Contact:  Dr. Mary Liz Brooks

[email protected]

325-374-1833

For Immediate Release

March 25, 2020

Canyon—West Texas A&M University Department of Communication student Alaina Africano will receive a $5,000 scholarship to pursue her education this fall thanks to the Advertising Education Foundation of Houston (AEFH).

“Applying for a scholarship like this is a little intimidating, but receiving a scholarship of this caliber is surreal,” Africano said. “The gift of money is always exciting, but in this case, it was more about knowing that my hard work was worth it and that I’m going down the right path.”

Africano serves as one of the presenters for the Buffalo Advertising team at WTAMU, which will compete as part of the National Student Advertising Competition.

“This is a well-deserved scholarship for Alaina,” said Dr. Mary Liz Brooks, adviser to the team. “She is a central team member of Buffalo Advertising and I’m so excited that she’s receiving this recognition based on her strong academic efforts.”

The AEFH will present scholarships totaling a record $100,000 to 20 college students from throughout the AAF Tenth District area this year, reflecting an increase of 66 percent over last year’s awards.

“We are very pleased to be honoring both undergraduate and graduate students,” said AEFH Board Chairman Bill Fogarty. “Judges were impressed with this year’s scholarship applicants and their accomplishments.”

Created 19 years ago, AEFH is the scholarship foundation of the American Advertising Federation-Houston. The AEFH awards scholarships to college sophomores, juniors and seniors pursuing undergraduate or post-graduate degrees in advertising, interactive marketing, journalism, radio/TV, commercial art, production, public relations, or related fields. Students attending colleges and universities located in the AAF Tenth District region that covers Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas, are eligible.

“We received applications from students attending 17 different colleges and universities in the four-state AAF Tenth District area. Selection was based on completing the online application, letters of reference, community engagement, financial need, extracurricular activities, work experience, and school transcripts,” Fogarty said.

AEFH scholarships are awarded within the guidelines of financial need, GPA, written communication skills, and general community and volunteer activities. Students must demonstrate commitment to the communication industry with internships, or work experience, and participation in communication-focused professional or campus organizations.

About the WTAMU Department of Communication

The West Texas A&M Department of Communication has undergraduate programs in media communication and communication studies, as well as a master’s program in communication. For more information, please visit https://www.wtamu.edu/academics/communication.aspx