Communication & Media Studies Awards

The CMS program awards several honors each year to our students, in memory of former students, faculty, and families of students.

  • CMS 19 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 FelarcaEach year the Communication and Media Studies program 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's astute analysis of contemporary multiracialism posits a new racism based on the continued normative model of whiteness that guides our racialized discourse on miscegenation and the rhetorical posturing on multiculturalism not replicated in lived experience.

Erin was passionate about travel abroad and multicultural experience. She was committed to investigating and understanding issues of diversity and social justice. She was a talented musician, a gifted athlete, and a good friend who cared deeply about 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 the following awards:

The Erin Felarca Memorial Academic Achievement Award is given to graduating seniors from Communication and Media Studies who have demonstrated excellence in academics and a commitment to issues of diversity.

The Erin Felarca Memorial Award for Undergraduate Achievement, based on both financial need and merit, is given to students majoring in Communication and Media Studies in their sophomore or junior years. Originally intended to support travel abroad, the Award has been broadened in focus during the COVID pandemic.

Senior Award:

2021 Grace Boudreau, Jaq Diurba

2020 Liv Dawson, Liam Dorsey, Sarah Wilson

Undergraduate Award:

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

Awarded to a Communication major in honor of the founding professor of Communication
and Media Studies at Goucher College.

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 & Mrs. Kassie Economos & Aspasia Kasida

Awarded to a Communication and Media Studies major in their sophomore or junior year at Goucher College.

2021 Joel Gladney

2020 Tashi McQueen

2019 Lucy Keyser

2018 Madison Krchnavy

2017 Andie Schoenfeld