Complex sentence: In 1983, during the University's recognition ceremony, he was the first collegiate student to garner a Gold Medal Award as "Most Outstanding Student in Journalism" for contributions as a college editor and as a community journalist.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1983, during the University's recognition ceremony, he was the first collegiate student to garner a Gold Medal Award as Most Outstanding Student in Journalism. The recognition was a tribute to Diaz exploit as a college editor and as a community journalist.