Two Honored with Excellence in Communication Award

The Department of Media and Communication at St. John Fisher University has selected Rayna Alsalahi ’26 and Kessan VanGronigen ’25 as the 2024 recipients of the Jack Palvino Excellence in Communication Award.

Given annually to two students in the department, the award recognizes undergraduates who demonstrate academic excellence and a passion for a career in communication. Recipients of the award must demonstrate a desire to pursue a career in the media and communication industries, and be a first-, second-, or third-year student who has declared media and communication or media management as their major.

Alsalahi is a media and communication major with minors in film and television studies, English, and marketing. She is also pursuing the public professional writing certificate. She serves as the production assistant for the department and will be president of Cardinal Television (CTV) during the 2024-2025 academic year.  In addition, she will serve as a stage manager during the inaugural season of the St. John Fisher University Summer Theater.  Her career goal is to work in film and video production while also writing novels and short stories.

VanGronigen is double majoring in media and communication and sociology with a minor in marketing. She is a member of the PRIMA Group, as well as a staff writer for the Cardinal Courier. VanGronigen was on the planning team for the 2024 Spirit of Identity Week and recently completed work as a filmmaker documenting the Urban Alchemy exhibit in the Patricia O’Keefe Ross Gallery. She intends to pursue a career in film and television production.