By Hannah Stewart (Comm’19)

Henley Beisert has always loved sports. In her youth, the Texas native played volleyball and basketball, and her family had season tickets to the Astros and Texans. In fact, she spent many birthdays tailgating for her favorite football team.

This love of sports led Beisert to apply to CU ����Vlog�ƽ�� as an integrated physiology major, so she could pursue a career in physical therapy—but midway through her first semester, she switched to strategic communication to study public relations. When she graduates this December, she’ll be recognized as CMCI’s Outstanding Graduate.

“I got the news when I was on my way to Texas for the Buffs game,” she said. “As soon as I got off the plane, I called my family, I called my boyfriend, I told my best friend. I was so excited.”

Beisert wasn’t flying to Lubbock just as a Buffs fan—since her first year, she has been a video assistant with the football team. In this role, she films the games for the football, soccer and lacrosse teams while creating other video content, as well. 

“I literally love my job with the football team. I’m going to be so sad to leave it because it’s been one of the most fun experiences,” she said.

’Natural leadership’

Her supervisor, Jake Drag, called Beisert “an invaluable asset to our video team” who has developed into a reliable mentor for newcomers. The work she does behind the camera, he said, creates the tape that athletes study to improve their performances on the field. 

“Her natural leadership qualities and dependability have helped her thrive in being the captain of our student crew,” he said.

Since she works so closely with the players, especially on the football team, she’s developed relationships with some of them, which helped her land a new position as an ambassador for the Colorado NIL Store. The store helps student-athletes earn money through their name, image and likeness; in that role, “it’s been so fun to dabble a little more in content creation and graphic design,” she said. “It’s been a great opportunity to work with a team and the main campus to meet more people and grow my network.”

Not surprisingly, her love of sports also inspired Beisert to add a sports media minor and critical sport studies certificate to her degree plan. She said using sports as a lens has changed the way she’s thought about everything from history to PR.

“Having taken at least 10 classes covering more critical aspects of sports has been really enlightening,” she said. “I can watch sports now and see the commodification of athletes. It’s been fun to have that different perspective open up, aside from just rooting for your favorite team.”

Internships aplenty

But Beisert is more than just a sports fan, or a fan of sports communication. She’s a big fan of internships—and that’s her No. 1 piece of advice for new students.

“Internships may seem like a lot, and feel stressful at times, but they’re invaluable because you grow your network and gain experience,” she said. “And it’s fun to try so many different things.”

While at CU, she has been a communications and public relations intern for companies like Sherpani, Cig Public Relations, Prim and Company, Turner and, of course, the NIL Store. She said these experiences exposed her to the array of opportunities public relations professionals can play in the real world, but were above all amazing ways to make connections.

“I’m still in touch with a lot of people from my internships, and that’s so important, because you never know who might help you in the future,” she said.

One person who was extremely helpful to Beisert was Erin Willis, an associate professor of strategic communication who ran the Bateman Case Study Capstone last year. Knowing that she’d graduate a semester early, Beisert chose to complete the course during her junior year, and it proved to be an unforgettable experience.

Her team was tasked with creating and executing a campaign for Culturs magazine. Together, they planned events like a Panhellenic mixer that celebrated cultural diversity and collaborated with the ����Vlog�ƽ�� chapter of PRSSA to host a seminar series. Their team was ultimately recognized with an honorable mention at the national competition.

“I learned a lot more about PR through this capstone because I was actually doing it,” she said. “And Professor Willis was so helpful. Connecting with some professors can be hard in college, but the ones in CMCI have been so welcoming and want you to succeed in the real world.”

Off

By Hannah Stewart (Comm'19)
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm'18) and Jack Moody

“She couldn’t come because she had two young kids,” she said. “Now, my cousins and I are all close in age, and are now going to college for our moms. It’s really special for me.”

CMCI’s Class of 2028 is really special in its own right. With 437 new first-year students, this fall’s new cohort is the college’s largest yet—smashing last year’s record-setting class by 12%. The size of the classes continue to grow, which helps maintain its commitments to diversity.

The growth trends are especially notable, as the university’s incoming class of first-year students dipped slightly from the year before, even though the overall size of the student body grew from fall 2023. 

Some notes on the college’s growth:

• Like last year, nearly 24% of incoming students are from diverse backgrounds.

• Female students make up 64.7% of the CMCI Class of 2028. Notably, they represent slightly less than half of the campus population.

• The college enjoyed a 10% bump in the number of out-of-state students.

• They’re high achievers, with almost 20% of the class graduated with a high school GPA of 4.0 or greater.

• Among majors, media production (15.1%) and communication (12%) saw the biggest growth in new students.

CMCI also added 78 transfer students—a 32% increase over the previous year. With 58 new graduate students, the number of incoming students is 573.

Tovar, a strategic communication major, learned about CMCI while on a campus tour. After meeting a college ambassador, she knew she had found the perfect fit.

“I really love public relations and talking to people,” Tovar said. “In high school, I got the opportunity to do an internship with Make-A-Wish, and I would write stories and do literally everything that a stratcomm major does.”

Finding community

In preparation for coming to college, Tovar participated in the Pathways to Excellence summer bridge program, which she said was essential to starting the semester with confidence. The experience was particularly impactful because it jump-started her campus community, especially with other first-year students, like Oscar Leon.

“Pathways is the best thing I’ve ever done,” Leon said. “It helped me come out of my bubble, and I was able to manage campus life a lot quicker.”

“I don’t want to only be a teacher—I want to be a communicator who can do a lot of different things and a lot of different jobs,” he said.

So far, that’s what he’s found within the communication department, especially among his collaborative and approachable professors. 

But he’s also been appreciative of finding time to use his newfound independence. When he isn’t in class or meeting up with friends, he’s been enjoying exploring ����Vlog�ƽ��; finishing up his internship with Out Front Magazine, where he writes stories and helps with their social media; and checking out student groups.

“Welcoming new students is always special because of the diversity of passions and experiences they bring to our community,” said Lori Bergen, founding dean of the college. “Our students constantly impress me with their enthusiasm for learning and exploring new opportunities, and we’re thrilled to be part of their journey.”

Another communication major, Isabel Malik, said she was looking forward to learning more about CMCI in D.C., an immersive study-internship experience in the nation’s capital.

“I’m thinking about student government, and eventually want to look into lobbying, because I’d like to do something in politics,” said Malik, who’s also interested in minoring in political science and business. “I chose communication because it seems like a really good way to make an impact on the ever-changing world.”

  “I love that we’re all in this huge class and learning the same thing, but we all have different paths. Finding someone on the same path, with a different background, is awesome.”
Isabel Malik, first year, communication

Growing up in Golden, Malik attended a tiny high school and is excited most about all the opportunities CU ����Vlog�ƽ�� has to offer. So far, meeting with professors and her peers has been her favorite part because of the variety of experiences.

“I love that we’re all in this huge class and learning the same thing, but we all have different paths. Finding someone on the same path, with a different background, is awesome.”

Finding opportunity

Information science major and Boston native Evan Bardinelli is, like Malik, eager to get involved, particularly with study abroad programs. He came to ����Vlog�ƽ�� in part because of his love for the outdoors; some of his favorite hobbies include skiing and fishing.

“Going to school, living on my own and becoming more independent—all in Colorado—has been really exciting,” Bardinelli said. “I like my classes and I like my professors. ����Vlog�ƽ�� has really good people, and it’s a good place to go to school and to learn. I go to class and I feel like I’m surrounded by people with similar interests.”

Through the residence halls, student groups and classes, the first-year class is diving headfirst into all that campus and the college has to offer. 

“I’m so excited to get my hands on everything I can. College is such a big opportunity,” said Tovar, who is now a CMCI ambassador herself. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how I’m going to spend my time and fill my cup.”

Off

By Hannah Stewart (Comm’19)

As an arts student, Cassidy Davis dreamed of working in the entertainment industry. But when she became a hockey fan, her interests turned to event management and sports media.

The last three-and-a-half years—which included six internships, many in sports—only validated her new dream of working in the sports world. This winter, she’s being recognized with the William W. White Outstanding Graduate award as a result of her hard work and determination.

Davis, a strategic communication major, knew she wanted to study advertising when she was applying for college, but she wanted to focus on the creative side of the business. After taking a few core classes, she discovered a love for copywriting and working with people, so she switched her concentration to public relations and hasn’t looked back.

“The best part of my time at CU has been getting such broad experience, including public relations, sports media and graphic design,” she said. “Being able to study all of my little niches and learning how to put them together has made me confident about applying what I’ve learned at work.”

Checking out hockey

She began her undergraduate career in fall 2020, the middle of the pandemic. With social distancing and so-called “COVID bubbles” in place, she spent many nights doing homework while occasionally watching a hockey game. Occasionally transformed into frequently, and frequently turned into enthusiastically.

“When I became a fan of hockey, I really became a fan of hockey,” she said. “That’s when I started thinking, event management would be cool, and started learning about other sports.”

  “I’m very grateful for my time at CU and I feel like I’m so dedicated to finding a career I’m incredibly passionate about. I’m super excited to see what happens after graduation.”
Cassidy Davis

Davis’ newfound passion for the industry led her to the sports media minor, which paved the way for several internships, including with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, CAA Icon, the Colorado Rapids and more—she even got to live out her hockey-fan dreams by taking a picture with the Stanley Cup after the Colorado Avalanche won the title in 2022. Now she’s working with CU Athletics as a marketing and fan experience intern and loves it.

“I do a lot of the promotions during the media timeouts for every single sport,” Davis said. “My favorite experience has to be my time with CU Athletics and just being able to put my love for sports into my love for my college and my university.”

In addition to sports media, Davis also chose to minor in creative technology and design because of its emphasis on graphics and creative design. She said she pursued the minor in order to become  more well rounded.

Largely because of her academics, she has been able to more fully take part in the campus community, which she says is key to student success. Her advice to incoming students is to “join as much as you can and not be afraid to try for something, and make as many connections as you possibly can.”

It was her relationship with Dawn Doty—a teaching associate professor and someone Davis considers a mentor—that encouraged her to participate in the prestigious Bateman Competition as a junior. Through her sports media minor, she met Mike Davies (Jour’94) who also has become a mentor.

“He’s been a huge help in saying, ‘What do you want to do with your career?’ and introducing me to people,” Davis said. “I’m just going to continue networking as much as I can and learning as much as I can.”

‘Like an all-star’

Doty called Davis one of the best students she’s taught in nearly a decade at CU ����Vlog�ƽ��. 

“The best PR people I’ve known throughout my career are a combination of smart, tenacious and tireless,” Doty said. “Cassidy demonstrated all three of these characteristics during the Bateman competition.”

She said Davis’ attention in class helped her compete for the internships that have set her up for professional success, but beyond that, “Cassidy understands that being successful in the PR profession—and many others—requires networking, and she does this like an all-star.

“She has a clear vision of what she wants to do post-graduation, which helped her use her time at CU in a meaningful way.”

When Davis reflects on the past three and a half years, she said that she feels lucky to have had supportive teachers, a solid foundation, and the chance to study and work within her passions. So achieving the outstanding graduate award is the perfect sendoff.

“I’m very grateful for my time at CU and I feel like I’m so dedicated to finding a career I’m incredibly passionate about,” she said. “CU gave me all the materials to get there, and I’m super excited to see what happens after graduation.”

Off

By Joe Arney

A desire to learn, a chance to chase his dream job, the opportunity to develop new skills—for Leopoldo Rivera IV, all of those were important reasons to attend college. 

“My mom put a lot of expectations on me as the oldest, but I tried to embrace that,” said Rivera, a first-year journalism student. “She taught me to work hard, study hard and do what it takes to succeed. I wanted to make her proud by being the first in my family to attend.” 

Rivera joins an impressive class of first-year students at the College of Media, Communication and Information. It’s the largest and academically strongest class in the college’s history. 

“There’s no better way to get inspired by the work we do at CMCI than to hear from our students, especially our Class of 2027,” said Lori Bergen, founding dean of the college. “It’s so rewarding to meet our new students and appreciate the academic aptitude, diversity of backgrounds and passion for learning they bring to our growing community.”

First-year class is 20% larger

This year’s incoming first-year class is made up of 390 new students, a 20% increase over last year and well above the 2019 high-water mark of 341. Nearly 24% come from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds, an improvement over last year’s 19.8% percent. 

Meanwhile, the average first-year student has a high school GPA of 3.68, a slight increase from last year, and while standardized test results are no longer required as part of an application, the average ACT of 28.2 is the highest score yet.

“I feel like I truly belong at CU ����Vlog�ƽ��,” he said. “I want to learn as much as I can at CMCI so I can create my own legacy.” 

Cincinnati native Zach Giesenschlag, who plans to study communication at CMCI, said CU ����Vlog�ƽ�� is a sort of homecoming. Though he has no family here, his parents got engaged in Colorado, and after growing up in the heartland, the skier and photographer wanted to be near the mountains.

“Location was important to me, and I heard so many good things about CMCI when I was looking at programs,” he said. 

“It’s a hard industry to get into, so another reason I’m happy to be here are the experiences I can get and connections I can make,” he said. 

‘Why would I want to be anywhere else?’

Caroline Pellerito brings a unique set of experiences to CMCI—she deferred her admission a year to skate with Disney on Ice, giving her the opportunity to see the country and understand that she was a brand ambassador for a major corporation during the experience. 

Both reasons helped bring her here to study strategic communication.

Pellerito, of Vail, missed her family while she was on the road, so she’s grateful to be closer to home as a student. “And I spent a lot of time in random cities, which was fun, but it helps you appreciate that Colorado is the best,” she said. “Why would I want to be anywhere else?”

  “I’d like to become a person who can speak up for others who don’t have a voice. I hope being at CMCI helps me get to where I want to be.”
    Diego Simental

Seeing how Feld Entertainment—which produces Disney on Ice—approaches public relations up close gave her an idea that she might enjoy that as a career. While she’d love to return to Disney on Ice after graduation, perhaps in a PR-focused role, for now, she’s most excited to study abroad. 

For Isabella Herrera, a first-generation student from Aurora, it was CU ����Vlog�ƽ��’s culture that stood out when she was considering colleges. As she talked about CMCI’s precollegiate programs—she completed both Pathways and Connections—her phone intermittently buzzed with text messages from her new friends, proof she’s already feeling at home.

“I met two of my best friends in Pathways, and we go to class every day together,” she said. 

Herrera earned multiple scholarships to attend CU ����Vlog�ƽ��, which she said have offered her the freedom to explore the different opportunities at CMCI. A media production student, she’s already started working as a stage production assistant at Macky Auditorium. 

“My scholarships have helped me be more open minded—I was able to look for jobs that were more about the experience I could get, as opposed to just needing the money,” she said. “I’m spending more time making friends and less time worrying about how to pay for school.” 

The community was also instrumental in helping Julia Zentmyer feel at home on campus. The Madison, Wisconsin, native made fast friends with her roommate, “who has been really nice to me,” she said. “I’ve started meeting new people through her, which has helped me feel more at home on such a large campus—whether we’re going to the Rec Center or Red Rocks.” 

A strategic communication major, Zentmyer liked that CMCI would allow her to explore both her interests in business and communication—and the great outdoors. She’s already fallen in love with hiking at nearby Chautauqua and looks forward to exploring more—both on the trails and in her classes.

A Super calling

Ranney Willis, meanwhile, followed his older sister, Matilda, to CU—but in a way, he was following Superman, who unexpectedly became the subject of a guest lecture by Rick Stevens, associate dean of undergraduate education and associate professor of media studies. 

“I got to learn about how pop culture has an actual effect in the world, which is how I got interested in CMCI,” Willis said. “My parents and I got a chance to speak with professor Stevens afterward, and the first thing I asked was whether there are jobs in this.”

“The community at CU is big—but that’s a good thing,” he said. “It’s nice to know I’m not alone in the journey of exploration and discovery that I’m on.”

Diego Simental is a new student who isn’t new to campus—he first visited CU ����Vlog�ƽ�� in the seventh grade. The Commerce City native and first-generation student was the anchor of his high school’s news program, and is studying journalism in the hopes of becoming a newscaster. 

A highlight of his own Pathways experience was the chance to visit the local CBS station in Denver during a trip to the city over the summer.

“I’d like to become a person who can speak up for others who don’t have a voice,” Simental said. “I hope being at CMCI helps me get to where I want to be.” 

Unsurprisingly, another first-year personality helped draw plenty of students to CU’s Class of 2027. For Rivera, the aspiring sports journalist, Deion Sanders’ arrival at Folsom Field “was kind of the last calling.”

“I listened to Coach Prime’s press conference, and he said something like, this is the place to be, and the time to be here is now,” Rivera said. “And I thought, I want to be a part of this, because this is history in the making. I don’t know how, but I want to be a part of it.” 

Off

Featuring CMCI students Keeshawn Barthelemy, Nique Clifford, Luke O’Brien and Jabari Walker

Off

Featuring Anna Haynes (Editor of the CU Independent)

Off

Off

Bowditch's winning article, "," was published in CU ����Vlog�ƽ��'s student-run news site, , last April. The article outlines claims of questionable—and even abusive—practices by Resurrection Church in ����Vlog�ƽ��, as well as an affiliated church in Fort Collins. The claims are made by relatives of current members of the churches, and by former church members. Much of the story centers on interviews Bowditch conducted with the father of a member of Resurrection Church, who attributes his graduate loss of contact with his daughter—a former CU ����Vlog�ƽ�� student—to her decade-long involvement with the church. 

"This was a follow-up to Charlotte's original reporting on Resurrection Church," said Gil Asakawa, the student media manager who oversees CU Independent. "The story is remarkable in its scope and display of human emotion." 

Bowditch, who is an Environmental Studies major and Journalism minor at CU ����Vlog�ƽ��, earned a certificate of merit as a top-10 winner. 

The award is the latest in a long list of recogntions for CU Independent and its writers. Bowditch previously received a Mark of Excellence Award from the in 2017 for online in-depth reporting, and CU Independent recieved a 2016 Pacemaker Award from the Associated Collegiate Press.

Off

Attendees were also treated to a kickoff party for director Kathryn Bigelow’s new film Detroit, which is based off the events of the 1967 Detroit riots.

CMCI students Ariana Freeman, Aaron Montgomery and Neal Scarborough all attended the convention, using it as an opportunity to network and help promote the college. Former Scripps fellow, and current editor at Mississippi Today, R.L. Nave was also on hand at the CMCI booth.

Off

A group of incoming first-year CMCI students arrived on campus this past week to participate in the annual pathways to excellence in media and communication summer intensive. 
 

Off