Four Southern Adventist University students won awards at the 2023-24 American Advertising (ADDY) Awards Chattanooga this spring, beating out thousands of other applicants in the student bracket. Hosted by the American Advertising Federation, the ADDY Awards are the largest creative competition in the world, with a tiered competition starting locally.

“Having an award like this on a student's resume shows potential employers that he or she has the skills and ambition that it takes to succeed in this industry,” explains Mindy Trott, MFA, professor in the School of Visual Art and Design.

Elennie Ramirez, senior graphic design major, won the Student Best-of-Show ADDY, a Judge’s Choice ADDY, a Silver ADDY, and a Gold ADDY. Katie Rose, junior graphic design major, won a Judge’s Choice ADDY and a Gold ADDY. Andrew Boggess, senior mass communication and photography major, and Preston Waters, junior marketing major, won a Silver ADDY together.

“I couldn’t believe it when I won four awards,” Ramirez shares. She had created a series of posters for a television show and a branding campaign for a restaurant during previous semesters. At Trott’s suggestion, she submitted both to the ADDY Awards and won two awards for each submission.

Rose submitted a bus wrap advertisement for a fundraising campaign. Originally, she made the wrap for her Advertising Design class, but Victoria Carlson, adjunct professor in the School of Visual Art and Design, suggested that she submit it to the ADDY awards as well.

Boggess and Waters originally co-produced their winning documentary, called “Tremolo,” for their Directing a Documentary class. The film features Emmy Award-winning Gary Fry and his Grammy-nominated son, Cody Fry. The film follows Gary Fry through his college experience and his struggle with choosing music as a profession.

“We’re proud of the time, effort, and tenacity our students put forth. It's a wonderful to see how it’s paid off at this stage in their education,” Trott shares. “In addition to seeing our students succeed, it was also great to celebrate about half a dozen Southern Adventist University alumni winning awards this year.”

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