Poster Contest Winners – Marshall University Students

2025


First Place (2025 Official Black History Poster of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum)

Karson Echard
Marshall University junior (BFA graphic design, with a minor in marketing) from Pennsboro, West Virginia


Merit Award

Brooke Olivarri
Marshall University senior (BA Advertising/Public Relations with minors in marketing and journalism and mass communications) from Huntington, West Virginia

2024

First Place (2024 Official Black History Poster of the Woodson Lyceum)

Alexander Vance, Marshall University junior from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Merit Award

Chandreonia Harris, Marshall University senior from Wheeling, West Virginia

Merit Award

Morgan Napier, Marshall University junior from Barboursville, West Virginia

2023

First Place (2023 Official Black History Poster of the Woodson Lyceum)

Gracie Stephens, Marshall University Senior

Merit Award

Cassandra Bhagroo, Marshall University Senior

2022

First Place (2022 Official Black History Poster of the Woodson Lyceum)

Jacob Wood, Marshall University senior

The first-place winning poster that became the Official 2022 Black History Month Poster of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum was created by Marshall senior Jacob Wood, who is working toward a double major in Advertising/Public Relations and Graphic Design, with a minor in Creative Writing.

“I really wanted to use this poster as a spotlight to shine on an individual who has done a lot of good for the health and wellness community. I began doing research on various African American medical professionals that have contributed to the betterment of society and medical advancements,” Wood said. “There were countless options to choose from! … I cannot stress enough how hard it was to narrow down one individual to focus on. After a lot of pondering, I decided to honor Dr. Patricia Bath (1942-2019). As someone who personally has struggled with vision problems, the works of Dr. Bath hit very close to home. Dr. Bath was the woman who invented the Laserphaco Scope, a critical invention that was essential in the advancement of treatment in cataract surgery. She was a strong advocate for the prevention of sight-related illnesses and conditions.”

Merit Award

  • Nicole Carey, a senior who is working toward her B.F.A. in Graphic Design.
  • Peyton Dolina senior working on a B.F.A. in Sculpture

2021

2021 Black History Month Poster Contest Winner - Marshall University

First Place (2021 Official Black History Poster of the Woodson Lyceum)

Isabella Schrader, freshman, Biological Engineering, from Chesapeake, Ohio

“For my poster, I decided to portray two separate individuals, holding up a poster in protest,” Schrader said. “As you can see, the two people are of different races, symbolizing that everyone must work together for any progress to be made regarding racial justice. I used a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., because his words greatly resonate with the overarching theme of the project, as well as current events surrounding racism. The words also added to the effect of the protest sign, as part of it appears to be directly written on the sign. The tape over silence is meant to show that if people are being silent, they are doing damage and the tape must be removed in order for real change to be accomplished. The sky behind the poster and hands is bright blue and has white, puffy clouds to show that even if a day is ‘calm’ or ‘nice,’ the fight is not over, and we must continue to take action. Overall, I wanted this poster to show that racial justice is essential to a better society, and we will only achieve this goal if people are united.”

2020

2019

2018

2017

First Place (2017 Official Black History Poster of the Woodson Lyceum)

Emma Bui

Marshall University, international student from Vietnam, majoring in graphic design with a minor in marketing