DALLAS, Pa. — A group of students enrolled in the corporate communication program at Penn State Wilkes-Barre recently attended COMM Day, where they engaged in meaningful activities and exercises to showcase their work and develop skills for long-term career success.
COMM Day brings together students and faculty from Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Penn State Hazleton and Penn State Schuylkill — who are part of the Penn State Northeast Corporate Communication Consortium — for a day of research presentations, career pathway exploration, networking and more. The event is also a key opportunity for those enrolled in online courses to connect with their professors and peers while applying what they have learned in a real-world setting.
COMM Day began with a speech competition featuring students enrolled in "CAS100A: Effective Speech." Faculty introductions followed, providing insight into the opportunities within the corporate communication field.
Participants also engaged in interactive breakout sessions led by Pacelyn King and Brady Sholtis, two students enrolled in "CC 490W: Corporate Communication Seminar" at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. The sessions encouraged collaboration, peer connection and hands-on engagement with communication concepts. Activities were designed to deepen students’ understanding of the field while fostering a supportive and dynamic learning environment.
The core activity for COMM Day was a research poster competition during which students presented projects developed in their communication courses. Participants demonstrated their ability to conduct research, analyze data and effectively convey their findings to peers and faculty judges.
Three students from Penn State Wilkes-Barre earned awards and recognition for their work, including Sholtis and King. Sholtis received second place for his poster exploring the application of the human resources perspective on delegation and team building within a student organization; King was honored with the Student Choice Award for her analysis of the audience response to beauty content on TikTok; and Maya Davison earned third place for presenting her project on researching the mechanisms of portraying characters’ moral decline in a popular crime drama.
For third-year student Anna Brennan, seeing peers’ research poster presentations was a highlight.
“It is always interesting to see the research that was conducted by other students,” Brennan said. “I always enjoy listening to the explanation of their work.”
“I am incredibly proud of our students, not only for the quality of their research, but for the professionalism and confidence they demonstrated throughout the event,” said Natalya Vodopyanova, program coordinator and assistant teaching professor of corporate communication at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. “COMM Day offers a meaningful opportunity to present their work in a professional setting and engage with professors and peers across campuses. Experiences like this highlight our program’s commitment to preparing students with the practical skills and perspective needed for future success.”