The Mary Etta Cook Communication Studies Graduate of the Year Award is named for the founder of the Communication Studies department, Mary Etta Cook. Professor Emerita Cook was a beloved teacher and colleague who served Belmont for more than 30 years. The annual award goes to a Corporate Communication or Communication Studies major who excels academically and demonstrates departmental leadership.

This year, out of a class of more than 30 outstanding graduates, the faculty chose Communication Studies major and Religious Studies minor, Jack Tucker. Tucker was honored at the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences annual awards ceremony on April 20.

Tucker received the award for his nearly perfect GPA and contributions to the department and university. He was Student Director for Orientation Council where he helped train 200+ orientation leaders and oversaw orientation. He’s also a videographer for Belmont Today where he films and edits long-form student life videos for social media.

In our department, he was a student editor for our departmental blog where he wrote and edited stories and he helped with social media. He also presented his research at the Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium and was a peer tutor in our Persuasion class. Currently, he is a paid intern for Cumberland Creative where he’ll assume a full-time role following graduation.

The award comes with a modest check, and Tucker’s name is engraved on a plaque that hangs in the office suite of the Communication Studies department.

Congratulations Jack!