Alumni Spotlight

Emily Brazytis

Emily Brazytis is an Account Executive at Fahlgren Mortine, where she supports public relations and social media strategies for both B2B and B2C clients. Her daily work includes building social media calendars, coordinating influencer partnerships, and pitching stories to media outlets.

She credits her education in Cleveland State University’s School of Communication with strengthening her storytelling, audience awareness, and APA writing skills, which she continues to use regularly. Internships with University Marketing and Fahlgren Mortine gave her valuable real-world experience and helped shape her career path.

Emily encourages current students to look for lessons in every opportunity, emphasizing that each experience helps build a professional foundation. Skills such as APA formatting, research, and presentation practice from CSU remain essential in her work today.

Darnell Wilson

Darnell Wilson is the Manager of a PR and Communications Inside Sales team at PR Newswire, where he leads eight Account Managers serving more than 300 client accounts. His day-to-day responsibilities include monitoring team and individual performance, assisting with business proposals, meeting with colleagues and leadership, and co-chairing the company’s internship program.

He credits his education at Cleveland State University’s School of Communication with preparing him to lead effectively. Courses and faculty support helped him build communication and leadership skills that remain central to his work. His involvement with the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), where he served as president, and his internship at ESPN Cleveland were pivotal in shaping his passion for connecting people and organizations.

Darnell advises current students to own their story and share it with confidence, stressing the importance of authenticity and passion in professional communication. One skill he relies on daily is the ability to pivot, which he considers essential in the constantly evolving communications industry.

Chelsea Penfield

Chelsea Penfield is a PR Account Executive at Marcus Thomas LLC, where she supports clients across a variety of industries through traditional media relations and social media content coordination. Her day often begins by monitoring news and social media for opportunities to engage audiences and highlight client stories.

Chelsea credits her education at Cleveland State University’s School of Communication with preparing her for agency life. The collaborative environment and capstone projects gave her experience with client deliverables, strategic planning, and managing expectations. Proficiency in AP-style writing, a skill gained at CSU, remains central to her daily work.

While in college, Chelsea completed four internships at Sony Music U, Insight Global, ESPN Cleveland, and Marcus Thomas; and was an active member of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Those opportunities not only strengthened her skills but also provided important connections, including the one that led to her current position.

Her advice to communication students is to embrace their unique strengths and stay curious about industry trends to continue building their expertise.

Charlie Babcock

Charlie Babcock is an Assistant Account Executive at Lucky Break Public Relations, a full-service PR firm based in Los Angeles. He supports clients including GLSEN and Equality California through media relations, pitching, press release writing, and securing national press opportunities. His work also takes him beyond the office to high-profile events such as Out100 and West Hollywood Pride.

Charlie credits his education at Cleveland State University’s School of Communication, where he majored in Promotional Communication, with preparing him for the demands of the PR field. Courses in press release writing and journalism provided him with practical skills he uses daily, and his involvement in the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) helped him recognize the importance of gaining experience early.

After graduation, Charlie built his career through nearly a year of internships before securing his first full-time role in public relations. His advice to current students is to take advantage of internships and on-campus opportunities to strengthen their resumes and build confidence. He points to skills such as press release writing, media relationship building, and Hootsuite certification as especially valuable to his professional success.

Ben Smenda

Ben Smeda is a Content Author at Sherwin-Williams, where he builds web pages for the company’s consumer brand sites. He credits his education at Cleveland State University’s School of Communication with giving him strong interpersonal skills that support his work. Courses in communication helped him learn to collaborate effectively with different teams, connect with colleagues, and approach projects with an appreciation for diverse perspectives, skills that remain central to his career today.

While at CSU, Ben was involved in Club Baseball for two years and completed a two-year internship at Sherwin-Williams, experiences that allowed him to grow personally and professionally.

His advice to current students is to be patient in their career search and focus on roles that encourage growth rather than rushing to settle quickly. He emphasizes that lessons in communication, such as understanding nonverbal cues and building meaningful connections, continue to influence how he approaches his work each day.

Antonio Hernandez

Antonio Hernandez is the Marketing Lead for Events at PEI, a global business intelligence platform focused on private equity. Based in New York, he manages marketing campaigns, paid advertising, website content, and performance analysis for several annual conferences under the Private Funds CFO brand.

He credits his time at Cleveland State University’s School of Communication as his best academic experience, noting that professors Beth Thomas, John Jirik, and Edward Horowitz inspired him and helped him develop communication, writing, and media literacy skills he uses daily. While at CSU, Antonio was active in the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and completed multiple internships that expanded his connections and professional experience.

His advice to students is to stay persistent through a challenging job market, make the most of LinkedIn, and bring authenticity to interviews. He also stresses the importance of AP style writing, media literacy, and Adobe software proficiency, which remain central to his success.

Bayanne Farraj

Bayanne Farraj is a law student at Case Western Reserve University, preparing for a career in immigration, civil rights, and communications law. This summer, she is gaining practical experience as a law clerk in the Human Trafficking Clinic at the Milton and Charlotte Kramer Law Clinic and as a research assistant for Dr. Rebecca Schut, contributing to studies on state immigration policies.

During the academic year, Bayanne is active in student leadership. She has served as class representative for the Student Bar Association, community engagement chair of Street Law, and president of both the International Law Society and Women’s Law Association. Next year, she will serve as vice president of the Student Bar Association and treasurer for both the Women’s Law Association and the Muslim Law Students Association.

Bayanne credits her communication studies at Cleveland State University with providing a strong foundation for law school. Courses in Communication and Conflict, Nonverbal Communication, and Persuasion taught her skills she applies regularly in her studies and professional development. She also gained valuable experience outside the classroom through the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), where she served as vice president and treasurer.

Her advice to current communication students is to remain open to the many paths a degree can lead to. “There are so many ways to use your degree and so many benefits to the knowledge you are gaining,” she says. “Do not limit yourself to one area because communication is everywhere and shapes the way we live and interact with one another.”

Emily Biery

Emily Biery works as an SEO Manager at a marketing agency that supports franchises across the country. She leads a team of SEO specialists and develops strategies to improve website traffic, keyword rankings, and online conversions. A large part of her role involves adjusting strategies based on performance data and staying current with changes to Google’s algorithm and search trends related to AI.

Her week is typically divided between team collaboration, brand meetings, and strategic planning. She works closely with clients and internal teams including PPC and social media to ensure alignment across campaigns. Research and trend analysis also make up a significant part of her work.

What she enjoys most is the variety of brands she gets to work with. Helping businesses grow and seeing tangible results from her work is especially rewarding. One ongoing challenge, she says, is the pace of change in search engine optimization, particularly with the growing impact of AI-generated search results.

Emily credits her education at Cleveland State University with preparing her for agency life. Through hands-on marketing projects, she gained real-world experience working with Cleveland-area businesses. These experience proved valuable once she entered the industry.

She also reflected on Dr. Elizabeth Thomas’ positive influence during her final semester at CSU, noting that the coursework and assignments were highly relevant and that Dr. Thomas’ approach encouraged students to stay engaged with current marketing practices.

Emily attended CSU during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited her ability to participate in extracurriculars. Still, she advises current students to explore as many aspects of marketing and communication as possible while in school.

“Take a variety of classes, social media, SEO, PR, and PPC, so you’re not boxed into one area,” she says. “The more skills you have, the more opportunities you’ll be qualified for after graduation.”

Claudia Chinazo Ugbana

Claudia Chinazo Ugbana currently serves as a Social Media Manager at the Farm Credit Council, the national trade association representing the U.S. Farm Credit System. In this role, she oversees the organization’s social media platforms, developing engaging digital content and managing campaigns to amplify the Council’s visibility, particularly among key stakeholders on Capitol Hill.

Claudia enjoys the creative and strategic aspects of digital advocacy, especially the challenge of tailoring campaigns for diverse audiences. Her role also requires her to stay informed on complex legislative issues and collaborate with members of Congress, which she describes as both demanding and rewarding.

She credits her time at Cleveland State University's School of Communication with helping to prepare her for a successful transition into the field. Majoring in communication and minoring in digital content production, Claudia graduated with a strong foundation in both theory and practical application. Shortly after graduation, she landed a position as a Communications Coordinator.

Her on-campus involvement also played an important role in building her experience. She served as a content editor for The Cauldron and as Social Editor for The Vindicator, CSU’s student-run magazine. These roles helped her strengthen her writing, editing, and digital strategy skills.

Her advice to current CSU communication students: “Work hard and don’t be afraid to dream big.”

Carlina DiRusso

Carlina is now a doctoral student in mass communications at Penn State University. She earned her bachelor's degree in strategic communications from Ohio State University before moving to Los Angeles to begin a career in marketing and public relations at Universal Music Group. Her professional experience in digital marketing inspired her to pursue a master's degree from Cleveland State University, where she honed her research interests in media psychology. Her research at Penn State examines persuasive health and science communication in contemporary media.

According to Carlina, "One of my favorite things as a M.A. student at CSU was the diversity in research opportunities. I was able to be mentored by faculty who specialized in all types of media effects research, from health communication to telepresence to narrative persuasion and the faculty always made themselves available to meet with me. Overall, the program offered a welcoming and productive environment for students new to media effects."

Mark Lantz

Mark Lantz is founder and Executive Creative Director of Factory, a Detroit advertising agency.  Launched in 2013, Factory works in a wide variety of industries, including financial services, tourism and online commerce.  Before starting Factory, Mark was Chief Strategy Officer at the Detroit office of McCann Worldgroup, a global agency network.  At McCann he was one of the creators of the groundbreaking Pure Michigan tourism campaign, helping drive billions of dollars of economic activity in the state.  Before Detroit, he worked at agencies in San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles and Cleveland.  He lives in Birmingham, Michigan.

According to Mark, "The most beneficial part of my graduate degree (Master of Applied Communication Theory and Methodology) was the strong grounding it gave me in research methods and statistics . . . because there has to be someone at every ad agency who can speak that language."

Han Liou

Han Liou graduated with a Master's in Applied Communication Theory and Methodology and a Bachelor's in Communication from Cleveland State University's School of Communication. He has worked professionally in several areas of human resources including corporate talent acquisition, senior executive recruitment and university relations. Currently, Han serves as Manager, Executive Talent Acquisition at Eaton, a global diversified power management company. He serves on the Visiting Committee of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences and is an active mentor in CSU's LINK program.  

Elizabeth Lorek O'Connor

Elizabeth (Lizzie) is now an Executive Communications Manager at Sherwin- Williams, working closely with senior leadership on delivering clear and consistent messaging for their global brand. She began her studies at Cleveland State University, incorporating real life applications from her studies to her position. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree, she continued her studies earning her Master's in Communication in May 2021 with a focus on Applied Communication Theory and Methodology. Working closely with Dr. Jian and faculty, Lizzie has implemented her coursework to drive value within her organization.

According to Lizzie, "The 4+1 program in the School of Communication at Cleveland State University allowed me to continue working while pursuing my degrees in an accelerated timeframe. Shifting from pupil to peer with the amazing faculty provided me a one-of-a-kind experience that was both rewarding on a personal level and impactful on a professional level."

Marcia Moreno

Marcia came to the US in 2005 to pursue a master's degree in Applied Communications Theory and Methodology at Cleveland State University and since then she has dedicated her career to empowering Latinos to become a true economic and cultural force in their communities. Marcia is deeply and passionately involved in various local organizations such as Prospanica Cleveland Chapter, Young Latino Network, College Now of Greater Cleveland, Hispanic Council at Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland Council on World Affairs, among others. She recently founded AmMore LLC, the first Cleveland based company dedicated to attracting, recruiting, and retaining diverse professionals to succeed and thrive in the Greater Cleveland area. She is also a member of the CLASS Visiting Committee at Cleveland State University.

Andrianna Peterson

A native of Cleveland, Andrianna is the Marketing & Business Development Coordinator at Bialosky Cleveland, a multidisciplinary architecture and design firm. Andrianna earned her B.A. in Sociology, Anthropology and Communication from Denison University in 2018. It was through her work at the City of Cleveland Mayor's Office of Communication that she decided to pursue her master's in Applied Communication Theory and Methodology. In light of her role as a public servant, Andrianna's studies focused primarily on leveraging persuasion tactics to increase COVID-19 prevention adherence amid the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

After graduating in 2020, she worked alongside her advisor, Dr. Richard Perloff, to co-author articles emphasizing the importance of persuasion campaigns in slowing the spread of coronavirus. According to Andrianna, "The ability to tailor my research in a way that aligned with my own passion and allowed me to respond to the needs of Cleveland communities during the pandemic was the highlight of my time in the School of Communication. Working alongside faculty who are experts in the field continues to shape my outlook on my career and education."

Bridget Rubenking

Bridget Rubenking, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Mass Media & Film in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She received her Master's degree in Communication from Cleveland State University and went on to obtain her Ph.D. in Communication from Indiana University. She currently studies emotional and cognitive processing of media and has recently published on media multitasking, emotion and disgust, and binge watching in Computers in Human Behavior, Communication Research Reports, and the Journal of Communication. She was awarded BEA's New Faculty Research Grant in 2014, and was awarded a UCF Teaching Incentive Program Award for her undergraduate and graduate teaching record in 2018.

According to Bridget, "The master's program in the School of Communication at CSU prepared me to succeed at a top PhD program in the field, and I'm very grateful for the many learning, research, and teaching opportunities that were available to me. Two opportunities really stand out 10 years after graduating: The opportunity to learn from expert faculty researchers who I still collaborate with today, and absolutely top tier training in quantitative research methodology and analysis."