Coursework Projects
My academic work goes beyond the classroom, simulating real-world marketing and PR challenges. From developing press releases and strategic campaigns to creating compelling sales pitches, media strategies, and advertising plans, each project demonstrates my ability to think creatively, communicate clearly, and deliver results across multiple platforms and formats.
Press Releases
Press Release 1 — Starter Electronics Welcomes New Plastics Division Superintendent (2023)
Written for my Writing and Editing class, this press release announced the appointment of Wesley L. Marlborough as the new Plastics Division Superintendent at Starter Electronics. The piece highlights Marlborough’s background, qualifications, and responsibilities, while incorporating quotes and company details to effectively communicate the news to media outlets.
Product Release — Birchbox x Meghan Markle Collaboration (2024)
Written for my Advanced Writing class, this fictional product release announced a limited-edition “Ready, Set, Summer” subscription box curated by Meghan Markle. The assignment focused on learning the differences between a press release and a product release, highlighting how product releases emphasize brand and product details to appeal directly to consumers. This piece applied proper formatting and AP Style while incorporating engaging quotes and descriptive product information to create a polished, brand-driven announcement.
Press Release 2 — Ottawa County Parks & Recreation “Step It Up” Summer Program (2023)
Created for my Writing and Editing class, this press release promoted Ottawa County Parks and Recreation’s eight-week “Step It Up” program, encouraging community members to stay active through guided walks, kayaking, and goal tracking. The assignment emphasized proper press release formatting and adherence to AP Style guidelines, while incorporating program details, participant testimonials, and registration information to engage local media and the public.
Internal Announcement – Wayside Waifs Welcomes New Social Media Intern (2024)
Written for my Advanced Writing class, this fictional internal announcement shared the onboarding of a new social media intern at Wayside Waifs. The assignment focused on understanding the differences between internal announcements, press releases, and product releases, with an emphasis on writing for an internal audience while still maintaining professional formatting and AP Style. This piece highlighted the new hire’s background, role responsibilities, and anticipated contributions to the organization’s mission.
Press Release 3 — “Star-Crossed Lovers Win the Hunger Games” (2023)
Written as a creative exercise for my Writing and Editing class, this press release reimagined a fictional event from The Hunger Games universe. The assignment focused on identifying a strong news angle, applying the inverted pyramid structure, and making the story engaging while maintaining journalistic style. I also practiced proper press release formatting and adhered to AP Style guidelines to create a piece that felt authentic and newsworthy.
Feature Story – “A Family’s Journey with Colorectal Cancer Awareness” (2024)
Developed for my Advanced Writing class in collaboration with Andrew from Fight Colorectal Cancer (CRC), this feature story focused on the importance of early colorectal cancer testing for young family members of patients. The assignment required conducting real interviews, researching credible sources, and crafting a narrative that balanced personal storytelling with informative health guidance. Through this project, I honed skills in interviewing, feature writing, and structuring human-interest stories while emphasizing accuracy, empathy, and audience engagement for nonprofit communications.
Design and Layout (2023)
Coach New York: Campaign Brochure
As part of my Design and Layout class, I created a brochure for Coach New York’s Find Your Courage campaign using Adobe InDesign. The piece was designed to highlight campaign messaging, product offerings, and brand values while maintaining consistency with Coach’s design guidelines. This project helped me build skills in multi-page layout, typography, and visual hierarchy, as well as practice translating a campaign’s tone into a cohesive and engaging print piece.
Coach New York: Direct Mail Campaign
Created as part of my Design and Layout class, this project introduced me to Adobe Illustrator while emphasizing the importance of working within established brand standards. I designed a direct mail piece for Coach New York’s Find Your Courage campaign, carefully following both the brand’s visual identity and the campaign’s design guidelines. The project helped me strengthen my skills in layout, typography, and cohesive visual storytelling, while also learning how design choices influence audience engagement and brand consistency.
Personal Logo Design
For my Design and Layout class, I created a personal logo in Canva to represent my individual brand. The goal was to design a mark that reflects my identity and professional style while showcasing how I would market myself visually. This project emphasized the importance of personal branding, consistency, and creating a design that communicates both personality and professionalism.
-
For my Principles of Marketing class, my team developed a comprehensive marketing strategy for Red Bull, analyzing the brand’s target market, buyer behavior, competition, and distribution. The project focused on Red Bull’s experiential and lifestyle-driven approach, including sponsorships of extreme sports, event activations, and strong social media presence. We assessed its promotional, product, and pricing strategies while exploring potential improvements, such as expanding distribution channels, offering more accessible pricing options, and leveraging digital and influencer marketing. This project strengthened my skills in market analysis, campaign planning, and strategic recommendations for high-profile consumer brands.
(Click the logo to view!)
-
For this project, our team developed a complete social media campaign for the fictional company Buhi. We focused on defining the target audience, crafting the brand’s voice, planning content strategy, and creating a content calendar. The project emphasized audience engagement, platform optimization, and performance tracking, giving me hands-on experience in building cohesive, strategic social media campaigns.
(Click the logo to view!)
-
For this project, our team acted as a PR agency, Key Communications, tasked with creating a tailored campaign for Prudential Financial. Working closely with Adam Maddox through regular meetings and emails, we developed the "Elevate Your Legacy Gala" to enhance advisor recruitment and generate leads. This project required in-depth research on Prudential’s services, audience, and industry environment to design a strategic, client-focused campaign that included messaging, outreach strategies, event planning, and evaluation metrics.
(Click the logo to view!)
-
This project allowed me to dive into the advertising process from strategy to execution. I learned how to analyze a brand’s target market, develop a clear campaign message, and adapt creative concepts across multiple advertising channels while maintaining consistent brand identity. The experience reinforced how strategic planning, creative thinking, and an understanding of audience behavior come together to create an effective, cohesive campaign.
(Click the logo to view!)
Campaigns and Strategic Planning
Final Sales Presentation
For our final project in Professional Sales, my partner Camyrn B. and I roleplayed as an Enterprise Fleet Management sales team tasked with pitching our services to the KC Current’s head of transportation. We conducted in-depth research on Enterprise’s offerings and developed a tailored sales presentation highlighting how their fleet solutions could support the team’s new stadium operations. Throughout the roleplay, we practiced handling objections, adapting our approach, and demonstrating value to the client. By the end of the presentation, we successfully closed the sale, applying real-world sales techniques and strategic communication skills to secure the agreement.
Professional Sales (2025)
University of Kansas King’s Hawaiian Sales Competition
In the King's Hawaiian Sales Competition, our team was challenged to develop a marketing campaign for a new holiday to expand the brand's "Big Three" holidays. With limited time to review the case, we quickly analyzed market opportunities, crafted a creative campaign strategy, and used a profit margins calculator to ensure the proposal was financially viable. The competition included three rounds: securing a meeting with executives, presenting and selling our campaign, and a final round where finalists refined and reinforced their proposals. This experience emphasized strategic marketing, persuasive presentation skills, and the ability to deliver under tight deadlines.
Mock Press Conference: Crisis Communication
In this project for my Media Training class (2024), I served as the Public Relations Coordinator for the City of Boston in a mock press conference addressing the Boston Marathon bombing. I conducted in-depth research on the event and timeline to prepare accurate and timely information. The exercise focused on delivering key messaging during a crisis, responding to press inquiries quickly, and balancing transparency with public safety. This experience strengthened my skills in crisis communication, message control, and effectively calming and informing the community under high-pressure conditions.