Strategic communications senior and WVU American Advertising Federation (AAF) Ad Club secretary Charity Junkins can now count herself among an elite group of advertising students nationwide. Junkins is one of twenty-five AAF members in the entire country selected to participate in the Chicago Portfolio School (CPS) webinar.
The CPS webinar, which is co-sponsored by AAF, is completely online and is a year’s worth of portfolio school condensed into two to three months. Topics include the hiring process for firms and agencies, the difference between concept and execution and understanding the importance of keeping them separate, and how to land the ideal internship.
Junkins was selected based on two essays and a personal slogan. For her essays, she selected two topics that she is passionate about.
“I chose baseball and ‘The Hunger Games’ book series franchise. I chose baseball because I have always watched the sport and have fond memories of watching baseball with my grandpa. ‘The Hunger Games’ has a good moral to the story about how one person can stand up and make a difference…that’s the type of person I want be.”
Junkins also had to develop her own personal slogan.
“I chose ‘Jump’ as my personal slogan because it describes how I feel about taking risks and putting myself out there,” said Junkins. “The College of Media has taught me, through my strategic communications classes, to say what I want and to create whatever I want.”
Junkins will begin the program in March and finish in May. During the two-month intensive course, she will be expected to Skype with creative directors and professors from the portfolio school.
Teaching Assistant Professor Catherine Mezera is the faculty advisor for WVU’s AAF chapter. Mezera says this unique opportunity will give Junkins a big advantage in the job market.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for ambitious students that want to pursue a career in the creative side of advertising. Normally a portfolio school is a significant investment, both in terms of time and finances, for recent graduates to consider,” said Mezera. “Entry-level creative-focused jobs have become competitive in the large markets and having portfolio experience can be a compelling advantage.”
Mezera added that she is “proud of Junkins and her dedication to our local AAF college chapter, and she’s confident that she’ll represent WVU well.”
Junkins is set to graduate from the WVU Reed College of Media in May following the completion of her capstone course and the AAF Chicago Portfolio School.