New Iberia native Niah McGrew will be named Outstanding Communication Graduate for the University of Louisiana Lafayette Fall 2024 commencement ceremony.

McGrew will receive a bachelors degree in strategic communications with a concentration in public relations and a minor in promotional management.  

Dedicated to the community and her passion to use communication to amplify voices for the underserved, McGrew has received many awards during her academic career.  She is the recipient of the 2024 Al Barcelona Memorial Scholarship in Liberal Arts and the Jimmy Foster Harris Memorial Scholarship recipient for Public Relations.  She was awarded for superb community service and academic record by the Lafayette Rotary Club scholarship.  McGrew received the 2023 Louisiana Volunteer Service Award for her volunteer service to the state through Blue Cross Blue Shield. She completed a Costa Rica study abroad program studying hospitality management and ecotourism.  

Her passion for leadership is evident in her accomplishments in serving as President of the Public Relations Student Society of America from January 2024 to present and President of Rotaract Club of UL from 2021 to 2023.  

McGrew completed a community relations internship with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Louisiana in 2022.  She served as a child nutrition program associate vista through Second Harvest Food Bank, AmeriCorps 2023 playing a crucial role in kids outreach summer feeding program. This opportunity led her to accept her current position as community outreach coordinator with Second Harvest Food Bank.

McGrew is driven by a deep love for Acadiana. She is the loving daughter of Jill Romero and Kenneth McGrew III.