The Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) opening business meeting awarded several regional and campus chapters with distinguished awards for the 2025 year.
Makayla Gray was awarded the 2025 Julie Galvin Outstanding Graduate in Journalism Award. She is currently pursuing her masters of arts in journalism at Georgetown University, where she is also the SPJ chapter president. She received her bachelor of arts in journalism at the University of Central Florida.
Elated is how Gray described the nominations from her former professor at the University of Central Florida and the former vice president of her campus SPJ chapter.
“I cried for like a solid 30 minutes, and I thanked both of them for recognizing me in that regard,” Gray said. “I did a lot in my senior year and honestly, all through my undergrad. In my head, I was just doing what I had to do. So it was nice to feel recognized and rewarded in that regard.”
During her time at the University of Central Florida, Gray was a founding member of her SPJ chapter, a communications chair, treasurer and finally, president. She was the only person at her university who ever held two positions at once — as editor-in-chief of The Charge News and president of SPJ. She said that SPJ gave her a sense of community and lifelong friends in the process.
“We call ourselves the emotional support journalists, and we always have each other’s backs,” Gray said. “We’re always rooting each other on if there’s any job openings, if there’s ever any type of like news or anything.”
Other awards given during the meeting included the 2025 Campus Chapter of the Year, won by Ohio University. Advisor Nerissa Young, professor of instruction at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, said it was the chapter’s 11th Chapter of the Year award.
“I have been very blessed every year to have a really strong executive board, and the students take the lead because they have seen their predecessors do that with a lot of programs,” Young said. “We have programs almost every week of the semester, and they’re always looking for ways to do things differently, and they work together as a team.”
Young said a good chapter is supported by administrators.
“You need something — they’ll find a way,” she said. “If we need $50 or whatever it is, the directors have always been very supportive, and that is critical because they’re great partners in being able to do the programming that the chapter leaders come up with.”
The SPJ Closing Membership Meeting will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Arlington/Cabin John room, where SPJ will consider resolutions and address society business. All members are welcome to attend.
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