CANYON, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — West Texas A&M University recently announced that four students from the university earned a portion of the $3,000 in total scholarship funds after participating in WT’s second annual Instagram contest.
According to WT officials, Allyson Garcia, a sophomore communication disorders major from Lubbock, won the $1,000 top prize from the Office for Academic Affairs for a photo that she took with a superhero Frozone from “The Incredibles.” Garcia was captured wearing a WT sweatshirt at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
Aditya Jagdale, a graduate student in computer information systems and business analytics from Pune, India, took home second-place, earning the $750 scholarship prize. He submitted a photo in a WT zip-up jacket in New York City, added officials.
The $500 third-place prize went to Brenlea Broyles, a freshman animal science major from Spring Branch for a photo of her showing off the Buff hand sign at Niagara Falls.
Finally, the fourth-place prize of $350 went to Maddox Nite, a freshman digital communication and media major from Amarillo for a photo that showed him jumping for joy in front of Cinderella’s castle at Disney World while wearing a WT shirt.
“This contest is a fun way to stay connected with our students, even over the holiday break. We get to see the exciting places they are visiting as well as seeing them share their pride in WT,” said Dr. Amy Andersen, associate provost. “We get a glimpse of the broader life of our students beyond the University setting while they are away.”
Officials detailed that during the five-week contest, students submitted their winter break photos and then four photos were chosen based on engagement and posted to WT’s Instagram story on a weekly basis. The winner of the weekly photo posts, based on viewer votes, went on to receive their choice of WT-branded backpack, branded shirts, tumblers, and stickers among other prizes.
On Jan. 16, a committee of Academic Affairs staff members chose the top four scholarship winners among all the submitted photos. Officials noted that submitted photos had to include the participant wearing or holding WT gear that clearly showed the logo.
Check out every submitted photo on WT’s Instagram account.
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