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Stephen F. Austin State University students, including graphic design and communication majors as well as members of the university’s American Marketing Association student chapter, earned top honors for their creative strategies and teamwork during the District 10 American Advertising Federation-Houston Student Conference earlier this month.

Stephen F. Austin State University students, including graphic design and communication majors as well as members of the university’s American Marketing Association student chapter, earned top honors for their creative strategies and teamwork during the District 10 American Advertising Federation-Houston Student Conference earlier this month. Competing alongside their peers from across the region, SFA students crafted full-scale advertising campaigns in a high-stakes, industry-style challenge.

The client for the 2025 AAF-Houston competition was Mahindra, which is known for being the world’s largest tractor brand by volume. The company provided a budget of $5 million for the student teams to create media plans and creative strategies spanning one year. AAF-Houston officials randomly assigned students with varying majors from different universities to teams of six or seven. Those teams worked from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to prepare complete advertising campaigns for Mahindra on the first day of the conference.

“Experiencing workplace time and personnel challenges with an actual client provides opportunities for the students to develop a sense of professional behavior and quality work that they will not necessarily experience in the classroom,” said Dr. Marlene Kahla, professor of marketing in SFA’s Nelson Rusche College of Business and faculty advisor for SFA’s AMA student chapter.

The graphic design students in the competition were mentored by Daniel Anguiano, associate professor of graphic design, and Zachary Howell, assistant professor of graphic design, in SFA’s Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts.

“This is a yearly event that our students look forward to so they can showcase their design skills, and it’s an opportunity to network with the professional community of Houston,” Anguiano said. “We are always grateful to the Friends of the Visual Arts that provides the grants for our students to attend events like this for their professional development.”

Emmalie Cleverly, graphic design senior from Kingwood, and Xierra Williams, graphic design junior from San Antonio, received top honors on the first-place team. Joycelyn King, graphic design senior from Crowley, earned second-place honors with her team. Annabeth Wilkerson, marketing sophomore from Diboll and member of SFA’s AMA student chapter, and Leah Kutch, graphic design senior from Bellville, served on the third-place team.

Other graphic design students participating in the competition were Jacob Crosby, junior from Kyle; Julio Espinoza, senior from Tatum; Juliana Frigo, senior from Kyle; Cailey Kilfoyle, senior from Longview; Charles Maples, junior from Longview; Lisandra Santos, junior from Center; Cassandra Sarmiento, junior from Lufkin; Sabrina White, junior from Nacogdoches; and Harmony Wood, senior from Tyler.

SFA media and communication majors and AMA student chapter members who participated in the competition were Madden Bennett, senior from Austin; Katie Carcerano, senior from Orange; Landree Motley, senior from Arlington; and Margaret Ochs, senior from Houston. Isabel Jedmears, marketing senior from Little Elm and vice president of marketing for the AMA student chapter, competed for the third time in the event.

In addition to the competition, the conference offered résumé and portfolio reviews as well as a career fair for attendees.

To learn more about SFA’s School of Art, Department of Management and Marketing, and Department of Media and Communication, visit sfasu.edu/art, sfasu.edu/mgtmkt and sfasu.edu/media-communication, respectively.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 40 academic facilities, 11 residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering over 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

By University Marketing Communications

Stephen F. Austin State University recently established the Nu Xi chapter of Alpha Alpha Alpha, or Tri-Alpha, a national honor society for first-generation college students as well as faculty and staff who were first-gen college students. Nearly 50 students and eight faculty and staff were inducted into the inaugural cohort this month.

As the number of first-generation college students continues to rise at Stephen F. Austin State University, so do the opportunities to recognize their success. With the establishment of the Nu Xi chapter of Alpha Alpha Alpha, or Tri-Alpha, SFA’s first-generation students now have an honor society of their own.

“We are so excited to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of first-generation Lumberjacks,” said Dr. Ja’Von Long, Nu Xi chapter faculty advisor and director of student development and support at SFA. “As a former first-gen college student, myself, I know how much they’ve overcome just to enroll in college. To qualify for an honor society on top of that shows the excellence, resilience and leadership these students have and will carry with them beyond graduation.”

Nearly 50 first-generation college students were inducted into the inaugural cohort of SFA’s Nu Xi chapter this month. To qualify for Tri-Alpha membership, students must:

• be a current degree-seeking student at SFA
• come from a family in which neither parent earned a bachelor’s degree
• have at least 30 credit hours
• and hold an overall GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Roughly 40% of SFA’s graduates each year are first-generation students. First-generation students are those whose parents or guardians have not earned a bachelor’s degree in the United States. Many of these SFA students also qualify as low-income, defined as being eligible for a Pell Grant. The percentage of Pell Grant-eligible undergraduates at SFA exceeds both state and national averages, as well as those of peer institutions.

Josephine Damian, criminal justice junior from Houston and the first president of the Nu Xi chapter, said she’s excited about building a legacy at SFA and establishing resources that will benefit future members for years to come.

“Serving as an inaugural member and president is an honor and an opportunity to truly build something from the ground up,” Damian said. “It’s a representation of a community dedicated to supporting first-gen students and faculty.”

The chapter also includes a mentoring component that allows faculty and staff who were first-generation college students to join. Eight SFA faculty and staff members were inducted into the inaugural cohort this month.

“This creates another support system for our first-generation students because these faculty and staff members share similar experiences,” said Dr. Veronica Beavers, associate dean of students – Student Development and Access Services. “Many of them are connected to initiatives that support first-gen Lumberjacks, from participating in Generation Jacks to assisting with first-generation workshops and other student success efforts across campus. Our faculty and staff have been amazing at helping students overcome challenges, and this new initiative offers yet another opportunity for them to connect with and uplift our students.”

Dr. Kent Willis, senior vice president for enrollment and student engagement who helped Long and Beavers establish the Tri-Alpha chapter at SFA, said the new inductees are a source of pride for their families and an inspiration to future first-generation students.

“The students, faculty and staff inducted into the Nu Xi chapter of Tri-Alpha embody what it means to break barriers and create new pathways for others,” Willis said. “They understand the significance of this responsibility and embrace it with purpose and dedication. They are trailblazers and role models. I look forward to seeing the Nu Xi chapter continue to grow.”

Tri-Alpha was founded March 24, 2018, at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and has grown to more than 150 chapters nationwide.

For more information on Tri-Alpha, visit 1stgenhonors.org. For more information on first-generation student support at SFA, visit sfasu.edu/firstgen.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 40 academic facilities, 11 residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering over 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

By University Marketing Communications