The Department of Communication honored the winners of three new awards designed to recognize graduate student excellence during its annual awards ceremony on April 21. The Top Teaching Assistant in Communication Award, which may be given to one first-year as well as one second-year teaching assistant, recognizes excellence in teaching by a graduate instructor in the Department of Communication. The Top Graduate Student Researcher in Communication Award recognizes excellence in research by a graduate student in the Department of Communication.

Ariana Aquino was awarded the First-Year Teaching Assistant in Communication Award. Aquino brought over 120 hours of experience mentoring incoming students for the panhellenic council of the U of A with her into the classroom. Her students have praised her for creating a friendly and non-judgmental learning environment. When asked how Aquino could improve her teaching, one student wrote, "There is nothing I don't like about Ms. Aquino. She's simply great."

Rachel Allard, who teaches courses in both Communication and Gender Studies, was awarded the Second-Year Teaching Assistant in Communication Award. Her students have praised not only her preparedness and subject knowledge, but also her compassion and empathy. Commending her dedication to teaching, one of Allard's students wrote that her outstanding teaching "made [them] grateful to be able to take an in-person class again."

Darby Gilliland was awarded the Top Graduate Student Researcher in Communication Award. She joined the program in Fall 2021 with extensive research experience, having served as a research assistant in the Department of Psychology's Memory and Communication Lab for two years. More recently, she has collaborated with professors Margaret Butcher and Jackie Mosley in their video series on Creating Cultural Competence published by the U of A Press. She has also presented research at the World Communication Association's biennial conference, submitted work to the National Communication Association's annual conference and aims to leave her mark on film studies as she starts writing a thesis directed by Frank Scheide.

Reflecting on this year's award winners, Graduate Director Ryan Neville-Shepard summarized: "We are excited to honor our highly accomplished students. We have been recognized by the National Communication Association as having one of the top M.A. programs in the country. In that way, these students are the best of the best, and we have been so lucky to work with them."