Ten Advertising and Public Relations (ADPR) capstone students recently returned from a study abroad program in Ireland, where they presented research to international clients.
Reed School of Media and Communications Adjunct Professor Charles “Chuck” Harman led his students, along with 21 WVU Global (GLO) students, to Dublin, Donegal and Derry, Ireland, to experience a wide range of Irish culture, geography and history. This year, Harman, who has been teaching this study abroad capstone course for XX years, partnered with AllPeopleBeHappy, an organization that invests in global learning opportunities and coordinates small development projects on issues surrounding poverty reduction, agriculture, education and more.
“The CEO of AllPeopleBeHappy, Brandon Blache-Cohen, traveled with us. He lives part-time in Carrigart, Ireland, where most of the clients are from,” Harman said. “The challenges of the Rosguill Peninsula are similar to those faced by some communities in West Virginia. The area is rich in natural beauty and the people are humble and welcoming but sustaining local businesses can be challenging. My students are developing strategic communications campaigns that will promote remote work and tourism during the off-season.”
At the start of the spring semester, the students in the ADPR capstone applied to be part of one of three “agencies.” Brandon Thomas, Executive Vice President of Freud Communications; Chad Hyett, Executive Vice President of MCS Healthcare Public Relations; and Maddie Ernst, Senior Marketing Consultant at UC Health, each mentored an agency.
“As communications professionals with years of experience, the mentors offer a window into the real world that is not usually open to students,” Harman said. “The mentors, all WVU alumni, put their heart and soul into this role.”
Strategic planners from each of the three capstone agencies worked together to conduct research, which included surveying more than 250 WVU students on their opinions about working and living abroad. The students also had an introductory Zoom meeting with their clients to better understand their situations and needs. The agencies prepared presentations on how to improve the number of people visiting and living in the Rosguill Peninsula throughout the year before traveling to Ireland from March 14-22 to visit the towns and meet with their clients.
“One of the clients was Joe McHugh, the former Minister of Education for the Republic of Ireland and a leader of the Irish parliament,” Harman said. “One of my favorite parts of the trip was watching my students present to him. He was very engaged.”
“This was my first time leaving the country and studying abroad,” said Sloane Heagerty, a student representing the capstone’s Emerald Agency. “Going to Ireland was on my bucket list, and I heard that there were some Heagertys living in Carrigart, which is the town we were working with for our capstone.”
Heagerty and fellow Emerald Agency student Andrew Wilkie brought a taste of West Virginia to the Irish village.
“We presented on the background of West Virginia culture and history to show how our some of our experiences in West Virginia are similar to Ireland, so we decided to bring pepperoni rolls to let the client experience something from home,” Wilkie said.
“We're really glad they made it through TSA and customs,” Heagerty said.
In addition to making presentations to international clients, the students were able to travel across the country, which included "glamping" for five nights in the small village of Creeslough and participating in Carrigart’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
“The parade was awesome,” Harman said. “We had two banners promoting WVU. They had 'Country Roads’ blaring from the reviewer’s stand and introduced us as special guests. People were extremely welcoming and happy to see us.”
This shared international experience helped to bring the group of Mountaineers closer together.
“My most memorable experience outside of working with the client was how close the study abroad students got during this week,” Wilkie said. “After the trip, we all became closer, and I created a new group of friends along with a lot of unforgettable experiences.”
“My favorite part was knowing how much work the students put in and then being able to showcase it to the Irish locals,” said Jack Rogers, a GLO student and Harman’s teaching assistant. “My most memorable moment besides that was creating relationships with both the GLO and capstone students...It was one of the best weeks of my life.”
“WVU's program and Professor Harman's class prepared us heavily for this presentation,” Heagerty said. “I've learned a lot about communication throughout my time as an ADPR student, and Professor Harman's honest feedback and advice made it feel like a seamless transition from classroom to real-world application. Our mentor, Maddie, has been a tremendous help as well. Mentors are not something I've ever seen in a classroom or expected out of this capstone, but it has completely changed the game and helped with real-world applications.”
To learn more about the Advertising and Public Relations program, visit mediaandcommunications.wvu.edu. For more information about study abroad opportunities, visit wvuabroad.wvu.edu.