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The Suzanne L. McGrath Scholarship

One of the most important missions of the Syracuse Ad Club is to educate – not just the advertising professionals of today, but the professionals of tomorrow as well. Through the Suzanne L. McGrath Scholarship Fund, we recognize exceptional students at local colleges and universities with cash awards that help them further their educational goals.

The Suzanne L. McGrath Scholarship Fund was established by Syracuse Ad Club member Fran McGrath in memory of his daughter, and is supported through donations and Ad Club programs and fundraising activities. 

The 2007 Suzanne L. McGrath Scholarships recipients:

Samantha Ortega – Sam is a sophomore advertising major at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She maintains a 3.4 GPA and plans to focus her career on the creative track, hopefully working eventually as a creative director.

Sam, a native of Westport, CT, serves as the university’s Pan-Hellenic Council public relations director and has volunteered in the Athletic Communications Department, where she designed the 2007 Lacrosse All-American poster. Sam has also completed an impressive internship with The Agency, the NBC networks’ promotional agency. While there, she submitted a name for a pilot being shot this spring, and executives liked the name so much they chose it for the program. She also submitted several winning ideas to promote CNBC’s “Mad Money Back to School Tour.”

Sam has also done extensive volunteer work in Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Brazil with Builders Beyond Borders, a humanitarian organization that provides high school students the opportunity to travel to other countries, participate in building projects and learn about other cultures.

The Newhouse advertising faculty believes that Sam’s intelligence, initiative and drive will take her far in advertising.

Lauren Tree – Lauren is a senior advertising design major at Syracuse University's Visual and Performing Arts College. An extremely dedicated, modest and personable student, she has appeared on the Dean's list every semester since she began at SU. In the areas of strategy, art direction and copywriting, her advertising skills demonstrate an unusual level of maturity and intelligence. Lauren’s work was recently recognized by the judges at the Student ADDY® Awards 2007, where she received three Golds and one Best of Show for her print and ambient media campaigns.

Lauren is originally from Phoenix, Arizona. Her internship experience includes the marketing department of Southwest Airlines, and Moses Anshell, a thriving ad agency in Phoenix. After graduating this May, she hopes to pursue a career at a top agency as either a junior art director or copywriter.

The VPA Ad Design faculty wishes her all the best for the future.

Anne Chidley – Anne is a senior Visual Communications major at Cazenovia College. Her professional interests include designing for print and web, illustration, and digital technology.

A native of Bordertown, NJ, Anne is a technical assistant for the New Jersey Historic Preservation office where she also serves as a graphic designer. Some of the publications she has designed and illustrated include “Crossroads of the American Revolution,” the “New Jersey Woman’s Heritage Trail Book,” and the “New Jersey National Historic Landmarks” book. Her latest project involves the photography, illustration, layout and new logo concept for the New Jersey Historical Preservation Manual. She has also volunteered her talents towards several political campaigns as well as the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and has completed a successful web design internship at the Cazenovia College Archives, all while maintaining a 3.94 GPA. Among her awards is a 2006 Gold Student ADDY® for her poster advertising a stage production of MacBeth.

Anne’s excellent technical skills, her intense work ethic, and her advanced strategic concepting abilities insure not only a successful career but a significant contribution to the world of design.