Nikki Hupman: 2006 AHP Student Award Winner 

Nikki Hupman has been named the American Horse Publications 2006 Student Award Winner. She received a $1,000 cash award plus an all-expense trip to AHP’s annual meeting and seminar held on June 22-24, 2006 in Orlando, Florida. Publishers Press, Inc., Shepherdsville, KY, also presented Nikki with an all expenses paid trip to one of their Two-Day Customer Education Seminars held in Louisville, Kentucky. These seminars are designed to help customers' production employees gain an understanding of how a magazine progresses through the printing process.

Nikki attends Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where she majors in Agricultural Communications and has a 4.0 GPA. She is the daughter of George and Loy Hupman of Collinsville.

“Growing up around horses is an unforgettable experience,” wrote Nikki in her biographical sketch. “For me, I cannot imagine life any other way.” Her family is actively involved in showing horses in the American Quarter Horse Association and owns and operates a tack store.  Nikki is a member of OSU’s Equestrian team. It’s easy to see that the equine industry plays a large role in her life.

Her major in agricultural communications combines her love of animals and agriculture with her love for journalism and broadcasting. “The major is a perfect fit for me,” says Nikki. “It has allowed me to gain experience in news reporting, features writing, layout and design, photography and web design.”

After graduation in May 2007, Nikki plans on pursuing a public relations or journalism position within the horse industry. “Promoting ideas and building relationships with people is what interests me,” she says. “The written word, along with good planning, has the ability to do these things with great power.”

Nikki was honored on Friday, June 23, 2006, at the Student Award Night held during the AHP “It’s A Horse World After All” Seminar in Orlando, Florida. The theme of this year’s event was the “AHP Beach Party.” The Sunshine State is well known for its beaches and Disney World, so attendees were invited to dress tropical and wear attire displaying a favorite Disney character. Special prizes were raffled and included a free seminar registration to the 2007 AHP Seminar in Albuquerque plus items donated by event sponsors, Pfizer Animal Health and the American Quarter Horse Association/AQHA publications. A silent auction to benefit the AHP Student Fund was held during the day.

American Horse Publications offers students interested in pursuing a career in equine publishing with the opportunity to participate in its association programs.

Student Membership is open to high school, college, and graduate students for an annual fee of $25.

The AHP Internship Program was designed specifically for college students who have an interest in horses and seek a career in equine publishing. This program is a great way to provide students with the resume-building experience that’s so critical to today’s career market. Interns gain valuable hands-on real life experience and AHP members acquire additional help when and where they need it most. The Internship Handbook provides information about the program, a directory of participating AHP members, and an application.

The AHP Mentoring Program was developed to provide students with insight into a career in the equine publishing industry through interaction with AHP professionals. Over the long term, the goals of the Mentoring Program are: 1) to cultivate the interest of students in careers in the equine publishing industry, and 2) to prepare students for such careers through the receipt of industry knowledge and encouragement from AHP member mentors. The AHP Mentoring Program is open to all AHP student members.

To request information about any of AHP’s student programs, please contact: Chris Brune, American Horse Publications, 49 Spinnaker Circle, South Daytona, FL  32119; (386) 760-7743, e-mail: ahorsepubs@aol.com. Forms and applications for all student programs are available online.