Last month, NYWICI celebrated the best and brightest communicators from the top of the industry to those just starting out, at the 56th annual Matrix Awards, proving that ‘women who transform the world and inspire the future’ walk among us every day.

Seventeen students across journalism, marketing, filmmaking and communications will spread their butterfly wings this year with scholarships funded by the generous donations of sponsoring organizations and supportive members, with eight of them appearing on PIX11’s NY Living show the morning of the awards.

Practicing their answers with nervous excitement in the green room as the minutes ticked down, the scholars got to know each other, swapped stories about their interviews with NYWICI board members, and sat in rapt attention as President Beth Feldman recounted her career journey from an “OG mommy blogger” to Senior Vice President for Communications for the Networks Division of Nextstar, the network’s parent company.

“NYWICI sets the trends for what you’re going to see across the landscape of our industry, and I love being right in the middle of it, and being able to create these memories for people, starting with tonight,” she explained. “These organizations are critical right now, because we’re in a time where it’s hard to break in, and we know how hard it is to break in, but to be able to share your voice with our community and meet a lot of these women across PR, advertising, social media, you name it, it’s amazing.”

In the studio, facing the cameras and under the lights, the group stood proud, as co-hosts Marysol Castro and JD Roberto asked them about the power of storytelling and using their voice, live on-air.

“There’s so many stories out in New York, out where I live, and just looking around and being out, there’s just so many stories to tell, and I’m excited to bring my story to the [filmmaking] industry as well,” said Victoria Guthrie, a Fordham University film and TV student who received the Yahoo scholarship.

“It represents women in communications, women who look like me, who share similar backgrounds to me, this represents my family and the struggles that they made to get me to experience opportunities like this,” noted Sanaa Jimenez, who will use the Esperanza scholarship to continue studying PR, advertising and marketing communications, as well as psychology, at Ithaca College.

Keri Kaleja — raised in Latvia and earning her marketing Master’s at NYU — shared that “I envision myself as a conduit for creators, whether it’s brands, companies, individuals, to emphasize their value and originality to find their audience.” She received the Dentsu scholarship.

After their NY Living appearance — and selfies in front of PIX11’s logo — the scholars headed to Times Square, where they got another 15 seconds of fame on a massive billboard above the street, joining some of America’s hottest advertising.

At exactly 12:22pm, they turned and cheered as images of this year’s Matrix honorees faded into their own portraits, an experience they agreed added to the life-changing agenda that day, which wasn’t half over.

Just three hours later, standing at the base of the stairs at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, all in their gala finery, the scholars reflected on the process thus far.

“I feel very supported and empowered by all the women here today, and just this community,” Amen Ruth Galinato, who studies political science and journalism at Stonybrook University and received the Trailblazer scholarship from Disney, explained. “I feel like it’s one that gives back a lot and provides its members with a lot of opportunities and wants to connect its members together.”

In addition to marquee events like the Matrix Awards, NYWICI offers virtual mentorship office hours with women at the height of their careers; a slate of recorded webinars on everything from how to discuss and advertise accomplishments, and tips for navigating a toxic workplace; plus opportunities for new members to join active committees and build up the organization. Beth’s virtual Connector’s Circle series features intimate conversations with industry leaders, while in-person events bring women together for networking and friendship.

Past scholarship winners have gone on to volunteer their time at NYWICI, like recent recipients Sarah Ng (’22) who interviewed this year’s cohort after a whirlwind of red carpet photos for the WomenHeard Podcast.

Chelsea Orcutt, who helped plan this year’s Awards, now serves as NYWICI’s Chief Student & Early Career Affairs Officer. Receiving scholarships in 2009 and 2010 marked a foundational moment for her, as “The women I met were so generous with their time and mentorship, and I’ve tried to pay it forward throughout my career.”

“These women wrap your arms around you,” 2022 and 2023 scholar Brianna Boone gushed, reminiscing on earning the Kaplow scholarship, and evolving from an intern at the PR firm to a now full-time senior account executive. “Now I just feel absolutely supported. I feel like I have a true network and a resource, whether it’s my own peers, my own scholarship class, and all of the lovely women I’ve met along the way.”

Speaking in a fundraising video filmed on the fly during the cocktail reception, Sanaa, who shared her insights on NY Living that morning, gushed that, “The support has meant the world. I now have people who support me in my career in communications, I have people to look forward to, to look up to, [who] inspire me, and this is honestly like a sorority.”

Morgan Bryant — a filmmaking student at Columbia University and NYWICI Film and Television scholar — said, “Being a part of this organization keeps me feeling motivated and supported.” She added that knowing the NYWICI community believes in her gives her a space to build connections with others who share her passion and work ethic.

Her mother agreed.

“It was nice to see recognition of that hard work come back,” Yvette Bryant said, remembering the moment Morgan told her she’d received a scholarship. Scholars thought their third meeting with the selection team was another interview, only finding out in real-time that they had been awarded. “I’m so delighted as I watch her with her peers, in hopefully what will be their respective fields in the future, have this opportunity very early, earlier than we were probably given opportunities to learn how to network and leverage relationships and build relationships and build confidence.”

Sitting together in the VIP cocktail reception, watching their daughters give interviews, take pictures, and network, some for the first time, Yvette and some other proud parents slowed down and took everything in.

“The way this event is done, I really couldn’t have anticipated how our young women are celebrated, but you’re welcoming all of us as well, and so it’s just a complete family experience that I think they are going to remember, and I also think that creates a bonding not only among them but also to the organization as a whole,” said. Susan Wines, whose daughter Madeline received the Kaplow scholarship.

“Who does this? Who celebrates their recipients in this way?” Ramona Guthrie asked, just hours after her daughter Victoria spoke on PIX11. “I don’t think that if it had not been for this organization, she would have really felt as comfortable as she did, because someone believed that she could do it.”

Taking their seats and chatting over dinner, the scholars and their families spoke of their career prospects — Hannah Smith strives to be a broadcast reporter like emcee Sheinelle Jones, while Samantha Rosinski moved to NYC for a summer internship at HBO — and continuing educational and life journeys.

As the lights dimmed and NYWICI past president Georgia Galanoudis’ melodic voice welcomed guests to the show, the students’ faces lit up as Beth Feldman delivered her opening words.

Halfway through the night’s remarks, the cohort hurried backstage, listening to Matrix honoree Khartoon Weiss’ powerful acceptance speech from behind the curtain, before their introduction by former scholar and current PIX11 New Jersey correspondent Katie Corrado.

Standing on the stage, all smiles, the scholars felt the thunderous applause of the ballroom, absorbing the support of the audience and looking out into a sea of role models and future colleagues.

After the program ended, and attendees filtered out, grabbing last minute pictures in front of the butterfly wing backdrop, photographer Michael Priest, who has shot the event since 2021, called the Matrix Awards a consistent highlight of his year.

“I want to bottle it all, because there’s so many amazing things that are said, and just, this is a great night,” he beamed. “There’s so many cool things about this, there’s so many inspirational things, and also I’m getting to know all the different people, and there’s the most amazing women in this room.”

Becca Lockerbie, who worked tirelessly to plan the event, noted the importance of the Butterfly Effect theme. “I really wanted you to come into the room and feel that, not only the growth from a scholarship winner to winning something like this on the stage, but also the ambiance stuff, how the night progresses into your reception first, and then by the end of it you’re raising money.”

During the show, attendees donated over $14,000 during the show thanks to tempting incentives like an intimate gathering at honoree Tamsen Fadal’s home.

Holding gift bags of perfume and hot pink-jacketed copies of Sheinelle’s best-seller “Through Mom’s Eyes: Simple Wisdom From Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans,” the scholars dispersed, full of ideas and inspiration, giddy to volunteer with NYWICI and continue the tradition for the students to come next year.

Hannah, an Omnicom scholar at the University of Rochester, hopes to tell the stories of her fellow recipients, in all their brilliant unity, saying, “We’re very similar, all of us, but everyone’s a little bit different, and I think that diversity really complements each other.”