Four Students Selected as Washington Media Scholars Fellows

Four Students Selected as Washington Media Scholars Fellows

For students in the Roy H. Park School of Communications, one of the advantages to an IC education is the ability to gain experience outside of the classroom. That's especially true for four students who were recently awarded Media Fellows Scholarships from the Washington Media Scholars Foundation (WMSF).

Matt Minton '25, Louis Pratt '27, Kaitlyn Jenks '25 and Kendell Moats '27 were all given the honor in 2024, and Ithaca was the only school in the country with more than three scholars selected, a testament to the quality of students walking the halls.

The fellowship is awarded based on "academic merit, leadership potential and passion for media," which all four winners possess, in addition to their own unique interests and skills. Winners receive financial support, as well as "unique opportunities to gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and industry professionals"

"I have so much appreciation for the Washington Media Scholars Foundation and the opportunities they provide with both the fellows scholarships and the National Media Case Competition," said Scott Hamula, professor and chair of the Department of Strategic Communication. "Likewise, I'm happy for and inspired by our students. We have a legacy of success with this organization and I'm thrilled that our four Park students have received these scholarship awards."

Moats has quickly jumped into life in the Park School and joined the college's chapters of several professional organizations, including the American Marketing Association (AMA), Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and American Advertising Federation (AAF), for which she serves as the social media chair.

These are the sorts of opportunities that drew Moats - who is from New Holland, Pennsylvania - to Ithaca in the first place.

"In high school, I would look up the best schools for communications and marketing," she said. "And Ithaca kept coming up over and over."

The other opportunity she relishes is to work alongside talented classmates.

"We all have the ability to grow and learn thanks to some amazing professors, and I'm grateful for that," she said. "I've gotten to do some fantastic in-class work, like designing whole media campaigns. It's been very immersive."

Moats, an Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing Communications (APRMC) major, is thinking about working in public relations after graduation, collaborating and helping brand influencers. For now though, she's enjoying her time at IC.

"There are a lot of schools where you wouldn't be able to serve on the e-board of a professional organization as an underclassman," she said. "But here, you get those kinds of opportunities and I'm glad."

One of her classmates on that e-board is Pratt, a fellow APRMC major, who views the fellowship as a chance to grow his skill set and connect two of his passions: public policy and advertising.

Pratt helped form, and is currently the president of, the college's chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), the first such chapter at a college in New York State. It's something that's deeply personal to him.

"Growing up in Whitehall, New York, a lot of students in my high school struggled with substance abuse," he said. "We also had no driver's education. And when I was part of SADD in high school, what I learned was that the best way to combat impaired driving and increase safety is through advertising."

For Pratt, the first steps towards IC started many years ago, when he visited South Hill annually with his father who, as the Superintendent of Highways in Whitehall, would do trainings at the college.

"I always loved Ithaca, but when I toured IC, I really felt like, 'This is my place,'" he said. "The promise of 'Day one, you're on' really stuck with me. And Ithaca has made good on that promise. I jumped into everything right away."

In addition to his work with SADD and on the AAF e-board, Pratt serves as the social media director for Park Promotions and the promotions director of BomberTHON.

"When I first came to IC, I wanted to study broadcast journalism," said Pratt, an APRMC major. "But doing some of the PR-related work for our organizations, plus my innate passion for public causes, has me hoping to end up in the social media marketing field, promoting a cause or action."

Jenks, who came to Ithaca with an associate degree in communication media from Herkimer College, had some experience with Washington Media Scholars, having taken part in the organization's Media Case Competition while at IC. And through the courses she's taken on South Hill, particularly advertising and media planning, she's opened other doors for herself.

"My media planning course, in particular, was the catalyst for me to look at related internships, which is how I landed at Justrite Safety Group, helping do research for some of our campaigns," she said. "I'm hoping to turn it into a career in media planning for an advertising agency."

Jenks, who is an IMC major, also works for the college's Office of Marketing and Communications, helping to shoot and produce content for the college's digital media platforms.

"I love the ability to come up with ideas, and the associated strategy, and then come up with a plan to execute it," she said. "And IC has given me that chance."

Like Jenks, Minton took part in the Media Case Competition.

"Doing that, I saw all the opportunities the organization had for students, so I continued to keep my eye on them," he said. "When I saw the Media Fellows opportunity, I spoke to some students who had been selected previously and they had nothing but good things to say about it, so I applied."

Minton, who majors in Writing for Film & Television and minors in APRMC, has been incredibly active during his time at IC, writing for both Buzzsaw Magazine and The Ithacan.

Currently taking part in the Park School's Los Angeles program, Minton is an intern at Warner Brothers Television, as a member of the network's current programming team. He hopes to utilize the experience to one day work in the entertainment industry.

"I have had a lot of doors opened for me outside of classes," he said. "I'm excited to make the most of my experience and making new connections. I've been able to go to film screenings and hear industry professionals talk about their careers. It's where I want to be."