By Stacey Lockett
Staff Writer
Keynote speaker Erin Hardimon, a 10-year veteran of the radio industry and 2016 California State University, Dominguez Hills graduate, explained her circuitous career while addressing an estimated crowd of one hundred people at the CSUDH Communication Department’s 31st annual student awards banquet Sunday, May 5.
The awards banquet, held at the Reef Restaurant in Long Beach, allowed Hardimon the opportunity to give an uplifting and motivational speech to prepare graduates for their future endeavors. Although Hardimon began her career in 2009, as a production coordinator and then producer of the award-winning nationally syndicated radio program Serving Up Soul, she did not begin attending college until 2013 at Long Beach City College, before graduating magna cum laude from CSUDH in 2016.
“I really didn’t think I was college material,” Hardimon said during her speech.
Hardimon is the executive assistant to the SVP of Media at Paramount Pictures. She expressed the hardships she encountered along the way of her radio career. She emphasized how students will have to put in hard work after graduation because nothing is going to be given to you.
“Now is your time, seize this moment and every moment moving forward,” Hardimon said. “It isn’t about your past, it is absolutely behind you. What it’s about is moving forward, and you need to make up in your mind this day that you are going to be determined to reach your goal no matter what.”
In addition to Hardimon’s speech, there were multiple presentations and recognition to honor communications students. The winner of the Donn Silvis Memorial Scholarship was Lizeth Noemi Castillo. The Gil and Shirley Smith Scholarship winner was Anthony Casillas, which was presented by Gil and Shirley Smith. There were five winners for the Leslie Akemi Nakai Scholarship: Alexus Robinson, Patricia Franklin, La Quanda McNeil, Ciera Gray Hart, and Emily Lechuga.
“I was very surprised I won”, said Patricia Franklin a Leslie Akemi Nakai recipient. “It was a blessing to meet Dr. Nakai and to hear Leslie’s story”.
Awards were presented to the most outstanding student for each communication department. The outstanding advertising/ public relations student was Loren Ordaz. The outstanding junior student was Porscha Singh. The outstanding media studies student was Marcellus Kidd, there were two outstanding journalism students, Bria Overs and Jesse Garcia.
“As a newer transfer student at CSUDH, I feel that it was a real privilege to receive the award,” said Bria Overs, communications major and managing editor of The Bulletin. “I feel more motivated now than ever to keep going as a journalist.”
The outstanding student leader was Kalie Calder. The last award was for outstanding graduating senior, who was Emily Lechuga.
