For a group of fourth-year Media & Communication Studies (MCS) students, their final capstone project wasn’t just a culmination of all they learned throughout their four years at the University of Guelph-Humber (U of GH); it was a chance to help some furry friends and seniors in need.
This project was presented at the 2025 EMERGE Conference, held March 25 and April 1, an annual showcase of final-year MCS students’ major capstone projects. Created over two semesters, EMERGE projects challenge students to reach further than they thought they could grasp, and include strategic communications and marketing plans, turnkey content packages, detailed marketing analyses, and undergraduate theses. Most students also got to work with an external client (and are encouraged to select a non-profit) to develop a campaign for the organization, giving them real-world job experience before graduation.
“What I hope students got out of EMERGE, apart from the experience, is an immense sense of accomplishment that they’ll now carry throughout their careers,” MCS Chair Kathy Ullyott said. This sentiment rang true for MCS student Kristina Ohan, who was part of the group presenting at EMERGE this year aiming to give back to animals and the elderly. “Knowing that we were able to complete our campaign gives me the confidence to go forward with whatever comes next,” she said.
On a mission to support feline friends
That group, known as the Purrmotion Partners, comprised four MCS students – and friends – in the Digital Marketing and Social Media specialization: Ohan, Stephanie Short, Louise Tacuyan, and Hazel Jackson. They developed a campaign for All Paws Rescue, a non-profit organization that rescues cats and helps them find foster parents or a forever home.
According to the Purrmotion Partners, their capstone project gave them an opportunity to not only get hands-on experience in applying what they’ve learned, but also to make a positive impact.
When they started their project in September 2024, the group knew they wanted to work with an animal shelter or organization because of their mutual passion for animal welfare and their shared belief that “every animal deserves a chance.”
Since this organization doesn’t euthanize cats who don’t get adopted and provides volunteers with supplies to care for the cats (which often isn’t the case with shelters), working with All Paws Rescue appealed to the Purrmotion Partners. And with that, the students’ and All Paws Rescue’s connection formed.
Experiential learning while helping others
To successfully create an impactful campaign to help All Paws Rescue bolster its online presence and ultimately rehome more cats, the group had to communicate with their client to understand the organization’s pain points, just like professionals would.
“One issue that they were struggling with was hosting an event with a budget. The lack of being able to do that really struck home with us. We really wanted to execute something that they could actually take and use,” Jackson said.
To encourage cat fosters and adoptions, the Purrmotion Partners wanted to plan an event that also tied into their strong interest in mental health advocacy. The group originally wanted to target youth struggling with mental health, but research and discussions with their client prompted them to shift their target demographic to another group battling a loneliness epidemic – seniors.
“[Some] seniors are lonely… With events targeted towards seniors and people within seniors’ homes, they're more likely to adopt, they're more likely to foster. They want that companionship of a friendly little animal that they could take care of,” Tacuyan explained.
Ultimately, the Purrmotion Partners Achieved their goal: presenting this organization with tools they can use moving ahead. Prior to their EMERGE campaign, All Paws Rescue didn’t have a designated social media manager, nor did it post often, the students said. Now, they’ve been pleased to see the organization using some of their content and ideas in its marketing strategy.
“It was really nice just seeing their faces light up when we [presented them the work at the EMERGE Conference] ... ‘Here's the brand style guide. Here are some things that we're going to give to you.’ The most rewarding thing is seeing them really admire our work and use it. It really shows the viability of what we do here [at U of GH],” Tacuyan said.
Their instructor, James MacDonald, was proud of the work all his students, including the Purrmotional Partners, produced. “My students started from scratch and had to learn about their client's organization and industry from the ground up. Seven months later, not only have they gained a huge amount of knowledge about the organization, but they were also able to provide them with practical and creative ideas that are ready to be put into action. It is incredibly satisfying to watch that journey unfold,” he said.
A clawsome conclusion to the U of GH experience
But the process, while rewarding, wasn’t always easy. The group found the initial challenge overwhelming and even a bit daunting. Once they got started, though, they learned that organization, communication, and leveraging everyone’s varying strengths, from copywriting to graphic design, contributed to making the campaign a success.
For future students tackling the EMERGE capstone, Ohan suggested not letting the nerves take over; take it one step at a time. Jackson said open communication with the instructor, and the client is also essential. Furthermore, Tacuyan noted that the project deserves maximum attention since it will be part of students’ professional portfolios. And Short recommended sticking to the suggested working schedule provided by your instructor to remain organized and reduce stress, while focusing on your own group’s work – don’t let external factors psych you out.
“You shouldn’t compare yourself to others because I’ve realized that we’re in a creative field, so creativity looks different for everyone,” Short said.
Completing this project felt like the grand finale to their university experience, they said, which they never got during high school because of the pandemic lockdowns.
“It clicked that university has come to an end and we are ready to move on to the next steps of our lives,” Jackson said. “Getting to do this project with my friends and seeing how they grew throughout this project and throughout school, and even watching them be able to apply the things that they learned, was also very rewarding to me. I love being able to see my girls just thrive and grow.”
Their EMERGE experience was truly the cat’s meow.
To see more projects from EMERGE 2025, we invite you to click here.