Briana May Earns Toth Outstanding PR Student of the Year Award

A well-deserved recognition for Briana May!

Briana May, a senior at the University of Maryland, was awarded the Toth Outstanding PR Student of the Year Award at the 18th Annual Grunig Lecture on March 3, 2026. 

L to R: Susan Simon, Briana May, and Dr. Elizabeth Toth 

May is earning her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations. She is also completing a Leadership Studies Certification and participating in the Plus One master’s program at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in Business Management. 

May serves as President of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter at UMD, leading one of Maryland’s most esteemed student organizations. In this role, she oversees chapter strategy and professional development programming. She launched the “PRSSA Pair Up Program,” a mentorship initiative designed to engage and connect younger members within the Maryland chapter. In addition to her chapter leadership, May served nationally on the PRSSA ICON Committee as Director of Communications, working directly on the planning and promotion of the PRSSA ICON 2025 Conference. For her leadership and success with ICON, she received the PRSSA Outstanding Member Award.

Beyond the classroom, May currently serves as a Community Assistant with Union on Knox, where she supports social media marketing, resident engagement, and event planning efforts. On campus, she works as a Resource Specialist with the Student Organization Resource Center, collaborating with faculty and department leaders to strengthen communication across student organizations and athletics. Her commitment to service and excellence has also been recognized with the PRSA 2024 Service Award.

May brings diverse industry experience through internships such as Media Intern for Nebula Space Enterprise, Comprehensive Business Intern at Chick-fil-A, Student Content Writer for University of Maryland Athletics, and as a Media Intern for Solomon Eye Physicians and Surgeons. Following graduation, May plans to leverage her combined expertise in public relations, management and leadership to pursue strategic communications and brand management roles in the Washington, D.C., area, focusing on mission-driven organizations and long-term organizational impact.

Congrats on this well-deserved honor, Briana! We are proud to have you as part of our UMD COMMunity!