Three West Virginia University Reed College of Media online graduate students have been awarded scholarships from the College’s General IMC/DMC Scholarship Fund.
The competitive scholarship was established in 2017 by College of Media alumni and employees Catherine and Chad Mezera. It is awarded to students enrolled in the College’s Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) or Data Marketing Communications(DMC) graduate programs each fall and is the first and only scholarship dedicated to online graduate students in the College of Media.
“I really believe in our programs and have seen, first-hand, the impact the IMC and
DMC degrees have had on our graduates’ careers,” said Chad Mezera, assistant dean
of online programs at the College. “It’s important to me to provide this same opportunity
to more of our deserving students.”
Maurice Pierce of Pooler, Georgia, and Clara Warner of Morgantown, West Virginia,
are recipients of the IMC scholarship and Ivy Hamilton of Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
received the DMC scholarship.
Pierce is a runner currently training in Houston, Texas, for the upcoming 2020 Olympics, while he works to complete his IMC degree. Because he travels frequently for athletic training, the online format and flexibility of WVU’s IMC program was a selling-point. He received his undergraduate degree in communications from Savannah State University and hopes to start his own marketing firm or nonprofit organization after completing his IMC degree.
“I selected the WVU IMC program because of the diversity of the program. Unlike other Master programs I researched, the IMC program offered a variety of elective courses in one program,” said Pierce. “The ability to customize your future makes the West Virginia University IMC program unique. This program has motivated me to be the best student/athlete that I imagine on a daily basis.”
Warner is currently a marketing coordinator and graphic design graduate assistant at West Virginia University’s WELLWVU Office of Health and Wellness Promotion. Originally from Texas, she earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary art and design from the University of North Texas. She chose the IMC program to give her experience in the entire marketing spectrum, and also to be able to apply the practical curriculum immediately to her work. After completing her degree, Warner hopes to find a job that allows her to combine her love for strategic planning with her graphic design skills.
Hamilton is a marketing assistant at YMCA of the Capital Area in Baton Rouge and earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University. She hopes to work in a marketing data analysis role for a local nonprofit organization in her community after earning her DMC degree. Hamilton is passionate about making a difference in her community and says this scholarship will help relieve some of the financial burden so she can focus on work that is meaningful to her.
The Mezeras hope to grow the scholarship so online students can receive financial support for years to come. Alumni and friends who would like to make a donation to the WVU Reed College of Media can give online at give.wvu.edu/reed-college-of-media.
WVU will also hold its second annual Day of Giving on November 14, which will feature a special Matching Funds Challenge for the IMC/DMC Scholarship. More information will follow in the coming month.