CMS Honors Day 2023

Honors Day 2023 is a “Toast to CMS”

Surrounded by both toasting glasses and all sort of “toast” products and decorations, the department held its annual Honors Day on April 25 in historic Studio 6a. The event began with a tribute to the past year as seen through various images, with the song “Raise Your Glass” in the background. Department chair Craig Scott, the official “toastmaster” for the ceremony, welcomed people and reviewed the past year in CMS—toasting what went well and jokingly shaking toast at things that did not go quite as planned.

Toast

Following recognition of the department’s graduating undergraduates and its Lambda Pi Eta Honors Society, UT Debate Coach Brendon Bankey and Texas Speech Coach Randy Cox gave highlights of what has been another amazing year—including a repeat national championship for the Speech team and an overall combined #1 ranking for the speech and debate teams. Krystal Perez, a national champion in persuasive speaking, delivered that award-winning speech on “Saving Indigenous Languages” to the sizable crowd in attendance. 

Craig Toast

The following awards were given out at Honors Day:

CMS Toasty Awards (for those not honored in other ways, but who clearly deserved a toast for their contributions to the department): Josh Barbour, Noah Muniz, John Daly, Nathaniel Repay, Lisa Moseley, Jeff Treem, and Dina Inman Ramgolam.

306 Toast

March Madness Bracket Challenge Awards: Ellen Alley (women’s bracket) and Olivia Gellar (men’s bracket).

Outstanding Teaching Assistant (MA): Vanessa Lopez
Outstanding Teaching Assistant (PhD): Sally Huh
Outstanding Assistant Instructor: Jared Jensen
Outstanding First-Year MA Student: Leona Pang
Outstanding First-Year PhD Student: Emily Norman
Outstanding MA Student: Dewi Azizah
Outstanding PhD Student: Mian Jia
Outstanding Graduate Citizen: Nathaniel Repay
Outstanding Graduate Research: Katie Lever
Graduate Faculty of the Year: Josh Barbour
Instructional Mentorship Award: Scott Stroud
Outstanding Graduate Program Alumni Award: Vanessa Beasley (President, Trinity University)

Friend of the Department Award: Moody College Marketing and Communications Team

Faculty/Staff Service Award: Jennifer Betancourt

The event closed with special recognition of three faculty members who are leaving CMS and will be missed greatly: Jeff Treem, Josh Barbour, and Jennifer Jones Barbour. Toastmaster Scott delivered a farewell toast to all and a reception followed at Moody’s Kitchen and Bar.

Pictures of the event are available here (courtesy of Stephanie Menhart): https://utexas.box.com/s/aoyipfpqn1kzzvcs81x8rlbkr90xfz2x

Moody's

Prior to the awards, the graduate program also recognized the following graduates (congratulations!): 

Kristyn Goldberg - Doctoral (Fall 2022)
Jon Henson - Doctoral (Fall 2022)
Erin O’Connor - Doctoral (Fall 2022)
Ellen Alley - Masters (Spring 2023)
Karissa Hernandez - Masters (Spring 2023)
Vanessa Lopez - Masters (Spring 2023)
Faith Osterberg - Masters (Spring 2023)
Maggie Solice - Masters (Spring 2023)
Yating Yang - Masters (Spring 2023)
Qinyan Gao (Dickerson) - Doctoral (Spring 2023)
Mian Jia - Doctoral (Spring 2023)
Katie Lever - Doctoral (Spring 2023)
Ashley McDonald - Doctoral (Spring 2023)
Courtney Powers - Doctoral (Spring 2023)
Shelbey Rollison Call - Doctoral (Spring 2023)
Oshyn Sky - Doctoral (Spring 2023)
Kendall Tich - Doctoral (Spring 2023)
Joy Melody Woods - Doctoral (Spring 2023)
Dewi Azizah - Masters (Summer 2023)
Katherine McChurch - Masters (Summer 2023)
Stephanie Vargas - Masters (Summer 2023)
Inbal Lebovits - Doctoral (Summer 2023)

Noah Toast
Student Worker of the Year: Noah Muniz
Lisa Toast
LIsa Mosely receiving her much deserved Toasty!
Jeff Serve
Resident Master Server of Toastys: Jeff Treem
Moodys Honors
Post Toasts at Moody's Kitchen & Bar