Franklin & Marshall College student Sekou Cherif ’26 was named the 2026 CUPRAP Student Catalyst Fellow, a recognition of exceptional promise by an undergraduate in writing, social media engagement, video and audio production, graphic design, journalism and related fields.

Cherif, a film and media arts major and economics minor, was praised for his creative portfolio, with particular attention received for short films he created in his F&M coursework and as part of an internship with Illustrative Math, a learning curriculum for City University of New York and Urban Assembly secondary schools in New York City. He is the first F&M student to receive the award in the organization’s 46-year history. He was honored at CUPRAP’s annual conference, held in F&M’s home city of Lancaster March 11-13.

“When I received [the fellowship], I thought it'd be a great opportunity to engage with professionals,” said Cherif, reflecting on the news he was selected as this year’s fellow and that he’d be attending the conference. “It came at a fitting time, as a senior looking at prospective careers. It’s a great position to be in, because now I have all these new connections from colleges and different marketing agencies.”

CUPRAP is an organization of communications and marketing professionals from colleges, universities, independent schools and agencies dedicated to advancing the understanding of higher education. The organization, whose membership includes hundreds of communication and marketing professionals from more than 100 institutions in 17 states and territories, welcomed approximately 300 attendees to the event. 

Cherif was honored by CUPRAP members during a Thursday awards ceremony, which he attended alongside Scott Lerner, his POSSE mentor and Arthur and Katherine Shadek Professor of Humanities, French and Italian. Cherif's fellowship included a financial award and complementary attendance at the three-day conference. 

F&M President Andrew Rich served as a panelist in the opening keynote session at the CUPRAP conference, joining Marist University President Kevin Weinman and Southwestern College President Thom Chesney for a conversation moderated by Council of Independent Colleges President Marjorie Hass. The college leaders discussed the paths that led to their presidencies and how they value and prioritize communication in their leadership roles. They also shared strategies for navigating challenges and expectations across their campuses’ constituencies and how they found their presidential voices in their first months in office.

In the panel discussion, Rich shared his perspective that college presidents and their leadership teams, in partnership with their communications and marketing offices,are in a prime moment to demonstrate bold leadership. In a time of uncertainty and opportunity for higher education, Rich encouraged the gathered professionals to be confident in the power of the mission they serve and optimistic for the future.

Franklin & Marshall was also recognized for creative excellence in marketing and communication, receiving awards in five categories: Email Design (for Diplomat Dispatch, the President's newsletter), Interactive Media (for F&M's online campus map), Social Media (Faculty Finery TikTok post), Outdoor Advertising (marketing F&M's Summer Sessions) and Short-Form Story (“Art History Student Explores Portraiture Through a New Lens”).