San José City College’s Department of Marketing and Public Relations has earned seven awards across two prominent higher education communications competitions, collecting four honors at the Community College Public Relations Organization’s (CCPRO) annual convention in Paso Robles, Calif., on April 9 and four at the 41st Annual Educational Advertising Awards in March.
Together, the wins span broadcast advertising, graphic design, print publications, social media, online publishing, and podcasting — a sweep that reflects the breadth and quality of the department’s work.
At the April 8 CCPRO ceremony, the department collected two gold awards and two silver awards. The first gold went to SJCC’s television digital and streaming advertisement — a commercial produced by Comcast promoting the college’s Adult Education and English as a Second Language programs. The spot featured real SJCC students and staff, grounding the campaign in the voices and faces of the community it serves.
The second gold recognized a men’s basketball game-day graphic created by Sergio Estrada of Milagro Marketing, which took top honors in the best-manipulated photo category. The graphic was part of the department’s ongoing efforts to build energy and visibility around Jaguar athletics.
SJCC also earned a silver award for its printed commencement program, and another silver for its social media campaign centered on A Minute to Get It — a series produced by SJCC student Andrei Wong. The short-form series was designed to help new students navigate college life during their critical first few weeks on campus, offering practical guidance in a format built for how students actually consume content.
“These awards reflect the creativity and dedication of everyone involved — from our campus partners to the students and community members who show up on screen and behind the scenes,” said Daniel Garza, SJCC Marketing and Public Information Officer.
In March, the department was recognized at the 41st Annual Educational Advertising Awards, one of the most prestigious competitions in higher education marketing. SJCC earned three honors at that event: gold in the Online Publications category for the Roar News Center, gold for the student-produced Take a Paws podcast led by Ganna Zgama, and a silver for the Comcast Adult Education and ESL commercial. This year, over 2,000 entries were received from more than 1,000 colleges, universities, and secondary schools across all 50 states and numerous foreign countries.
The back-to-back recognition in both competitions underscores the growing reach and creative output of the marketing and public information department, which has earned 36 state and national awards since 2018.
CCPRO is a professional organization supporting marketing and public relations practitioners at California community colleges. Its annual conference brings together communicators from across the state to share best practices and celebrate outstanding work in the field.
