Cox Institute students recognized at 2025 Spring Dinner

The Cox Institute for Journalism Innovation, Management and Leadership presented its Medal of Achievement to 30 journalism students during the Institute’s 2025 Spring Recognition Dinner.

Held March 27 at the University of Georgia’s Special Collections Library, the dinner honored the students’ completion of their work as Fink Fellows, Griffiths Innovators and Levin Leaders. The students wrote and reported for professional media, innovated in newsrooms across Georgia, and learned to be leaders. Special guests included Grady College’s Dean Charles Davis and Dr. Jonathan Peters, as well as previous Cox Institute industry fellows.

The Fink Fellows are: Isabelle Farina, Libby Hobbs, Shweta Krishnan, Ella Kroll, Jack Keys, Molly Moore, Margaret Pope, Julianna Russ, Rachel Sandstrom and Sydney Shankman. The Fink Fellows are part of the Cox Institute’s Writing Lab and are provided scholarships through a fund established by Kent and Parker Middleton to honor the memory of Conrad Fink, a legendary journalism professor at UGA. Lori Johnston serves as director of the Writing Lab.

The Griffiths Innovators are: Ella Brauer, Harper Covington, Leighton Dancy, McKenna Edwards, Morgan Hardy, Ryan Lynch, Allison Mawn, Sarah Sims, Abigail Watts and Jennifer Xia. The Griffiths Innovators are part of the Cox Institute’s Innovation Lab and are provided scholarship through a fund established by Richard T. Griffiths, a former news executive with CNN. Amanda Bright serves as director of the Innovation Lab.

The Levin Leaders are: Olivia Bontempo, Ellis Goud, Kendall Kelly, Zach Leggio, Rylie Livingston, Lola Murti, Navya Shukla, Kimberly Thomas, Makenzy Wolford and Jesse Wood. The Levin Leaders are part of the Cox Institute’s Leadership Lab and are provided scholarships through funding from Adam Levin, his wife Heather McDowell and the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation. Keith Herndon, the executive director of the Cox Institute, also serves as director of the Leadership Lab.

Bob Sullivan, a Peabody Award winning journalist, who served as the Institute’s 2024-25 Industry Fellow, delivered inspirational after-dinner remarks. He is a previous recipient of the Cox Institute’s Leadership Medal.

See a full album of photos from the dinner here.

The Cox Institute also presented four additional scholarship awards during the dinner.

Libby Hobbs and Allison Mawn received the Todd M. Bauer Memorial Award, a program established by the Bauer family to honor their son by helping young journalists establish themselves in their early careers.

Julianna Russ was this year’s recipient of the Barry Hollander Award, which was established by former students in memory of the late journalism professor known for his steadfast defense of open meetings and records.

The Institute also presented an award recognizing Jacqueline GaNun for her outstanding work as the Cox Institute’s graduate assistant during her two-year master’s program.

Author: Cox Institute