On Thursday, May 28, staff, alumni and distinguished guests came together for an evening honoring the legacy of student journalism. To celebrate 15 years of The Roundup‘s digital publication, the banquet welcomed a keynote address from former Editor-in-Chief Robert Uhl ’11. Additionally, former Editor-in-Chief Logan Thompson ’24, Managing Editor Anthony Nguyen ’24, and former News Editor Pierce Durham ’14 were in attendance, as well as a plethora of Jesuit faculty and staff including Fr. Jon Polce, SJ.
The evening was hosted by Editor-in-Chief Zach Ingham ’26 and Managing Editor Sebastian Suwanda ’26, as well as Faculty Moderators Dr. Michael Degen, Mr. Joe Nava ’02 and Mr. Ian Berry ’07. Together, they opened the program and continued the tradition of recognizing outstanding writers through staff and editor awards. In addition, the banquet featured the presentation of the prestigious Durham Family Scholarship, awarded to two returning writers who have made a lasting impact to The Roundup and demonstrated significant leadership amongst their peers.
Opening
The night began with a few opening remarks from Editor-in-Chief Zach Ingham ’26. He reflected on the outstanding coverage The Roundup made over the course of a year and congratulated the 2025-26 Roundup team on their hard work and dedication to the paper.
“I think The Roundup made a lot of progress under [me] and Sebastian’s leadership. The media section was reborn, the website was revamped (admittedly not without some bugs), and improved editorial practices were adopted later in the year. These all made The Roundup a better newspaper overall, and we are sure the upward trajectory will continue.” – Editor-in-Chief Zach Ingham ’26
Before releasing guests for dinner, Managing Editor Sebastian Suwanda ’26 led the audience in prayer. Guests were served a quality fajita dinner, thanks to the amazing dining services from Thomas Cuisine. Together, staff, alumni, faculty and guests celebrated The Roundup‘s successes through a tasty dinner, well-earned through the hard work every writer put in throughout the year.
Keynote Speech: Former Editor-in-Chief Robert Uhl ’11
As guests finished their meals, former Editor-in-Chief Robert Uhl ’11 was welcomed to the front of the cafeteria to speak about his experience leading The Roundup. Uhl started by reflecting on the years prior to 2010, when The Roundup was strictly newspaper-based, publishing an array of articles twice a year. Few staff were needed, and as a small group, writers would prepare articles to be published in the months to come. However, this came with a major problem: articles were never timely. A writer could prepare an article covering the Jesuit lacrosse in the spring of 2008, for example, but that article was not to be published until roughly six months later. By that point, the article is irrelevant, and the full focus of readership is on fall events, rather than what happened in the previous school year.
“It was kind of sad. You could write an article, spend weeks picking it out. You had tons of time to write it because it wasn’t going to come out for [the next three to six] months.” – Editor-in-Chief Robert Uhl ’11
Uhl commented on the futility of the newspaper at the time, and how it was “not very helpful to anybody” due to its late publication. However, with the growing popularity of the internet, it was time to make a change. In 2010, Dr. Degen was put in charge of The Roundup, and according to Uhl:
“Dr. Degen had the brilliant idea of bringing the newspaper online.” – Editor-in-Chief Robert Uhl ’11
Uhl stated how “he was the only person left on staff” as this transition began, and he was put in charge of helping Dr. Degen execute The Roundup‘s publication. “Mr. Nava, [with] all his technical prowess, helped us set up the WordPress site.” Uhl described how the transition made sense since news was now available to any device connected to the internet, and, as smart phones grew in popularity, the newspaper only grew in accessibility.
“We could now cover more things in real time.” – Editor-in-Chief Robert Uhl ’11
Uhl continued by thanking Dr. Degen for being his mentor during this time, highlighting how fortunate writers are to have him as a leader. Then, he presented his own wisdom to the crowd. Uhl believes that The Roundup prepared him for the real world, through the skills of “organization, critical thinking and communication.”
“Half the battle in the real world is staying organized: staying on-time, staying on task, showing up when others don’t…[and] being dependable.” – Editor-in-Chief Robert Uhl ’11
Uhl thanked The Roundup for preparing him with real-world critical thinking skills for his work in law, which have helped him to develop an argument, present both sides of it and take his own position and while backing it up with facts and logic. However, Uhl believes that these skills, while useful in law, can be applied by anybody, no matter the career path.
Lastly, Uhl highlighted the importance of communication, and how The Roundup gave him immense skills in this field. He believes the ability to communicate helps as one steps past high school, being able to communicate concisely, send emails, present speeches, and convey an idea effectively.
In a final remark, Uhl reflected on how happy he has been to work with The Roundup and to have the opportunity to inspire the writers in the audience to take up their passion for writing and further contribute to The Roundup‘s publication.
“It’s up to you and your brothers to continue to carry the good name of The Roundup, [and to] keep making it bigger [and] better. I can’t wait to see what the next 15 years have to hold!” – Editor-in-Chief Robert Uhl ’11
General Awards
Each year, as part of banquet tradition, staff writers and editors are awarded for their outstanding coverage for The Roundup. Below is the list of awards presented to members of The Roundup.
- Excellence in Quality Assurance Award – Andrew Finger ’27
- Excellence in Current Events Coverage Award – Noah Cowley ’28
- Excellence in Campus Coverage Award – Reese Beaudoin ’28
- Excellence in Wrestling Coverage Award – Adam Jackson ’28
- Excellence in Sports Coverage Award – Pedro Rios ’28
- Excellence in Faculty Profiling Award – Sean Yin ’29
- Excellence in Immersion Trip Coverage Award – Keshav Giridhar ’28
- Excellence in Album Analysis Award – Evans Senvalds ’26
- Excellence in Media Presence Expansion Award – Andre Cornejo ’26
- Excellence in Sports Section Management Award – Drew Shippey ’27
- Excellence in Sports Opinion Writing Award – Owen Maynor ’27
- Excellence in Ranger Day Coverage Award – Daniel Rutnam ’28
- Excellence in Crew Team Coverage Award – Nikhil Shah ’27
Section Articles of the Year
Each year, section editors nominate five of the best pieces in their section for their outstanding representation of that section and The Roundup. Below are the section articles of the year.
News
News Editor: Reese Beaudoin ’28
Top 5 Articles
- Saint Ignatius Chapel Dedicated by Bishop Edward Burns – Sebastian Suwanda ’26
- Can Someone Lend Me A Tenor? Jesuit Stage & Film Puts on Spring Comedy – Pedro Rios ’28
- Honoring a Tragedy: Sophomores Visit Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum – Reese Beaudoin ’28
- 15 Years Online: The Roundup’s 21st Century Odyssey – Zach Ingham ’26
- Jesuit Dallas Honors Graduating Students at the 2026 Senior Convocation – Nate Fabriga ’26
Winner: 15 Years Online: The Roundup’s 21st Century Odyssey – Zach Ingham ’26
Sports
Sports Editor: Drew Shippey ’27
Top 5 Articles
- Jesuit Crew Finishes Strong Throughout Spring Season Push – Nikhil Shah ’27
- Jesuit Rangers Look To ‘SET THE STANDARD’ – THE 2025 FOOTBALL SEASON OVERVIEW – Sean Boltin ’28
- The Good, the Bad, and the Upsets: Varsity Soccer’s Playoff Run – Parker Surowiec ’29
- Jesuit Hockey Finishes Amazing Season at State Final – Pedro Rios ’28
- Jesuit Varsity Basketball December: Some Highs, Some Lows – Owen Maynor ’27
Winner: Jesuit Crew Finishes Strong Throughout Spring Season Push – Nikhil Shah ’27
Viewpoint
Viewpoint Editor: Evans Senvalds ’26
Top 5 Articles
- SSPX – Catholic or Schismatic? – Tony Kohler ’26
- Sesame Street is Not Real, Zohran Mamdani – Noah Cowley ’28
- The Mint of Citizenry – Andrew Finger ’27
- “The Worst of the Worst” – Ismael Hussain ’26
- The Case to Criminalize Christmas Music in November – Luke Nettune ’26
Winner: Sesame Street is Not Real, Zohran Mamdani – Noah Cowley ’28
Media
Media Editor: Andre Cornejo ’26
Note: The best “articles” of this section were not actually articles, but rather media content and posts.
Top 5 Media Content/Posts
- Instagram Post for “Jesuit Dallas Honors Graduating Students at the 2026 Senior Convocation” – Nate Fabriga ’26
- Instagram Reel of Faculty Photo Signatures – Andre Cornejo ’26 & Sebastian Suwanda ’26
- Instagram Post for “Excellent District Play: Jesuit Baseball March Roundup” – Pedro Rios ’28
- Expository Bowl Hype Video (YouTube) – Andre Cornejo ’26
- Instagram Post for “Dinner, Dancing, and…Hacky Sacks?” – Sebastian Suwanda ’26
Winner: Expository Bowl Hype Video (YouTube) – Andre Cornejo ’26
New Leadership
Following awards, Editor-in-Chief Zach Ingham ’26 and Managing Editor Sebastian Suwanda ’26 swore in the new group of leaders for the 2026-27 school year. Below are next year’s leadership staff and editors, who will be sure to carry on The Roundup‘s legacy.
Leadership Team
- Editor-in-Chief – Drew Shippey ’27
- Managing Editor – Reese Beaudoin ’28
- Assistant Managing Editor – Noah Cowley ’28
Section Editors
- News Editor – Keshav Giridhar ’28
- Sports Editor – Pedro Rios ’28
- Viewpoint & Copy Editor – Andrew Finger ’27
- Media & Assistant Sports Editor – Owen Maynor ’27
Associate Editors
- Nikhil Shah ’27
- Maverick Hollabaugh ’28
- Adam Jackson ’28
- Carter Long ’28
- Brady Ramsey ’28
- Daniel Rutnam ’28
- Parker Surowiec ’29
- Sean Yin ’29
- Michael Zhang ’29
“My hope for The Roundup‘s next leaders is that they expand The Roundup‘s opportunity. They are a great group of people and I am sure they will do great things.” – Managing Editor Sebastian Suwanda ’26
Durham Family Scholarship
Every year, The Roundup awards two rising juniors or seniors for their multi-year commitment to The Roundup. They have dedicated themselves to producing content for the newspaper, while also serving as pivotal leaders for The Roundup. The award is funded by the Durham family, consisting of three brothers who made significant contributions to The Roundup during their time at Jesuit. These brothers served in several Roundup leadership roles: Clark Durham Jr. ’12 was Editor-in-Chief, Pierce Durham ’14 was News Editor (also in attendance at the banquet), and Jack Durham ’16 was Sports Editor for two consecutive years. As students, these men wrote a combined total of 153 articles. In the amount of $2,000 to be applied to next year’s tuition, future Managing Editor Reese Beaudoin ’28 and future Assistant Managing Editor Noah Cowley ’28 were awarded the Durham Family Scholarship.
Closing
Concluding the banquet, as well as their time on The Roundup, Editor-in-Chief Zach Ingham ’26 and Managing Editor Sebastian Suwanda ’26 made a few closing remarks, reflecting on their time as leaders for The Roundup, as well as thanking those who made the banquet and the year possible. Without them, the publication of The Roundup could not have flourished this past year.
Thank you to Dr. Degen, President Mike Earsing and Principal Tom Garrison, as well as everyone who has contributed to The Roundup‘s 15-year digital journey. As the curtain of the 2025-26 school year closes, The Roundup heads into summer to plan for another great year. Here’s to the next chapter of excellence in student journalism.
Tune into The Roundup for next year’s newspaper coverage!
Featured Image Credit: Bridget Shippey
