Congratulations to recipients of the Class of 2021 Steinhardt school and Media, Culture, and Communication departmental awards. We asked the winners to reflect on their time as a student, their proudest accomplishments, humorous anecdotes from remote learning, and what the future might hold. Below, we quote from their responses.
My proudest accomplishment is being a Peer Mentor for incoming MCC students. Not only was it exciting to help and guide the students, but it was also exciting to see how much I've grown from my first semester and within each semester of the role.
Interning for ABC News as a member of their Special Events team, getting to be in the control room supporting the live broadcasts of the 2020 Impeachment Trial, the New Hampshire Democratic debate, and Super Tuesday were all exhilarating moments that I will always be immeasurably grateful for.
My honors thesis project, “Propatainment: The Ideological Clash between Entertainment and Propaganda in Die lieben Mitmenschen (1972-1974)” has been an incredibly personal project, one that has tied my academic interests in visual media and media history to my personal understanding of Germany and German identity.
Stepping out of my comfort zone and taking part in Global Media Scholars, I studied abroad in both Prague and Shanghai with the intention of challenging myself and came out of the experience with amazing friendships and a newfound appreciation.
My proudest accomplishment as an NYU student was learning how to produce short films at NYU and then going on to produce them for non-profits that I care about.
It was an honor to work with my cohort of NYU Scholars in Residence at Weber Shandwick: Elli, Leonard, and James. I couldn't be more grateful to have shared this experience with them under the incredible and unwavering support of our Program Lead and trusted advisor, Alexandria Meier.
I took classes in subjects I'd never even heard of before coming to NYU, completed over 6 internships, met some truly wonderful friends, and explored so many new places!
Being able to build intellectual and political homes, including the Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies and the Asian American Feminist Collective and seeing both of these spaces grow tremendously in the last few years.
I served on the NYU BeTogether Disability Inclusive Culture committee, during which I wrote my first proposal on employing more disabled staff and professors at NYU. I discussed disability in depth on panels, at events, and in my classes. These experiences have enhanced my growth, identity, and learning and I will carry them with me forever.
Media Activism and Social Movements was such an eye-opening class for me because I took it before witnessing some of the largest social movements in my life and being able to directly apply what I'd learned was fascinating.
I will most definitely never forget my Visual Culture Methods course. I learned so much about the different ways of seeing, how to view the lived realities around me and to consider things from multiple perspectives.
I feel particularly drawn to and inspired by the performance theories that we learned in MCC classes. These intellectual discussions have enabled me to critically examine our everyday lives.
NYU is a challenging academic institution, and I am proud to have been able to sit in the same room with so many insightful and intelligent people. The things I have learned at NYU will stay with me forever, and the friends I made here will always be treasured.
I am so glad I had the chance to meet and collaborate with students from all over NYU, while participating in the SSLD Fellowship, who had different skillsets from my own and are pursuing careers in entirely different industries. I met wonderful friends, enjoyed our adventures, and am so excited to see how we continue to succeed from here.
I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I am without the support of so many people at MCC. The last 6 years have been iconic, and I'm so grateful to have called NYU my home.
One of my most memorable experiences was going to Prague and finding two very cool internships through their non-credit internship program! The work I did for Radio Free Europe and Project Syndicate helped me understand that I wanted to explore digital and visual media, thus shaping my whole career.
I was awarded a fellowship from AAUW (American Association of University Women) which supported my thesis project titled "The border is built with our bodies: Feminicide, feminist potency, and the gendered politics of space in Mexico." Just being able to write that paper felt like a tribute to the women in my country, who are fighting a war.
My proudest moment was completing my MA thesis on Neoliberalism as Implicit Ideology in Open-World Video Games.
Not pictured:
Ayesha Omer, MCC Dissertation Distinction Award (PhD)
Elli Garcia, Award for Outstanding Service to the Department (MA)
Rohan Grover, Distinguished Thesis Award (MA)
Stephanie Monohan, Award for Distinction in MA Professional Writing (MA)
Tashfina Rahman, Award for Outstanding Service to the Department (MA)
Wynton St Clair, Award for Outstanding Service to the Department (MA)