A Creative Type

Copley holds her American Advertising Federation Bronze "ADDY" which she won for a PR project. 

Photo: Allison Copley

After graduating from Victor Valley College with an associate degree in 2021, Allison Copley chose to continue her education at California Lutheran University. However, she had some concerns with her status as a transfer student.

“I transferred here during my junior year, and I was scared that it was too late to create close relationships with really anyone on campus,” said Copley, who will earn her bachelor’s degree in marketing this month. Fortunately, Copley found camaraderie through a public relations class with Jean Kelso Sandlin, EdD, and “finally felt at home.”

 “She is so encouraging, warm and approachable,” Copley said of her professor, who also chairs the communication department. “You can really tell that she genuinely enjoys teaching, which as a student makes me want to excel and enjoy the subjects just as much as she does.”

Building her brand

Copley initially wanted to study other subjects after her acceptance to Cal Lutheran. “I was admitted to CLU as a film and TV major, changed to business administration and then communication before I even started school,” she said. A job she had as an office manager for a vacation rental company influenced her to switch her major as she was performing many marketing-related duties, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

“I love coming up with different fun ways to get people involved with things. I personally love aesthetically pleasing promotional material, and I adore creating it even more.”

Copley, who is the first in her family to attend college, has harnessed her creativity through participating in several campus groups: Her Campus, the National Communication Association’s official honor society Lambda Pi Eta and the Public Relations Student Society of America. She writes bi-weekly for the Her Campus website, performs marketing and promotional work and assists with on-campus events.

“One thing I did recently was creating friendship bracelets with individual slogans and designs for the International Women’s Day event presented by Her Campus,” said Copley. “Offering people something tangible lured people in to want to hear what our table had to say and got them excited to learn more.” 

Her zeal for all things marketing prompted Sandlin to suggest that Copley enter the 2024 American Advertising Federation (AAF) Awards Coastal California competition. 

Copley received notice the AAF honored her with a Bronze “ADDY” in February of this year for her work on a public relations campaign for the National Organization for Women to encourage more college-aged men to get involved with women’s events on their school campuses. Although Copley is passionate about her discipline, she did not plan to submit her work as she felt unqualified to do so.

“I have really bad imposter syndrome, and I think part of the reason why I haven’t won any other awards is because I have not put myself out there in that way before. But this experience has given me the confidence to show off the work I am proud of and to not be afraid of putting myself and my work out into the world.”

#WorkGoals

Copley’s ADDY – and her working two jobs as a College of Arts and Sciences department assistant and a concierge at Oakmont Senior Living, while maintaining a 3.8 GPA – serve as testaments to her perseverance and talent, and she expresses pride in all she has accomplished both on and off campus.  

In the two-plus years she has attended Cal Lutheran, Copley has built connections with faculty, staff and peers. Of this, she said, “Getting involved on campus is something that was really important to me when I first started going to CLU, and I have made so many friends and had so many doors open because of my involvement.” 

That involvement has led to two internships, the one with the College and another with JONESWORKS, a public relations firm with an office in Los Angeles. Copley refers to her work with the College as “a great creative outlet” that energizes her.

“My internship with COAS came out very quickly and without much warning,” she said. “One day I was asked if I would be interested in helping with social media for the College, and in just a few short months, I have become the sole social media creator and manager.”

In this role, Copley has bonded with her supervisor Krista Sweet. “ Anyone who knows Krista knows how wonderful and genuine she is. Although we spend a lot of our shifts giggling and having fun, we also get a lot of work done together, and we make a great team. That will be the thing I miss the most about working with the College after I graduate,” she said.

At JONESWORKS, Copley works with a Cal Lutheran alumna Serena Zuniga, whom she acknowledges for giving her opportunities to expand her skill set. 

“JONESWORKS has been just as rewarding and fun for me. In that internship, I work with high-profile clients (I wish I could say who!) tracking their press coverage, presenting appearance opportunities for them and doing a lot of industry research.” 

Copley’s responsibilities with the agency have prompted her to switch her career choice from working on film and television sets doing production to music marketing. “My path has changed over the last year, so my current plan is to work in account coordination and communications management,” she said, citing her affinity with live music and fan culture.

Endless opportunities inherent in the music industry will keep Copley in the region, yet she will return to her hometown of Big Bear Lake to visit her family and beloved dogs, Phoebe, an 11-year-old Maltipoo, and CoCo, a 10-year-old Wired-Hair Chihuahua. “I want to remain in SoCal for the rest of the foreseeable future, she said, “but if there is anything I have learned in my life it is that change is the most constant thing.”