The Current 88.7 The Pulse (KVIT-FM) students and May 2026 graduates of the Radio/Audio Production program at the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT), won multiple national awards at the 2025-2026 John Drury High School Radio Awards.
The winners were announced during a ceremony in LaGrange, IL on Saturday, October 24. Recent EVIT graduate Kairis Boyles won 1st place in the Best Talk Show (Non-Sports) category for her daily show, “The Fan Girl Hour.” Kairis Boyles also took 2nd place in the Best Public Affairs Show category for her “Public Pulse” episode spotlighting the work of the Semicolon Society. Additionally, Boyles teamed with ’26 grad Spike Miller-Dargan to win 4th place for Best Underwriting or Commercial, and she was a finalist for Broadcaster of the Year.
Individual and Team Accomplishments
The producer team of Kiera Fant & Ella Cross finished in 2nd place in the Best Podcast category. Webmasters Seth Sherwood (who was also a finalist) and Miraculous Brown grabbed 2nd place for Best Website for their work on www.887thepulse.com.
The Pulse’s Instagram account came in 3rd place for Best Social Media, with Kiera Fant, Kairis Boyles, and Kingston Hubbard all recognized for their work.
Kassy Banta took home 3rd place in Best Newscast and 4th place in Best Sportscast. She was also a finalist for both Broadcaster of the Year and Outstanding Student Leader.
Spike Miller-Dargan came in 4th place in the Best Promo category for his production about the EVIT Expo, and he was a finalist for Outstanding Student Leader. Meanwhile, Kingston Hubbard’s Rock-A-Thon Recap video earned him 5th place in the Best Use of Video category. Henry Bridwell was also named a finalist for both Outstanding Student Leader and Broadcaster of the Year.
Station and Advisor Honors
Pulse Faculty General Manager Michael Mallace was a finalist for Best Station Advisor, and 88.7 The Pulse was named a finalist for Best High School Radio Station for the 7th consecutive year.
“I’m incredibly proud of the showing by our students,” EVIT Radio/Audio Production instructor Dave Juday said in a press release. “These awards are a testament to their hard work and the dedication they have to see our program & radio station succeed.”
Mallace added, “I could not be prouder of the team. These recognitions affirm the impact of EVIT in shaping the broadcasters of the future.”
Student Reactions and Station Legacy
“I’m incredibly proud of The Pulse. We all worked hard, and with our instructors giving us the opportunity to go to Chicago, it’s the furthest I’ve been from Arizona!” Kiera Fant commented after the award ceremony. “I was happy with our work even if we didn’t get an award at all. I’m overall super happy for Kairis, Ella, and the rest of my fellow classmates.”
Overall, EVIT received 17 nominations across 13 different categories this year. This marks the 8th year that EVIT students have competed in the John Drury High School Radio Awards, a national competition presented by North Central College in Naperville, IL and WONC-FM. The awards are named in honor of legendary ABC-Chicago news anchor John Drury.
88.7 The Pulse is a two-time winner of Best High School Radio Station (2020-2021 and 2022-2023). Serving as the centerpiece of EVIT’s Radio/Audio Production program at the Main Campus in Mesa, the 15,000-watt FM public radio station showcases the talents and hard work of its enrolled students.
