Student Showcase and Honor Reception Celebrates SOC Achievements

“Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well,” began Dr. Don Heider, Dean of the School of Communication, at the start of the recent Student Showcase and Honors Reception held in the Schreiber Center. 

The quote, originally from John W. Gardner, is perfect in its simplicity. While we long to live our dreams in life, this philosophy exemplifies the importance of striving to do our best in the steps along the way towards the achievement of these goals.

And so began Loyola’s Weekend of Excellence, a time dedicated to celebrating the students and faculty who over the course of the school year demonstrated again and again their work ethic and strong attention to detail in the small things.

The reception acknowledged one student from each specific major in the SOC and those graduating with honors, in addition to giving out awards for top original work. One presenter, Assistant Professor Dr. Florence Chee said she was grateful to have the opportunity to be apart of the celebration.

“Often teaching involves just the hard work and then you release these ambassadors into the world without ever having personally told them how proud of them you really are.  It is great to participate in celebrating and formally recognizing these top quality extraordinary people from the SOC at LUC,” said Dr. Chee.

For students, some of whom are about to conclude their collegiate careers, it was an opportunity to reflect on their development during their time at Loyola, including George Patrick Davet, a senior in Film and Digital Media, who was presented with several awards at the reception.

“It's a fantastic feeling. It's cathartic. I started at Loyola in business and switched gears to Film and Digital Media almost immediately. Filmmaking is my greatest passion, and to work and succeed in this field is so, so rewarding,” Davet said. “Working in communications means that none of our work at the SOC is done alone. So I'm glad to have great teams, groups, and teachers that have helped me focus and improve my work.”

Although the reception acknowledged only a select few within the SOC, it was an opportunity for those in attendance to recognize the effort that was made in all the steps along the way that lead to this success.

 “I encourage all my students at all stages of their programs to participate in this event,” said Dr. Chee, “because it is both educational and inspirational for them to see that their problem solving, critical thinking, and excellent storytelling skills are valuable.”