School of Communications Articles

Fairview, Utah native Oneita Sumsion made history in June 2020 as BYU’s oldest-ever graduate when she received her Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the School of Communications at 90 years old. According to the Daily Herald, the previous record for the oldest graduate in BYU history was held by Fred Paulson Jr., at age 80 in 2018.

Recognition after recognition, the BYU AdLab keeps taking the prize

Professor Brubaker and her graduate students found that Twitter users were able to build their own supportive community during the early stages of the pandemic

Students and mentors from BYU’s AdLab won awards from the international ANDYS and Clios and national ADDYs

On March 4, professor Ed Carter presented a lecture on justice as part of the Faith + Works series

Two School of Communications Alums turn to the Savior while pursuing careers

Wickham spoke during his Listen Up! Series lecture on the ongoing struggle for journalism to present truth

From living in a small town to working professionally in PR, alum Phil Bussey recognizes the impact BYU had on his career

Three recent BYU graduates talk about the sacrifice and teamwork that went into creating award-winning advertising projects

BYU AdLab students’ jewelry ad promotes diversity, self-commitment and self-love

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.