May 2024 Graduation

Advertising: Isabella Toye

Isabella Toye graduated with a degree in advertising and a minor in political science on the pre-law track. During her time in Gaylord, she worked for Lindsey + Asp advertising and public relations agency and was a member of the OU Ad Club. At Lindsey + Asp, Isabella served in many roles, including advertising director, and helped create and solidify two client accounts at the agency while providing creative services to clients over summer break. In the summer of 2022, she traveled to Erfurt, Germany, under Professor Katerina Tsetsura for OU’s SPICE program (Students Providing International and Cultural Experiences). In both fall 2023 and spring 2024, she received the award for “Most Dedicated” for Lindsey + Asp. Outside of Gaylord, she served as the president of Sigma Phi Lambda sorority, vice president of Crimson Sweethearts, and a member of Pi Sigma Alpha and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies. 

Creative Media Production: Ansley Chambers

Ansley Chambers graduated with a degree in creative media production and a minor in French. In her leadership roles within Gaylord College, she served as a producer for Gaylord Hall Productions, a senior producer for Creative Media Marketplace, and the director for internal recruitment for Gaylord Ambassadors. She also worked as a copy editor for the OU Daily for three years and served on the crew for OU Nightly for one semester. During her work with GHP, she traveled to California to film and produce a series of documentary pieces about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering with Nature program. Outside of her involvement in Gaylord, Ansley worked as a resident advisor for three years and has been involved in her church. She thanked Scott Hodgson, Dino Lalli, Deyna Aragon, David Craig, Ed Kelley, and Lee Reynolds for investing in her time at Gaylord College. 

Journalism: Morgan Martin

Morgan Martin, a journalism major and international studies minor, was involved with several broadcast journalism opportunities through Gaylord College. She was an active member of OU Nightly for two years, where she served as an anchor and a live reporter providing local content. She also worked as a reporter fellow with KOCO 5 News in Oklahoma City in the summer of 2023. As a fellow, she pitched stories and worked alongside a photographer to complete daily content to go on air. Morgan also worked as News 9’s campus correspondent during her final semester at OU. In this role, she shared stories from campus with the wider Norman community on-air. She was also a member of Tri Delta sorority and served as chapter president in her senior year. 

Professional Writing: Gabby Brown

Gabby Brown graduated summa cum laude as an honors student in a dual-degree program in professional writing and ballet performance. She served as the OU Daily senior culture reporter for two years. Gabby was also a member of the campus ballet performance company, Oklahoma Festival Ballet, during all four years of her degree. Additionally, she was a member of Contemporary Dance Oklahoma in her senior year and a New Sooner Orientation Guide in 2022. Gabby plans to use her degree to dance professionally and publish the novel she started during her time at Gaylord College. 

Public Relations: Matthew Irungu

Matthew Irungu, a public relations major with a minor in film and media studies, used his time at Gaylord College well. He interned with multiple organizations, including Black Women Photographers and The Borgen Project. With Black Women Photographers, Matthew helped investigate partnerships with multimedia outlets and assisted in content production for distribution. For The Borgen Project, he raised awareness for poverty reduction bills through social media content and peer engagement. A highlight of his college experience was working at the Prefontaine Classic in 2022, where he worked on media teams and met some of the most acclaimed track and field athletes in the world. For most of his time at OU, he was heavily involved with the international community, and served as the secretary for the East African Alliance his senior year. In his free time, he loves watching movies, listening to podcasts and playing basketball. 

Overall: Julia Manipella

Julia Manipella graduated with a degree in creative media production and an emphasis on documentary production and media journalism. She was a member of Gaylord Ambassadors, Gaylord News, President’s Leadership Class, the Association of Women in Sports Media, The Set, and a Gaylord College Pulitzer Center Collegiate Fellow. During her time as a multimedia journalist with Gaylord News, Julia worked in Washington, D.C., and covered national news while also localizing emerging stories for the Oklahoma audience. She also worked as an Art Department Production Assistant on the set of Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders. In the spring of 2022, she studied abroad in Greece. Julia worked on several independently produced documentary productions, including "Preserving the Valley of Butterflies" in Greece, "In Journalism We Trust" in Washington, D.C., and "A Stitch in Production" in Bangladesh. Outside of Gaylord College, she served as the Gaylord College George Lynn Cross Leadership Chair and alumni newsletter writer for the Presidents Leadership Class, and historian and president of the Geography and Environmental Sustainability Club of OU. She hopes to work in documentary production or media journalism.