News

Speed — a native of Denver, Colorado — will graduate with a BA in communications with an emphasis in communications studies on April 24, 2020

The project

Communications alum documents the refugee experience to promote compassion and understanding

A group of BYU students used skills developed in class to highlight their unique experiences and promote diversity awareness among BYU students and faculty

Cutri’s documentary examines the world of extreme sports including socio-economic factors and peak in participation Extreme sports continue to fascinate and entertain the public even after their long history beginning in the 1950s. It is nearly impossible to peel your eyes from the seemingly superhuman feats athletes perform as they fly, jump and twist through the air. Safety is put on the backburner as participants appear to defy human limitations. In recent years, there has been a boom in the popularity of these kinds of sports. Although School of Communications professor Chris Cutri does not participate in extreme sports himself, he is passionate about understanding the spike in participation because of his previous projects focused on the sociology of sports. “These pursuits are becoming more and more common,” Cutri said. “I wanted to find out why.” The documentary — filmed entirely in black and white — was recently picked up by First Run Features — a prominent distributor of independent films based in New York City. Cutri’s film explores the psychology of extreme sports such as wingsuit jumping, ultramarathons and highlining. Read the full article on the School of Communications website.

It was NCAA star player Grayson Allen’s first game back after his suspension that came from deliberately tripping an opposing player. Everyone in the press room was fighting their way to him, including 20-year-old Abigail Keenan. This was only the beginning of many experiences where fighting her way through unseen obstacles would lead her to achieve her dreams. Her ability to pivot and find unique opportunities led her to photographing The Bucket List Family and to interning with the Los Angeles Lakers. With everyone surrounding Allen in the locker room, Keenan had to think fast. She knew that she wanted that shot, but how could she get it? “This was my first time rushing into the locker room, and I had no idea what to do,” Keenan said. “Being the newcomer once again, I saw a three-person deep wall surrounding Allen.” Clawing her way through eager reporters, she still couldn’t fight her way through the barricade of people surrounding Allen. Keenan reached down and tilted her camera up. She took a chance and shot between the legs of the man in front of her. With her fingers crossed that the angle was right, she snapped a picture hoping to capture where Allen was sitting. She then looked at the picture on her camera, and to her surprise, the photo was not only in focus but also in perfect lighting. What occurred that day in the press room foreshadowed the rest of Keenan’s journey — nothing is off limits. Keenan, a former Daily Universe photographer and 2019 BYU School of Communications graduate, saw what felt like a far-fetched dream became reality when she scored an internship with the Lakers. However, the path that led her there was anything but conventional. Read the full article at universe.byu.edu.

BYU communications faculty, staff and students co-produce a documentary filmed in Spain about the famous network of pilgrimages — Camino de Santiago Five students and three professors from the BYU School of Communications traveled to Spain to capture the experience of BYU Spanish language majors walking the Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in northwestern Spain. The footage they took was compiled into a documentary about the Camino de Santiago, why people walk it and what it means to be a pilgrim. The 15-minute video, “Camino de Santiago: The Way of St. James,” was released on Aug. 25. “Our communications students conducted themselves so professionally. They were passionate about the project and hardworking,” said Cressman. “We were very fortunate to have this experience. I believe it begins to fulfill the vision of our school’s director, Ed Carter — to get our students out into the world in mentored-learning situations where they can do challenging but exceptional things.” BYU communications students shadowed and interviewed BYU Spanish students on the Camino de Santiago study abroad as well as others they met along the pilgrimage. “Everywhere I went on the Camino, people told me they had met one or more of our students,” said Cressman. “In every single instance, those people told me how impressed they were with them.” Read the full story at comms.byu.edu.

BYU School of Communications students, professors and alumni joined together for a catered lunch and a motivational lecture on Friday, Sept. 20 Public relations graduate Abe Gong was the guest speaker at the Fall 2019 Beckham Lecture, a semi-annual lecture given by a communications alumni or professor to students. He is currently the CEO of Superconductive Health and was chosen for his innovations in healthcare research. Gong focused on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that guide individuals’ lives — both professionally and personally. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that have happened in Gong’s life include his undergraduate education at BYU, his masters degree at the University of Michigan, various job opportunities and creating a family with his wife. Gong noted that people typically say “seize the opportunity” when encouraging others to take chances that could lead to positive growth, but he argued that the word “seize” has a sudden, forcible and grasping feeling that inhibits personal responsibility for opportunities. Instead, Gong believes that students should think of the phrase as “cultivate the opportunity.” As individuals seek to cultivate opportunities in their lives, they will create and shape life-changing trajectories and events. Read the full story at comms.byu.edu.

With a boost from BYU’s top-ranked advertising program, students are blasting off—creating iconic campaigns and landing at the world’s most-respected agencies.