Communication & Society Residence Academic Program

Finding the Right Fit

Anonymous — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 23:34:26 +0000

Finding the Right Fit Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 07/06/2022 - 17:34

By Tayler Shaw (Jour, Span’21)

When Sophia Bragaglia (StratComm, Econ’21) decided to enroll in the Social Media Listening course the last semester before graduation, she had no idea it would lead her on a path to become a data strategist at a world-renowned advertising agency.

Throwing a cap: Sophia Bragaglia, who graduated in 2021, has already used lessons from CMCI classes on social media, marketing and public speaking in her job at a world-renowned advertising agency.

The unexpected journey began when Bragaglia approached Chris Vargo, the associate professor who taught the course, to follow up on his offer to students: “He was always like, ‘If you ever need help, I’m always a message away,’” Bragaglia said.

After meeting with Bragaglia about her job hunt, Vargo began helping her network with agencies. Their efforts paid off: After five rounds of interviews, Bragaglia was hired by the award-winning advertising agency Grey Global Group.

In her role as a data strategist, Bragaglia often conducts research to understand consumer behavior and how her clients’ brands can have a role in people’s lives, she said. With a dual degree in strategic communication and economics, the position is a perfect blend of her talents, and it allows her to demonstrate the power of communicating in an ethical way.

“The main department that I work in is strategy, so I do a lot of research—a lot of digging into how people are behaving, how the market is functioning and what would be a good message to put out there right now,” she said. “I love it.”

Transitioning into her new role was intimidating at first, but thankfully, she developed transferable skills as an undergraduate student that prepared her for success, such as learning how to conduct independent research and to craft impactful stories.

One of her favorite classes was on public speaking, which she took during her first year in Buckingham Hall as part of CMCI’s Communication and Society Residential Academic Program.

“It really helps you build an argument and sustain it, and I really liked it,” she said, recommending other students take the course as well.

Among the most useful skills she developed in her classes was learning how to use marketing and research databases, such as the database Mintel.

“That really, really helped me because I use that at my job, but nobody [here] taught me how to do it,” she says. “If I hadn’t learned it in college, I wouldn’t know how to do it.”

Learning wasn’t limited to the classroom. During her undergraduate career, Bragaglia completed advertising internships with Ogilvy Brasil, Banco Itaú and Repense, all in her native country of Brazil.

“I knew what I wanted in the second agency because I had had the first experience,” she said. “I also chose my job based on that, as well, because I got to really understand what type of position is meant for me.”

In addition to her internships, Bragaglia gained real-world experience by getting involved in on-campus organizations. One of the highlights was working as the director of outreach for TEDxCU, a student-led organization that independently organizes and hosts TED events.

“That was really exciting because I got to apply everything I learned in classes to the real world, and it was something I really cared about,” she said.

With each experience, Bragaglia paved the way for her current career, and it all started with her decision to attend 91��.

Her family is originally from Brazil, but her dad fell in love with 91�� when he first visited the area as a young adult. Throughout her childhood, her dad took her and her brother skiing around 91��. She always admired the beauty of the campus. Once it came time to choose a school, 91�� felt like the right fit, she said.

“It seemed like it would be the place that I was going to be the happiest,” she said, explaining that her creative side drew her toward the strategic communication major. She added economics soon after her first semester began.

“And everything just worked out so perfectly.”

Years of preparation in classes, internships and student clubs helped CMCI alumna Sophia Bragaglia leap into one of the top advertising agencies in the world after graduation. Now, she’s applying the skills learned from majoring in strategic communication and economics in her new job as a data strategist.

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Faculty Now: Fall 2021

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 06:08:29 +0000

Faculty Now: Fall 2021 Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 11/28/2021 - 23:08

Updates from our all-star faculty of professors, researchers, producers and innovators for fall 2021.

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Faculty Now: Fall 2019

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 19:55:34 +0000

Faculty Now: Fall 2019 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 12/13/2019 - 12:55

Updates from our all-star professors, researchers and innovators.

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Willis-in-residence

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 16:44:44 +0000

Willis-in-residence Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/16/2018 - 09:44

What happens when a professor packs up her home and takes it to work?

As students arrive for a lasagna-making party one Sunday afternoon, Associate Professor Erin Willis throws open her door and announces, “I got a new blender, so prepare to be amazed!”

The group sautés garlic and considers the merits of connecting with a love interest over social media vs. text. One of the students wonders aloud, “So, Erin, are you a millennial?”

Willis just laughs.

As an expert in strategic communications, “know your audience” is a principle she embraces. So much so that last year she and her husband, Jason, moved into an apartment on campus in Buckingham Hall, where she lives among the students she teaches. A third roommate, their puppy, Rudy, has since joined them.

Willis is faculty in residence for CMCI’s Communication and Society Residential Academic Program, known as CommRAP, which is based in Buckingham. The unique position allows her to connect with students outside of the classroom or office hours.

Students cook together at Willis' lasagna party in CommRAP.

“I enjoyed my collegiate experience so much, especially the freshman experience because you do meet so many people,” says Willis, who teaches in the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design in CMCI.

At its core, CommRAP is a way for incoming freshmen to build a sense of community during their first months on campus. Predominantly CMCI majors, residents get to know one another in classes and during open-mic nights, field trips and other events. From small meet-ups to large outings, students have something to look forward to as a group almost every week.

“There’s a great benefit to living here,” Willis says. “I think it gives them the opportunity to create different relationships than just as classmates because they see the true side of one another. A lot of them get to be really good friends—they do homework together, they study together. It’s motivating.”

Many CommRAP classes, which are taught in Buckingham, focus on the ways communication shapes society, with topics including visual literacy, media aesthetics and creative concepts. In addition to classes from CMCI, students can take core classes on math, sociology, anthropology, history and more. In some cases, taking a class within the residence hall allows them to trade in a 150-person lecture for a seminar of 19 students or fewer.

APRD sophomore Andrew Patra says living in Buckingham helped him develop a friendly rapport with faculty. He’d often bump into CommRAP Director and APRD Senior Instructor Melinda Cheval, whose class he took last year.

“I’d see her walk by while I was at the front desk and say, ‘Oh hey, I have a question for you,’” he says.

For Director Melinda Cheval, CommRAP is all about merging the academic aspects of a university education with the social and communal elements.

The staff find small ways to make students feel more at home, like cooking residents’ favorite family recipes during finals week."

To support community interaction, Buckingham has a creative space with computers for research and multimedia projects, a dedicated study lounge and a library of books on topics taught within CMCI. Students can play a game of pool in the living area, watch a movie in the new media room or cook community meals in the full kitchen.

“The first Sunday of every month we’d have a pancake dinner and hand them out to people walking by,” says Patra, who was a member of hall council—the governing boards that serve each residence hall community—during his first year.

Willis teaches classes around campus and in Buckingham Hall, where the CommRAP program is housed.

As faculty in residence, Willis joins students in these community experiences, from performances on campus to trips to the theater in Denver and the occasional meal in her home.

At the lasagna party in Willis’ kitchen, APRD student Katie Lavey mentions a project with the 91��-based kombucha company Rowdy Mermaid for her CommRAP course, Intro to Branding Strategy. She pauses to ask, “Actually, what’s the difference between PR and advertising?”

Willis explains both fields in the casual tone of an older student and with the expertise of an industry professional. All three students stop chopping and listen intently.

The conversation switches to housing plans for the fall, when Willis will welcome a new group of students into the residence hall she calls home.

“I thought it would be an interesting experience—just from a sociological standpoint—watching what takes place,” she says. “After one year here, it’s so much fun!”

Assistant Professor Erin Willis is faculty in residence for CMCI’s Communication and Society Residential Academic Program, known as CommRAP, which is based in Buckingham. The unique position allows her to connect with students outside of the classroom or office hours.

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