022 - Linus Berggren, Jimae Hayes
2021 - Grace Boudreau, Jaq Diurba
2020 - Liv Dawson, Liam Dorsey, Sarah Wilson

The Erin Felarca ‘05 Memorial Award for Undergraduate Achievement

The Erin Felarca ‘05 Memorial Award for Undergraduate Achievement, based on both financial need and merit, is given to sophomores or juniors majoring in communication and media studies to support their study abroad. Past recipients of the award are:

2025 - MiAsia Timmons, Kristen Lim, Ebi Loury
2024 - Ruby Levitt, Heather McCormack, Max Simon
2023 - TJ Ellior, Willensky Joseph, TaNiya Kees
2022 - Jihane Atlassi, Richard Bialik, Cecelia Scott, Sean Whitfield
2021 - Mackenzie Barnes, Yaya Diabagate, Gillian Sickler, Monica Valdez Ramos
2020 - Lilian Fernandez, Brady Rubinstein, Olivia Viteznik

The Gloria Levine Prize in Communication & Media Studies

In honor of Brownlee Sands Corwin, this award is given to a communication and media studies major in honor of the founding professor of Communication and Media Studies at Goucher College. Past recipients of the award are:

2025 - Samuel Rose
2024 - Trey Symonanis
2023 - Ella Doerr
2022 - Eruca Manson
2021 - Samson Bainbridge
2020 - Kylie Miller
2019 - Mandile Mpofu
2018 - Hannah Geib
2017 - Jessica Solomon

Gayle V. Economos '76 First Graduate in Communication & Media Studies Prize

In honor of Dr. George and Mrs. Kassie Economos and Aspasia Kasida, this award is given to a communication and media studies major in their sophomore or junior year at Goucher College. Past recipients of the award are:

2025 - Jordan Wood
2024 - Arianna Carman
2023 - Jihane Atlassi
2022 - Mackenzie Barnes
2021 - Joel Gladney
2020 - Tashi McQueen
2019 - Lucy Keyser
2018 - Madison Krchnavy
2017 - Andie Schoenfeld