Journalism student honored by Catholic Media Association

The Catholic Media Association recognized Canisius University student Ava Green ’25 with its St. Juan Diego Collegiate Award. The award honors excellence for in-depth featuring writing and storytelling. Green received accolades for her compelling story titled “The Men Behind the Mailroom.”  

“I can’t begin to describe how proud I am to receive second place for in-depth profiles at the 2024 St. Juan Diego Awards,” says Green, a journalism major who is also pursuing a minor in English. “This recognition is not just for me but for Don (Sulkowski) and George (Ambrusko), whose stories have resonated with the Canisius community.”

Green’s award-winning story explores the lives of Don Sulkowski and George Ambrusko, longtime mailroom clerks at Canisius known for their quiet competence and kindness. She originally researched and crafted the piece during an advanced creating writing workshops with English Professor Mick Cochrane, Ph.D. The article was later published in The Griffin, Canisius University’s student newspaper.  

“Working on this piece was a huge reminder of how special and important the people and the places in those stories are to me,” adds Green.
Apart from her academic achievements, Green is immersed in Canisius’ campus life. She is editor-in-chief of The Griffin, a role in which she consistently demonstrates exceptional leadership and commitment to journalistic excellence. Green also helps showcase campus life to prospective students as a member of the admissions’ social media team and provides guidance and support to incoming students as a peer mentor for the university’s First Year Experience program.