UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A team of Penn State students from the CommAgency social media team scored a merit recognition in the 11th annual Education Digital Marketing Awards.

CommAgency, housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, is a student-run creative agency that creates high-quality, cost-effective media for Penn State clients, local nonprofits and startup companies. A full-time faculty director and department managers oversee the agency, giving students experience working with professional equipment and real-life clients.

The awards lauded the students’ work with the Matson Museum of Anthropology at Penn State in the Instagram category. Current students Charani Gauravaram and Jadyn Stuart, along with spring 2023 graduates Alyssa Romeo and Zirui “Rinna” Wang, contributed to the project.  

Since fall 2022, the students helped launch an Instagram account (@matsonmuseum) that spotlights items in the collection and documents activities at the museum. The team emphasizes high-quality photography and consistent branding in telling the museum’s story. 

“Well deserved, as I’ve received a lot of positive feedback on the Instagram account,” said James Doyle, the museum’s director, about the award. “I’m glad this award recognizes the hard work of all the CommAgency students.” 

The Education Digital Marketing Awards recognize “outstanding achievements in digital marketing within the education sector.” Colleges, universities and secondary schools nationwide submitted entries to be reviewed by judges consisting of education marketers, advertising creative directors, and marketing and advertising professionals. Winners were announced Nov. 1.