“I just really wanted to try it and know if, like, this is for me,” said sophomore advertising student Justice Dyer (she/her). In fall 2021, Dyer became a consultant with the Institute for Business and Information Technology (IBIT), a partnership between Klein College of Media and Communication and the Fox School of School of Business that aims to help small businesses with their online presence. 

Dyer came to Klein as a communication studies major and was hoping to figure out what area of the field she would like to pursue. After taking Introduction to Advertising, Dyer fell in love with advertising. In addition to her major in advertising, Dyer is pursuing minors in content creation and digital media engagement. All these passions helped lead her to IBIT.

Assistant Professor of Instruction in Advertising Alison Ebbecke, KLN ’06, FOX ’17, first met Dyer when she was a student in her Digital Media and Advertising class in the fall 2021 semester and is the one who told Dyer about IBIT. “She was first in mind when I was recommending candidates to be digital consultants,” Ebbecke wrote.

At IBIT, Dyer and other consultants work with a business for approximately two weeks building websites, starting Instagram accounts and getting posts up. At the end of those two weeks, they run the business through how to do it on their own and help out for another week to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Retired Assistant Professor in the Management Information Systems Department in Fox Richard Flanagan worked with Dyer closely through IBIT and got to watch her incredible web-based skills in action. Though working with a real client isn’t always easy, he noted that Dyer persisted and did everything she could to help her client. “Frankly, I think she’s an extremely talented young woman,” he said. “For the amount of time I’ve spent with her, my impression is outstanding.”

Dyer said that the work she is doing at IBIT is work she was interested in pursuing after college, anyway, and is glad that she is getting experience now. “It’s been really cool because I’ve gotten to work hands-on with clients,” she said.  

Dyer credits professors like Ebbecke, Adjunct Instructor Alan Tempest and Temple Update Executive Producer Peter Jaroff with helping her figure out what she wants to do and always providing constructive feedback. Dyer is the graphics manager at Temple Update, and is also the social media manager for Temple Student Government, the communications chair for the Temple University Black Public Relations Society and an associate producer at World at Temple.

“The people really make Klein what it is,” Dyer said.

Though Dyer has a few years until graduating, she already sees a couple scenarios for her future. One option is working for an advertising agency on campaigns for clients, or she could focus more on social media and digital advertising. Dyer is also interested in sports and music, and can see herself working in sports media or working for a place like The Fillmore or The Met. 

“She will be [successful] because she so effectively channels that passion in how she presents herself,” Ebbecke wrote. “I have [no] doubt that Justice will have many more opportunities to make her mark on the advertising industry.”