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.
The Felarca Awards
Each 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