School Of Communications

Y Digital campaign offers prizes to anyone who pledges to wear a mask on-campus and off-campus

BYU alum Dianna Douglas uses podcasts to tell stories and educate listeners

After their original study abroad was canceled,

Kofi Aidoo started college as a food science major with big plans of becoming a dentist and high expectations about BYU. Now he’s a senior and an advertising major — and his plans and expectations have changed. Aidoo was born in Modesto, California, where his parents, who were originally from Ghana, converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when Aidoo was 2 years old. Aidoo said the Latter-day Saint community where he lived had him convinced that BYU was the perfect school. “It’s what we all aspire to. You’re bound to be successful if you go to BYU, you know?” Aidoo said. He said his time at school has actually been very different than what he originally imagined. He said he appreciates BYU and loves his program but has noticed a huge difference between his experience as a student of color and the experiences of many of his peers. This difference has led Aidoo to become an active advocate for anti-racism in Provo. Though he isn’t associated with the official Black Lives Matter organization, he said that he tries to be a part of the movement. Aidoo helped organize a march against racism that took place on June 13 in Provo, and he’s been vocal on social media about recent events and protests related to racial injustice. Read the rest of the article written by Emily Andersen at universe.byu.edu.

Four journalism students created a documentary explaining their adjustment to working remotely during a pandemic

Four professionals answered questions about experiences with diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace during a panel discussion

The project, titled “Your Decisions Write Our Stories,” won several awards this year, including a Gold Award at the International Andy Awards and Best in Show at Utah’s American Advertising Federation Awards

What if you were able to work on real-life projects for global brands such as Amazon, Gatorade, Nike and Spotify as a student? Students who work in BYU’s AdLab, a professionally mentored, student-led advertising agency, do just that. Oh, and they are also pretty good at winning awards. Like Emmy-award winning good. Earlier this month, one recent project from the team became the latest to win the Emmy for Commercial, PSA, or Promo from the College Television Awards. The commercial tells the story of a father and son who reconcile their relationship when the father accepts his son for who he is rather than what he wants his son to be. A big reason why the students and faculty in this lab are so successful is their ability to be in sync with the advertising industry and its trends. Most recently, they have embraced the new model of brand storytelling through social advocacy. To do that, professors and advisors encourage students to tap into their personal backgrounds, areas of interest and passion to help brainstorm the next project. See the full article by Aaron Sorenson at news.byu.edu.

Communications student Madison Moulder shares how an experiential learning opportunity has enhanced her time at BYU

Tessa Ostivig, who graduated in April 2020, reflects on her time at BYU

Isabella Vaughn, who graduated in December 2019, reflects on her time at BYU

The project

Communications alum documents the refugee experience to promote compassion and understanding

A group of BYU students used skills developed in class to highlight their unique experiences and promote diversity awareness among BYU students and faculty

It was NCAA star player Grayson Allen’s first game back after his suspension that came from deliberately tripping an opposing player. Everyone in the press room was fighting their way to him, including 20-year-old Abigail Keenan. This was only the beginning of many experiences where fighting her way through unseen obstacles would lead her to achieve her dreams. Her ability to pivot and find unique opportunities led her to photographing The Bucket List Family and to interning with the Los Angeles Lakers. With everyone surrounding Allen in the locker room, Keenan had to think fast. She knew that she wanted that shot, but how could she get it? “This was my first time rushing into the locker room, and I had no idea what to do,” Keenan said. “Being the newcomer once again, I saw a three-person deep wall surrounding Allen.” Clawing her way through eager reporters, she still couldn’t fight her way through the barricade of people surrounding Allen. Keenan reached down and tilted her camera up. She took a chance and shot between the legs of the man in front of her. With her fingers crossed that the angle was right, she snapped a picture hoping to capture where Allen was sitting. She then looked at the picture on her camera, and to her surprise, the photo was not only in focus but also in perfect lighting. What occurred that day in the press room foreshadowed the rest of Keenan’s journey — nothing is off limits. Keenan, a former Daily Universe photographer and 2019 BYU School of Communications graduate, saw what felt like a far-fetched dream became reality when she scored an internship with the Lakers. However, the path that led her there was anything but conventional. Read the full article at universe.byu.edu.

BYU communications faculty, staff and students co-produce a documentary filmed in Spain about the famous network of pilgrimages — Camino de Santiago Five students and three professors from the BYU School of Communications traveled to Spain to capture the experience of BYU Spanish language majors walking the Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in northwestern Spain. The footage they took was compiled into a documentary about the Camino de Santiago, why people walk it and what it means to be a pilgrim. The 15-minute video, “Camino de Santiago: The Way of St. James,” was released on Aug. 25. “Our communications students conducted themselves so professionally. They were passionate about the project and hardworking,” said Cressman. “We were very fortunate to have this experience. I believe it begins to fulfill the vision of our school’s director, Ed Carter — to get our students out into the world in mentored-learning situations where they can do challenging but exceptional things.” BYU communications students shadowed and interviewed BYU Spanish students on the Camino de Santiago study abroad as well as others they met along the pilgrimage. “Everywhere I went on the Camino, people told me they had met one or more of our students,” said Cressman. “In every single instance, those people told me how impressed they were with them.” Read the full story at comms.byu.edu.

BYU School of Communications students, professors and alumni joined together for a catered lunch and a motivational lecture on Friday, Sept. 20 Public relations graduate Abe Gong was the guest speaker at the Fall 2019 Beckham Lecture, a semi-annual lecture given by a communications alumni or professor to students. He is currently the CEO of Superconductive Health and was chosen for his innovations in healthcare research. Gong focused on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that guide individuals’ lives — both professionally and personally. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that have happened in Gong’s life include his undergraduate education at BYU, his masters degree at the University of Michigan, various job opportunities and creating a family with his wife. Gong noted that people typically say “seize the opportunity” when encouraging others to take chances that could lead to positive growth, but he argued that the word “seize” has a sudden, forcible and grasping feeling that inhibits personal responsibility for opportunities. Instead, Gong believes that students should think of the phrase as “cultivate the opportunity.” As individuals seek to cultivate opportunities in their lives, they will create and shape life-changing trajectories and events. Read the full story at comms.byu.edu.

With a boost from BYU’s top-ranked advertising program, students are blasting off—creating iconic campaigns and landing at the world’s most-respected agencies.