Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person classes at Temple University have transitioned online, prompting instructors to make adjustments to their in-class assignments. This is especially true for 7-week courses, which last for half of a given semester. The special projects class in the department of communication studies, also known as the LGBTQ "Pride class" which began in the second half of this semester, is no exception. Class instructor and Director of the Department of Communication Studies Scott Gratson has come up with a unique alternative to quizzes. Now, students are...
PhillyCAM, a community media center and home of Philadelphia's public access television station, has a mission to make community media and its creation accessible to residents in the city. Gabe Casto '14 works as the full-time programming and production coordinator for the center's television department. In her role, she trains incoming PhillyCAM members in community media to prepare them to create their best work and helps guide their projects throughout their membership. Castro, who has had an interest in video production since childhood, received much of her training in...
Clemencia Rodríguez, professor in the Department of Media Studies and Production at Klein College of Media and Communication, was appointed to the board of directors of the Independence Public Media Foundation (IPMF). She took on the role with the foundation last summer and is on the board's grants committee. IPMF's endowment of over $131 million allows for Philadelphians to gain a better understanding of media and prioritizes the experiences and stories of Philadelphia's residents and communities.The lion's share of Rodríguez's work on the board is ensuring that the foundation...
Jaimee Swift '13 has enjoyed storytelling since her childhood. Though the focus of her stories may have evolved, her enthusiasm for sharing them has never changed. As a PhD candidate at Howard University in Washington, D.C., she has officially launched Black Women Radicals (BWR), an organization promoting Black feminist advocacy that recounts the lives and work of Black women, Black non-binary and Black gender non-conforming activists. She sees an opportunity for the organization — which consists of the Black Women Radicals Database, the Voices in Movement blog and...
Rachel Berson, a communication studies and political science double major who is graduating this year, was recently awarded the MarcDavid LGBTQ Scholarship. She has been a strong advocate for the LGBTQ community since high school but found that Temple University gave her the space to place the community as a priority in her academic and extracurricular activities. As the recipient of the award, she received $2,250 this semester to help with school-related expenses, but the honor also represents her commitment to LGBTQ rights.The MarcDavid Scholarship is available every year to...
A Star Name Assiah Liver Fund was created by Rasheena Phinisee '16 with a mission to "engage, educate, and empower" communities of color through initiatives that focus on the importance of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Named after her daughter Assiah who received liver transplants at ages one and four, Assiah's Liver Fund is the result of a mother's labor of love. But the organization has also reached its success because of Phinisee's management, communication and organizing skills, many of which she fine-tuned at Klein College of Media and Communication....
Eli 1000 '19 prefers to go by his stage name, but that's no surprise — he centers his music in his life. The artist, whose music can be found on MP3, radio and streaming platforms, closed out 2019 with an impressive set of data from Spotify alone. Over 351,900 streams broke down into 118,800 users from 78 countries spending about 12,000 hours listening to his songs. Eli's time at Temple University in the Media Studies and Production Department helped him hone his skills and understand more about creating great tracks and media theory, which has impacted his point of view...
Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association's communication studies honor society, is participating in the Eastern Communication Association's (ECA) annual convention by hosting a student panel. Temple University's Alpha Beta Upsilon chapter of the fraternity will be sending its president Max Eagle as a representative on the fraternity's panel, where he will speak about the initiatives that Temple's chapter of Lambda Pi Eta spearheads for its students and other students interested in learning more about communication.The ECA convention is set to take place in early...
Teresa M. Lundy '14 is the founder and principal of TML Communications, a public relations firm. In that capacity, she acted as the campaign manager for Rochelle Bilal, the first woman elected to the head of the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office in its 181-year existence. Now, Lundy is the youngest person on Bilal's 23-member transition team and is volunteering to enact the initiatives the sheriff promised while on the campaign trail. Lundy's college journey prepared her for the rigor of the professional public relations field. She started as a student at Delaware State University...
Graham Foley has kept himself busy throughout his time at Temple University and he shows no signs of slowing down. The senior journalism student has branched out of his curriculum at Klein College of Media and Communication and is getting real-world experience in sports journalism. Since his freshman year, he has interned and worked for sports departments at Temple and around Philadelphia. Now, in addition to his responsibilities as a student and a freelancer, he has a coveted role with the Philadelphia Phillies as their first full-season social media department intern.Foley...
With online access to the national census opening on March 12, Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communication is leading the city in a campaign to get as many individuals from the University and the surrounding community to take the census as part of its first ever "Temple Census Action Day." A group of five Temple public relations students are mobilizing the Temple community as part of a national competition designed to get college students and undercounted communities to participate in the 2020 Census. The Bateman Competition is sponsored by the Public Relations...
The Student and Alumni Leadership Reception is a networking event for student leaders hosted by Temple University's Office of the President and the Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. This year's reception was held on Feb. 19 on the multipurpose level of Morgan Hall. This is the third year that the two offices have collaborated on the spring event, while alumni and university leaders also attend to interact with students. Student leaders across Temple's colleges are invited to the event, and Klein College of Media and Communication students were no exception....
Tarahgee Morris, a senior advertising student and Sanjna Pandey, a junior advertising student, have earned spots as fellows in the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP). The fellowship is backed by the American Association of Advertising Agencies ("4As") and provides students with 12 weeks of virtual training and full-time advertising agency positions in the summer, along with networking and training opportunities for career development. Although Morris never received the MAIP fellowship before, he is taking on a position at a familiar agency. Last summer, he had an...
One of the best lessons Maya Minhas '18 has learned since graduating from Temple University is to take professional growth one step at a time. The communication studies alumna specialized in intercultural communications through the Major of Distinction/Thesis Track and found that her interests in digital storytelling and social impact led her to a position she never considered: social impact digital campaigns manager for award-winning film production company Participant. Her recent campaign with the company's film American Factory paid off as the documentary won best...
The Klein Online Marketing Challenge class (KOMC), offered through the Department of Advertising at Klein College of Media and Communication, is a unique course teaching students about the fast-growing industry of paid search marketing, specifically search engine marketing (SEM). Students take part in teams for the Google Ad Grants Online Marketing Challenge, allowing them to work with nonprofit organizations that need assistance with online marketing. This gives students the real-world experience they need in an increasingly digitized industry and provides them with an edge in...
Last spring break, Jonathan Sechuk followed his heart — and his calling. The senior communication studies student traveled on a missionary trip to Peru through Temple University's chapter of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). By interacting with the Peruvian town's residents and helping improve the town's infrastructure, Sechuk learned that his faith and commitment to bettering the world complements his studies at Klein College of Media and Communication.In addition to his academic work in communication studies, Sechuk immerses himself in campus-based...
Lee Farrell always knew he wanted to shine in the spotlight. The senior communication studies student discovered his talent for communicating as a child actor in theater, film and television. Last summer, he learned more about the business side of entertainment as a development intern with JUMA Entertainment; but since 2018, he has stolen the show as the in-game host for Temple University Athletics. Although Farrell demonstrated his gift for performing early in life by appearing in national productions such as ads for RadioShack and the Biography Channel, he did not start...
Entering Temple University with dreams to become a famous actress and leaving with a spot at Harvard Law School was not the journey that Lorielle Pankey, KLN '00, had anticipated. But one of the skills she learned at Klein College of Media and Communication was how to adapt. Now, she serves as an associate general counsel and the designated agency ethics official for the United States Federal Trade Commission. Without the space for self-discovery provided to her at Temple University, she may be trekking a different path.Pankey grew up nearby in the Maryland suburbs of...
Julia Prevost, a senior media studies and production major and a Temple University honors student, recently completed an extended summer and fall internship with the home shopping network QVC. Though the experience helped her determine in what direction to take her future media career, Klein College of Media and Communication gave her the preparation she needed to make the most of the position.Prevost's interest in media stems back to her childhood. The West Chester native grew up close to QVC's headquarters and used to make videos for YouTube as a creative outlet. She decided...
Klein College of Media and Communication Global Opportunities (Klein GO) offers a half-semester course that includes a five-day excursion to the imminent 2020 New Hampshire Democratic Primary. Twenty-six students will travel to New Hampshire as a part of the class from Feb. 7 to Feb. 11. to attend rallies, interview constituents and meet with journalists, politicians and campaign teams.Dr. David Mindich, chair of the Journalism Department, is teaching the course, titled Media...
