WT Chapter of PR Student Society Wins National Honor

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - West Texas A&M University's chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America has won its first Star Chapter Award from its national organization.

The award recognizes the chapter's commitment to the society's "highest standards," according to PRSSA.

"It's your Chapter's leadership that allows PRSSA to provide outstanding programming and relationship opportunities to our members," wrote Emily Vazquez, vice president of members services, and Ben Castleman, student programs coordinator, in an email to the WT chapter. "We encourage you to continue to work toward this excellence as we move forward into a new year."

To qualify, the chapter had to fulfill at least eight of 11 categories of contributions to the Society, including high school outreach, commitment to ethics, community service projects and others. The WT chapter did pro-bono work with the Amarillo Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, attended various chapters and won several statewide awards, all contributing to its star chapter designation.

"Receiving the 2024 Star Chapter Award for the first time is a tremendous honor for our chapter, said Debany Arciniega-Saenz, a senior public relations, advertising and applied communication major from Canyon. "This recognition serves as a significant milestone and testament to our dedication and hard work this year. Being a part of PRSSA offers our members invaluable opportunities for growth, networking, and professional development. We are proud to be acknowledged and inspired to continue striving for excellence in the year ahead."

The chapter is housed within the Department of Communication in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities.

Members of the 2023-24 chapter also included Jordan Conde, a May graduate in digital communication and media from Dumas; Rachael Draper, a senior digital communication and media major from Abilene; Gladis Escalante, a December graduate in communication studies from Houston; Jaclyn Ferrel, a junior speech and hearing sciences major from Childress; Macey Francis, a sophomore public relations, advertising and applied communication major from Amarillo; Augustine Galvan-Vega, a junior communication studies major from Amarillo; Lexy Gomez, a senior digital communication and media major from Amarillo; Macie Groomer, a senior communication studies major from Amarillo: Maurice Holderman, a May graduate in digital communication and media from Amarillo; Madilyn Immel, a May graduate in digital communication and media from Fredericksburg; Jeremiah Lauzon, a May graduate in digital communication and media from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada; Jenna Lopez, a senior public relations, advertising and applied communication major from Tucumcari, New Mexico; JoLina Lopez, a May graduate in digital communication and media from Abernathy; Hekla Magnúsdóttir, a May graduate in digital communication and media from Reykjavik, Iceland; Alyssa Malik, a junior public relations, advertising and applied communication major from Amarillo; Haley Manning, a May graduate in communication studies major from Fort Worth; Alexandra Maza, a December graduate in public relations, advertising and applied communication from Amarillo; Jenna McCarthy, a junior public relations, advertising and applied communication major from Amarillo; Jacob Nava, a senior digital communication and media major from Amarillo; Layla Olvera, a junior digital communication and media major from Houston; Kohl Patton, a junior digital communication and media major from Morgantown, Pennsylvania; Jacy Permenter, a senior public relations, advertising and applied communication major from Bushland; Grayson Prather, a senior public relations, advertising and applied communication major from Canyon; Alexandra Sessions, a senior public relations, advertising and applied communication major from Nacogdoches; Brooklyn Spencer, a senior agricultural media and communication major from Porter, Oklahoma; Phoebe Terry, a senior digital communication and media major from Amarillo; Kiet Tran, a senior digital communication and media major from Amarillo; Isai Velasquez, a junior digital communication and media major from Dumas; and Elle Waters, a May graduate in public relations, advertising and applied communication from Amarillo.

Building undergraduate academic excellence is a key maxim of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign's new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest's finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men's and women's athletics programs.

Photo: JoLina Lopez, a May graduate in digital communication and media from Abernathy, and Debany Arciniega-Saenz, a senior public relations, advertising and applied communication major from Canyon, attended a fall 2023 Public Relations Student Society of America conference on behalf of the West Texas A&M University chapter, which recently won a star chapter award from the national organization.

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