Jacquelyn Shaia, J.D., Ph.D., and students in PRCA/PRSSA at UAB pose during a visit to the National Monument to Freedom in Montgomery, Alabama. The Public Relations Council of Alabama/Public Relations Student Society of America at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has earned recognition from two state-level professional organizations, highlighting its excellence in education and practice.
This spring, PRCA/PRSSA at UAB won 35 awards at the annual Public Relations Council of Alabama conference and two chapter awards from the Alabama chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
A registered student organization and an extension of the academic public relations program in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Communication Studies, students in PRCA/PRSSA are provided with professional development and networking opportunities, including membership in both PRCA and PRSSA. All submissions were judged by independent, practicing public relations professionals outside of Alabama who found their work to be worthy of these awards.
From PRCA, the chapter was named the Bettie C. Hudgens Student Chapter of the Year for 2025, competing against all other university chapters in Alabama. This marks 10 consecutive years UAB has won this award. In addition, UAB students won seven Medallion awards — the highest award granted by PRCA — plus 11 Awards of Excellence and 11 Awards of Merit.
Two student groups from the chapter won four group awards for their campaigns, for Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School and Studio by the Tracks.
Nic Amison of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, UAB chapter president, received the highly competitive Michael K. Simmons Student of the Year Award. This award honors a student who is an active member of a PRCA student chapter, practices leadership, coordinates community service, shows academic excellence and is involved on campus. The winner receives a $500 scholarship.
“Winning the 2025 PRCA Student of the Year Award was an honor, and I was extremely pleased and grateful to be recognized for the public relations work I have accomplished early in my career,” Amison said. “PRCA/PRSSA at UAB’s winning Student Chapter of the Year Award means that the chapter achieved our goal of giving to the community, the class theme we set last May.”
UAB student Kristin Chau Le of Cullman, Alabama, won the individual award for Judge’s Choice. Alexis McClellan of Birmingham, Alabama, won Best of Show for her success in obtaining media coverage during her internship at the UAB Office of Marketing and Communications.
The chapter won the Chapter Campaign Award and Chapter Newsletter Award from the Alabama PRSA state meeting, recognizing the students’ work for Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School last fall and for the monthly chapter newsletter.
“This marks the first time the UAB chapter has had a newsletter and entered this category,” said Jacquelyn Shaia, J.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Communications. “It is significant, and we are honored to receive this award the first year we competed.”
The Chapter Campaign Award recognized the work of student firm Class Act Public Relations and students Alex Axtel of Alabaster, Alabama; Mariah Mack of Daphne, Alabama; Katie Steele of Madison, Alabama; and Riley Watkins of Birmingham. Their firm represented Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School, a local high school that serves the economically disadvantaged and is a college preparatory program, Shaia says.
“The PRCA/PRSSA at UAB chapter continues to strive for excellence in everything these students do, and I am tremendously proud of how hard each one of them works,” Shaia said. “The UAB public relations program stresses academic excellence and ethics. These skills and qualities will allow our students to successfully enter the workforce and truly live out the UAB values of service in their field and contribution to the community. Jobs in the field of public relations are plentiful and salaries robust. I have no doubt that each of these students will do very well when they graduate.”