Last week, students from the UIW Department of Graphic Design traveled to Dallas, TX to attend the 2026 National Student Showcase and Conference (NSSC). One of these students is senior Graphic Design major and future UIW ’26 graduate, Araceli Sanchez Robles.
On Sunday, March 1, talented fashion designers from the University of the Incarnate Word’s (UIW) Fashion program and local high schools showcased their original designs at the UIW Fashion + Form + Function Show and Competition, hosted on the Broadway campus. Formerly known as the Red Dress Fashion Show, over 400 guests gathered in the Joeris Ballroom for the event, eager to see what San Antonio-area designers had created for this unique event.
On Sunday, March 1, the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) will host its student fashion showcase, Fashion + Form + Function, at 3 p.m. in the Student Engagement Center’s Joeris Ballroom. The fashion showcase will feature talented designers from UIW’s Fashion program alongside students from local San Antonio high schools, as their original garments take center stage in a runway-style event.
The UIW School of Media and Design’s fashion program has the privilege of educating visionary creatives who have a passion for designing, crafting and merchandising the next influential styles. With concentrations including Merchandising and Apparel Production and Design, students in these specializations immerse themselves in the knowledge necessary to succeed in various fashion-related career paths. One of these remarkable Fashion students is Fall 2025 graduate and Fashion Merchandising major Daniel “Dan” Williams.
The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is proud to announce Dr. Adam Watkins’ promotion to Dean of the School of Media and Design. Watkins served as Assistant Dean there for the past three years and joined UIW in 2000.
At the UIW School of Media and Design, the Graphic Design department supports and educates designers to intentionally create the way people see and experience the world around them.
On Friday, Feb. 28, the UIW School of Media and Design had much to celebrate as 23 of its Graphic Design students were recognized with awards and scholarships at the 2024 American Advertising Awards, hosted by AAF San Antonio. “The American Advertising Awards honor innovation, excellence and the bold ideas that shape our city’s advertising landscape. This year’s theme, Keep It SA, pays tribute to the vibrant culture and creative spirit that make San Antonio truly one of a kind” (adfedsa.org).
On Saturday, Feb. 15, UIW hosted the annual Red Dress Fashion Show. Since 2006, garments designed by Fashion students have been showcased at this vibrant event. In addition to UIW and San Antonio community members getting to witness the talents of the University’s students, they also got the opportunity to learn about women’s heart health.
Communication Arts students from UIW’s School of Media and Design competed in the San Antonio 48 Hour Film Project this month, a competition in which film makers are challenged to develop a short film within a 48-hour time frame. Participants were assigned a film genre at random, given specific film requirements, then utilized the two-day time frame to write, shoot and edit a short film.
Students and faculty members from UIW’s Department of Communication Arts attended the 2024 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) conference in San Marcos, Texas during the Spring 2024 semester. TIPA is the oldest and one of the largest state collegiate press associations in the nation that seeks to improve college journalism to raise the standard of college publications and to bring the colleges and editors into close and more vital relationship.
San Antonio – November 17, 2023 – “I felt ecstatic when I found out I was awarded a Student Production Award from the Lone Star EMMY Educational Foundation. It is something I have been thinking about ever since I started in the UIW Communications Arts Department.”
Designing an aesthetically pleasing and tasteful room can be a challenge, but for students interested in becoming interior designers, UIW’s Department of Interior Design lays the foundation to help them succeed in the industry. According to Dr. Diana Allison, UIW associate professor and program coordinator of Interior Design, the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design degree is “uniquely different from other programs in the region.”
Madalyn Molina (freshman) attended the Red Dress Fashion Show when she was at Richard King High School (Corpus Christi), and Gabby Maya (sophomore) participated in the fashion show during her junior and senior years at East Central ISD. Both students chose UIW after attending that event.
Students in the University of the Incarnate Word’s Graphic Design program were recently honored as finalists in the 2023 American Advertising Awards hosted by the American Advertising Federation – San Antonio (AAF-SA) chapter. Per the organization’s website, “the mission of the American Advertising Awards competition is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.”
Maya Kanawati and Sarah Cox, two UIW Fashion students, recently attended New York Fashion Week as part of a special opportunity provided by CLC, the nation’s leading collegiate licensing company, and IMG, the operator of New York Fashion Week: The Shows. Read about their experiences and what they learned.
Students in and around the San Antonio area looking for college courses in film do not have to look far; the University of the Incarnate Word now offers a Film concentration option as part of its Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts degree program. The program blends theory-driven and experience-based classes to prepare students to work in the field of film production.
Congratulations to the 2022-23 Mission Continues Awardees
What do you get when you combine theatre arts students, communication arts students and a camera? An award-winning short film produced in under two days by the UIW Film Club. The group of 10 students recently won the Broadcast Education Association’s (BEA) Student Media Club Competition called BEASMC Film 48.
Dr. Trey Guinn, associate professor and program director of Communication Arts at UIW, recently finished something many people only dream about completing. In fact, he dreamed about writing his latest book for 10 years before buckling down and resolving to turn it into reality. His recently published book, Communication Essentials: The Tools You Need to Master Every Type of Professional Interaction, is teeming with wisdom for all readers.
UIWtv had a record-breaking 15 nominations from the Lone Star Emmy® Educational Foundation for Student Production Awards. The student-run television station on the UIW Broadway campus strives to bring the campus community news, entertainment and sports from around the University.
Coming out of high school, Andrea Rivera made it her mission to get through college. Now, she is preparing to graduate this weekend with a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Management, a degree she earned while working part-time as a lead merchandiser at Target.
After graduating with a 3D Animation and Game Design degree from UIW in 2021, Joshua McMullen is living his dream as an associate animator at Sony San Diego Studio, a company that develops video games.
Abigail Velez has dreamed of being Miss San Antonio USA for a long time; in April of 2022, she made that dream a reality.
The University of the Incarnate Word's Fashion Management program partnered with Rolling Oaks Mall to raise awareness of women’s heart health with the Red Dress Fashion Show on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022.
Wynette Keller, director of TRiO Student Support Services at the University of the Incarnate Word, was recognized by the Texas TRiO Association with a 20 Year Service Award at the organization’s conference. We caught up with Keller to discuss how rewarding her work is and how it aligns with the Mission of UIW.
The University of the Incarnate Word’s student-run television station, UIWtv, has been awarded first place in the 2022 Television National Signature Station from the Broadcast Education Association (BEA). This is the first such honor for UIWtv.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the University of the Incarnate Word Faculty Senate and University Mission and Ministry, faculty across UIW were honored with the 2022 Faculty Awards in January.
Brandon Sanders graduates with his Master’s in Communication Arts on Saturday. His greatest role models in his life are his parents. He came from Stockton, California, and his parents grew up in a very different world than he did. They experienced many challenges, and their goal was to ensure that their son did not have to experience those same hardships.
Three freshmen in the Orientation to Fashion Management class at UIW designed dresses that are now on display at the Rolling Oaks Mall. A beautiful gold gown was created by Kieann Hernandez and Danielle Tovar, while a lovely green Grinch dress was made by Daniela Mejia.
For Julianne Salame, a graduate student in UIW’s Communication Arts Department, Light the Way has been part of her family’s holiday experience since she was young. She estimates that she was about eight years old the first time she attended the event.
Kim Beechner ’10, ’15 was selected to the Forbes Next 1000 list for 2021. Beechner is the founder and CEO of Embark Marketing, a Texas-based, digital marketing agency specializing in the food and beverage industry. Beechner founded Embark Marketing in 2010.
The students behind UIWtv have reason to celebrate. After receiving two Student Production Awards from the Lone Star Emmy® Educational Foundation in 2020, UIWtv won five awards in 2021.
Dr. Zazil Reyes Garcia, associate professor and director of Communication Arts ABM Programs at the University of the Incarnate Word, points back to her mother, grandmother, and many other women in her family for her drive and ambition in life.
Two UIW alumnae were named Top C-Suite Executives by the San Antonio Business Journal last month. Kim Beechner ‘10, ’15 (right), and Dr. Keely Petty, ’94 (left), were two of the 20 honorees selected by the journal.
UIW has been ranked number 4 in the category of Top Animation School Programs in Texas and number 24 in the nation in the category of Top 25 Schools and Colleges with Game Design BFA Programs by the national website Animationcareerreview.com.
For the first time ever, students from the University of the Incarnate Word’s UIWtv program have earned two awards from the Lone Star Emmy Educational Foundation.
