Undergraduate

Fabiana Gomez presented at the 2025 Undergraduate Humanities Conference. Her presentation "Keep Moving," focused on how cultivating traits like resilience and perseverence, alongside positive self-talk, are essential for an individual's ability to better overcome setbacks and achieve consistent success across various aspects of life.

Research Teams in COM 4321 -- a fully online research class -- collaborated on research proposals throughout the course. These proposals are designed as requests for funding to conduct research that addresses a communication problem in our social world in an applied, practical way. The Research Proposals  featured here chose to focus on issues of communication in online education that would enhance the experience for all those engaged in virtual learning. Each project begins with a question, provides a rationale for the question, a review of the literature, a discussion of data and methods. Additionally, Research Teams provided a plan as to how to disseminate the findings of their research in a way that would be impactful to students, instructors, university leadership and education policymakers. 

"How do frequency and type of instructor feedback impact academic performance in undergraduate virtual courses at the University of South Florida?"
Luana Kirshner, Jasmine Dubose, Thomas Mood, Madison Waldrop, and Taylor Viscardo

"Emotional wellbeing of students on college campuses: Do students feel comfortable asking instructors for help?"
Abigail Bullian, Brooke Corey, Francisco Ewing, Olivia White, and Michael Phelps

"What kind of communication is most impactful for the success of an online course?"
Shayna Cooper, Morgan Heiler, Christiana Yurkewicz, Emma Chapman, and Abigail Chadwick

Department undergrad Fabiana Gomez was offered a paid internship with Throughline, Inc., an enterprise design and strategy organization based in Washington, D.C.

Sofia is a third-year student graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a minor in French and Francophone Studies.

As part of her Capstone project, Sofia worked in collaboration with the Hispanic Services Council (HSC) to create events for the students in their mentorship and college readiness program; localizing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal of Quality Education within Tampa's Latino community. Sofia hosted a Public Speaking Workshop as well as a USF campus tour for the HSC students, with the help of members of her sorority. In addition, she created a documentary-style short video highlighting HSC's good work, for them to use as part of their promotional materials. Her project was instrumental in helping foster a connection between the department and HSC.

Bethany Jowers is an undergraduate student working as Dr. Marleah Dean Kruzel's research mentee. She presented her work on "Project EXTRA: Community Partnerships for Patient Empowerment and the Improvement of Breast Cancer Care" at USF’s 2024 Undergraduate Humanities Conference.

Bethany spoke at the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Advisory Council Meeting in March. She gave a presentation about her research with Dr. Marleah Dean Kruzel and her experiences as an undergraduate student at USF.

Rachel Bryan is a recent graduate of the undergrad program, and was recently hired at USF, as an advancement administrator with USF's Alumni Association. During her time as a student at USF, she volunteered with the Student Alumni Association, before transitioning to the USF Ambassadors program, eventually becoming President of the organization. She also became the Secretary and Treasurer of The Order of the Golden Brahman, and served as a member on the Student Philanthropy Council. Rachel began her involvement with USF Foundation as an Orientation Leader in 2023, and remained with them until her hiring post-graduation. As a Communication alum, she is a lifelong member of the Lamda Pi Eta National Communication Honor Society, and was chosen to sit on the 2023 Homecoming Royalty Court for her leadership within the university. Most recently, Rachel received the Golden Bull Award, one of the highest honors awarded to undergraduate and graduate students each year. The award is held in coordination between Student Success departments, and are presented at the conclusion of the spring semester to students who "encompass the spirit of USF and have demonstrated its values."

As part of their senior Capstone course, the team chose to focus on UN SDG 6, Good Health and Wellbeing, by creating and hosting WellFest on Thurs, Nov 14. WellFest was an on-campus, student-oriented festival that featured a blend of mindful and physical activities, educational sessions, and community engagement opportunities, all aimed at promoting higher levels of mental and physical wellbeing for USF students and staff. The event brought over 30 participants to The Well and included activities such as a wellness resource table, shadow boxing, yoga with sound healing, and a digital detox station with crafts. Attendees also enjoyed free drinks, cookies, raffles, and a gratitude board. Additionally, the team raised $100 to donate to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). 

For Yost's senior Capstone project, they chose to focus on UN SDG 10, Reducing Inequality, centered on USF and the Tampa Bay Area. To do this, Yost hosted a one-night pride cabaret performance at USF. They placed a call for submissions, advocated for the official use of USF space, hosted a dress rehearsal, and successfully ran the show itself. Performers danced, sang, and acted in scenes written by LGBTQ+ artists to create community, awareness, and pride for the queer community on campus. In addition, the performance raised money for METRO Inclusive Health, serving the larger Tampa area.

Research Teams in COM 4321 -- a fully online research class -- collaborated on research proposals throughout the course. These proposals are designed as requests for funding to conduct research that addresses a communication problem in our social world in an applied, practical way. The Research Proposals  featured here chose to focus on issues of communication in online education that would enhance the experience for all those engaged in virtual learning. Each project begins with a question, provides a rationale for the question, a review of the literature, a discussion of data and methods. Additionally, Research Teams provided a plan as to how to disseminate the findings of their research in a way that would be impactful to students, instructors, university leadership and education policymakers. 

Jake Branco, Emily Quesada, Mihir Khadri, Brandon Guido, and Rachel Bryan

Devyne Davis, Brian Gomez Jr., Ashlyn Martin, and Ciera Ravelo

Alexis Hafer, Ross Rickenbrode, Jalen Herring, Joshua Morrison, and Haofeng Chen

Alyssa Eldridge is a Communication major and a dance teacher. After she graduates, she plans to pursue graduate work to become a therapist as a way to better support and understand her dance students.

Alyssa partnered with the Healthy 22nd Street Garden Initiative to organize their first fundraising event by showcasing their community engaged work. Healthy 22nd Street is a ​Garden Steps project that has the mission of improving the health of its community by increasing access to fresh produce through gardening. For their fundraising event, Alyssa and members of Healthy 22nd Street created a food tasting event with items grown from their gardens. Alyssa secured prizes for the participants from Hotel Haya in Ybor City and the Tampa Garden Club. Alyssa is also compiling each of the recipes into a cookbook for Healthy 22nd Street to sell. Finally, she has also helped secure sponsorships and advertisements in the cookbook to help generate more funds for Healthy 22nd Street.

Jenna Capuano is a senior in our department and will graduate in Spring 2024.

Jenna partnered with James Elementary, which serves East Tampa. Their mission is to provide a safe nurturing environment that will instill social skills and academic excellence for their students. She raised over $450 to help buy needed P.E. equipment for the kids at James Elementary. Her Capstone project, titled the "Equip Our Kids Fundraiser" is rooted in the United Nations Global Goal #3, keeping good health and well-being at the center of our lives. 

Jenna was featured in the College of Arts and Sciences Newsletter, CAS Chronicles.

 Devyne is a senior graduating in December, with plans of going to law school in the Fall of 2024 to work towards her dream of becoming a professional sports agent. 

For her Senior Capstone Project, she aimed to improve the educational resources for at-risk youth in the Tampa Bay Area and partnered with Joshua House to collect books, supplies, and financial donations to support their work. Devyne was able to collect 263 books and purchase 20 sets of flashcards/workbooks from $180 in donations she received. She was also able to deliver a $500 check donated by her grandmother's church. The books and materials will be used at the end of November in a book fair that Joshua house organizes for kids to pick out free books for themselves. 

Devyne plans to continue working with Joshua House by donating her time and experience as both a Communication major and as an athlete.

Devyne was featured in the College of Arts and Sciences Newsletter, CAS Chronicles.

Tim Green collaborated with the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay to create a free, three-day after-school basketball camp for kids as part of his project for Dr. Laurel Friedman’s Senior Capstone class in Spring 2023.

Alexa Dunsmore, Brandon Robinson, ​Georgian Steele, and Taylor Ziegler​ created an outstanding powerpoint to discuss how to thrive in your community. 

Grayson Roberts, Bryanna Ellis, Becca Freeman, Brianna Grippo, Noelle Peterson, and Amanda Souza created a beautiful youtube presentation to discuss their work in the community. 

For their final assignment, students in Dr. Laurel Friedman’s communication, culture and community course had the opportunity to gain hands-on experiences in their community. See more photos!

For her Senior Communication Capstone project, directed by Dr. Laurel Friedman, Hayley Gamez focused on the United Nations' 2nd Sustainable Development Goal (Zero Hunger) and organized a food drive with St. Matthew's House and Fort Myers Marketplace. At the end of the drive, Hayley collected more than 360 food items. She was inspired by a class with Dr. Ivancic to approach her social media marketing in ways that disrupted the "rigid binaries" in narratives about who gives and receives aid. 

Danielle and Christopher created an e-tutorial for USF's iBuddy on how to better utilize social media as a tool to increase international student awareness and engagement with the program. Their tutorial includes mock posts, reels, stories, and estimated peak timelines as to when to post content. As part of their research, Danielle and Christopher interviewed several international students and will present their video testimonials to the iBuddy team. See more here:

Gabriella (Gabbi) Mirabella, as part of her project in class, organized a community cleanup. Gabbi partnered with Keep Pinellas Beautiful to bring together 17 volunteers who collected 217lbs of trash. Gabbi also created a presentation on cleanup day to talk about the UN Global Goal #17, Life Below Water, and its links to local community need. 

Jack Forsyth's Senior Communication Capstone project (directed by Dr. Laurel Friedman) focused on the UN Sustainable Development G #2 (Zero Hunger), hosted a food drive with CAMP Tampa, where he works as a cycle instructor. Jack was able to raise both food and $50 for Metropolitan Ministries. As part of his project, he talked to his cycle students about the hunger crisis generally and Tampa's community need specifically. Jack hopes to build a career in the nonprofit sector after undergrad. See more here