Continuing Student Media's history of award-winning student work, The Forge, Volition, and Hispanic Culture Review have been on a roll recently, bringing home national awards from multiple contests. In 2024, Volition and Hispanic Culture Review (HCR) were both named finalists for ACP's prestigious Pacemaker Award, often referred to as the "Student Pulitzer," with HCR taking home top honors as a 2024 National Magazine Pacemaker Award Winner. In 2025, Volition was named a Magazine Pacemaker Finalist for the second year in a row, and The Forge won multiple CMA Pinnacle Awards (Division I) including First Place Literary Magazine Cover and Second Place Literary Magazine of the Year. In 2026, The Forge went on to take Third Place in the Best Magazine Cover category at the CMA Apple Awards in New York City.
Read more about Student Media award wins in 2024, 2025, and 2026 >
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Congratulations to all the outstanding students involved! |
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Save the dates (click to enlarge)!
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Check out our students' outstanding work!
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What's Up Mason? Olympics Edition
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(click the image above to read the latest issue)
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(click the image above to read the latest issue)
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Collaborations & Partnerships |
Working together to make sure every student succeeds!
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Mason LIFE & UL News Partnerships
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Student Media partnered with University Life Marketing and Communications during summer 2025 to help create student success stories for publication in the UL News section of the UL website. Recent stories include coverage of Mason Day, Career Fair, Commencement, Transfer Nation, Gold Rush, and more!
Additionally, Student Media's longtime partnership with the Mason LIFE program was featured in the fall 2025 issue of University Life's Succeed magazine: "For more than 10 years, Student Media has hosted Mason LIFE interns as they prepare for post-graduation careers, pairing them with student mentors who help them develop valuable skills that transcend what they learn in the classroom."
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Student Media continued our Gowns for Grads partnership with SSAC in December, providing a student photographer to take pictures of winter grads and their families. Learn More >
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125+ students participated in academic class visits to Student Media in fall 2025, including COMM 203, COMM 356, China 1+2+1, Mason LIFE and all sections of CHSS 101. Learn More >
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| | Photo by: Mitchell Richtmyre
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Student Media professional staff trained UL Faculty Fellow Gretchen Hendricks (and student co-host Adam Miller) to record a live World Kindness Day podcast in November. Listen Now >
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"Thursday Night Out" Collaboration
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Photos by: Jason Hartsel and Forge Staff
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Student Media approached Student Centers in summer 2024, hoping to learn more about the Corner Pocket's Thursday Night Out events. Since then, staff from The Forge (Student Media's award-winning student-run sci-fi and fantasy magazine) have co-hosted BINGO Night and multiple Trivia Nights. Students have also created flyers and recorded promotional announcements that air on WGMU to promote the ongoing event series. Next up is a Student Media-themed BINGO night in late April 2026...we hope to see you there!
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What are Student Media grads up to now?
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CAREER PATHWAYS SERIES:
Zach Hamilton, Class of 2021
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Photos Provided by: Zach Hamilton
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By; Tiffany Boggs
From the time Student Media alumnus Zachary Hamilton (class of 2021) was a freshman in high school, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in sports broadcasting. Student Media was the place Hamilton honed his sports broadcasting skills for five years as an undergraduate and graduate student, gaining hands-on experience and logging countless practicum hours in his chosen field to build a strong resume that would be attractive to future employers.
Post-graduation, all that experience helped him land key internships and he is now a three-time Emmy Award-winning sports producer for Monumental Sports Network!
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Photo Courtesy of: Reuben Jones
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WGMU Advisor Rodger Smith created a podcast featuring Student Media alumni, including Emmy winner Reuben Jones ('13) of Spectrum News. Listen >
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| | WGMU Radio continues to serve as the flagship station for men's and women's basketball, with three alumni returning in fall 2025 to help create the live broadcasts.
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| | Photo Courtesy of: Rodney Rhodes
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Sports Broadcasting alumnus Rodney Rhodes ('25) worked with Assoc. Director David Carroll to create a new Sport Management course (SPMT 480) that began this spring.
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A look back at some cool stuff that happened last semester!
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MediaFest25 Journalism Conference
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Photo Courtesy of: Jason Hartsel
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Student Media was proud to send ten student leaders and professional staff to MediaFest25, the College Media Association's fall conference, held at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. this past October. Packed with professional development and networking opportunities, this year's conference included local media tours and workshops exploring emerging AI trends, media law, graphic design, leadership, podcasting, social media, and more!
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Photo by: Emily Gomez-Adames
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Student Media participated in Sci-Tech & Mason Square W2M Fairs in August 2025.
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| Video by: Mitchell Richtmyre/D'Shaun Wells
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Flyer by: WGMU Radio Staff
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| | Photo by: Mitchell Richtmyre
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Volition hosted two Open Mic Nights in fall, including a Halloween edition on 10/31.
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Election Day 2025 Interviews
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Video edited by: Joylin Ting
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Student Media conducted exit polling outside Merten Hall on November 4th to learn more about what issues and candidates were motivating voters in 2025. Students from Professor Susan Tomasovic's COMM 356 (Performance for Digital Production) course also conducted video interviews as a class assignment.
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See what's happening on social media (click to enlarge)!
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Visit us The Hub 1201 or find one of our 18 literature racks around campus to pick up a copy of our latest publications!
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Hundreds of students have toured our space as part of an academic class visit. Email us to schedule a tour for your class!
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We are the voice of the student body. Whether you have your sights set on a career in journalism or simply create as a hobby, we are always looking for talented students to join our dynamic team.
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| | "Student Media empowers students to exercise their First Amendment rights and creativity through the creation of works that inform, enrich, and entertain the Mason community."
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