BUCKHANNON, West Virginia –Students in the West Virginia Wesleyan College Department of Communication shared their final Capstone projects and some updates about what the Communication Department has to offer as part of their Winter Showcase recently.

Faith Yoho presented “Be Not Afraid of Growing Slowly: Be Afraid Only of Standing Still: Exploring Changes to the Communication Department Through Brand Books, Social Media Campaigns and Advertisements. By creating this public relations campaign, Yoho hopes to emphasize that the Communication Department offers a variety of opportunities to analyze media, develop media literacy skills, and have hands-on experiences that can enhance your time here at WVWC.

Sarah McCall provided a look at her Rare Beauty Advertising Plan. Through a SWOT analysis of Selena Gomez’s beauty company, McCall identified the key themes for her brand messaging and created an advertising strategy and creative plan.

Peter D’Avanzo presented his capstone project “Does Social Media Have an Impact on College Students ‘ Mental Health and Academic Performance?” D’Avanzo’s research project focused on interviewing college students to explore how their social media use impacts their academic performance.

Alexis Abalos shared an analysis of “Sports Contracts and Player Performance.” Using social learning theory and social exchange theory, Abalos textual analysis of sports contracts reviewed both the importance of and the effects from sports contracts and Name, Image, Lineness (NILs).

D’Avanzo and Remmy Lohr shared updates to The Pharos, WVWC’s student-led newspaper. In addition to the paper continuing to be printed online, The Pharos is now back to being offered in print. This is the first time the paper is being printed since COVID.

Lastly, Yoho presented her Ledford Scholar Scholars Project “This is the Skin of a Toxic Male, Bella!” Observing Toxic Masculinity Within the Twilight Series.” This competitively selected research project gave Yoho the opportunity to interview Gen Z, Millennial, and Gen X women to better understand their responses to the toxic behavior that male characters portrayed in the Twilight series films.

“This Winter Showcase was an excellent example of all the hard work and dedication of our students during the fall semester” said Dr. Nancy Bressler, Chair of the Communication Department. “We wanted to demonstrate our students intriguing research, as well as the innovative marketing and public relations projects they created. The Pharos newspaper is also even better than ever with an editorial board dedicated to its success. These projects exhibit the types of hands-on experiences that students in the Communication Department have that they can then share with their future employers” Bressler said.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) is a private, four-year residential liberal arts and sciences college in Buckhannon, West Virginia. A tradition of excellence for more than 130 years, West Virginia Wesleyan is home to 14 Fulbright Scholars. The Princeton Review ranked Wesleyan as one of its 2025 Best Colleges in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States. U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best College Rankings designated Wesleyan ninth in Best Value – Regional Universities (South). WVWC offers students nearly 60 majors and 40 minors; graduate programs in athletic training, business administration, creative writing, nursing and clinical mental health counseling; 20 NCAA Division II athletic programs; multiple performing arts groups; and more than 50 organizations. Founded in 1890, the College is closely affiliated with the United Methodist Church and abides by the Wesley doctrine that emphasizes service to others. For more information, visit wvwc.edu.