EVIT’s 88.7 The Pulse Wins Big at the 2025 John Drury High School Radio Awards
October 28, 2025 | Mesa, AZ
Students and recent graduates from 88.7 The Pulse (KVIT-FM), the student-run radio station at the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT), brought home multiple national honors at the 2024-2025 John Drury High School Radio Awards in Naperville, Illinois.
EVIT’s Matthew Cavazos Named Broadcaster of the Year
Recent EVIT graduate Matthew Cavazos earned the top individual award, Broadcaster of the Year, becoming only the second EVIT student to receive the honor and the first since Donoven Ong in 2020. Now a freshman at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Cavazos also teamed with former classmate Asa Lindsay to take 1st place for Best Featured News Story with “Arizona Passes Bill Limiting Cell Phone Use in Schools.”
Cavazos also placed 2nd in both Best Sportscast and Best Sports Talk Show, 4th in Sports Play-by-Play, and teamed with Mariana Perez Cervantes (McClintock ’25) and Jackson Wolfmeyer (Corona del Sol ’25) to earn 2nd place for Best Talk Show (Non-Sports) for their weekday afternoon show “The Junk Drawer.” He was also a finalist for the Outstanding Student Leader Award.
More EVIT Students and Alumni Recognized
Former student Lenore Carey took 1st place for Best Specialty Music Show with “Gatekeepers,” celebrating Phoenix’s vibrant local music scene. Carey and Julia Garner (Mesquite ’25) also earned 4th place for Best Public Affairs Show.
Current EVIT senior Kairis Boyles (Paul Revere ’26) had a strong showing as well, placing 4th in Best PSA and 5th in both Best Promo and Best Use of Video. Boyles was also a finalist for Broadcaster of the Year and Outstanding Student Leader. Alumni Asa Lindsay and Brandon Neyenhuis were also finalists for Outstanding Student Leader.
Station-Level Recognition for The Pulse
At the station level, 88.7 The Pulse won 3rd place for Best Website (www.887thepulse.com), led by student webmasters Lance Reece and Brandon Neyenhuis, and 3rd place for Best Use of Social Media (@pulseradioaz) thanks to the creative work of Kairis Boyles, Lance Reece, Kailey Figueroa, and Vanessa Martin.
EVIT instructor and faculty advisor Dave Juday was named a finalist for Best Station Advisor, while KVIT/The Pulse was also a finalist for High School Radio Station of the Year.
“I’m incredibly proud of the showing by our students,” said Dave Juday, EVIT Radio/Audio Production instructor. “These awards are a testament to their hard work and dedication to seeing our program and radio station succeed.”
Michael Mallace, General Manager of 88.7 The Pulse, added, “I could not be prouder of the team. These recognitions affirm the impact of EVIT in shaping the broadcasters of the future.”
About the Awards
This year, EVIT students earned 27 nominations across 16 categories, continuing the school’s strong national presence in the competition. The John Drury High School Radio Awards, hosted by North Central College and WONC-FM, are named in honor of legendary ABC-Chicago news anchor John Drury.
88.7 The Pulse is a two-time national winner for Best High School Radio Station (2020-2021 and 2022-2023). The 15,000-watt FM public radio station operates as a hands-on learning lab for students in EVIT’s Radio/Audio Production program at the Main Campus in Mesa, preparing the next generation of broadcasters and media professionals.
For more information including the official press release from WONC FM89.1 and to watch the archived stream of the 2024-2025 John Drury High School Awards Ceremony, visit here: https://www.wonc.org/drurywinners/
