MEDIA, Pa. – Penn State alumnus Will Copeland, class of 2020, is thriving in his job as a media planner.
Copeland began his Penn State journey at Brandywine in 2017, majoring in communications with a corporate communications option. He said he chose to attend Brandywine when he first came to visit campus during an open house.
“When I came to Brandywine for the first time for an open house, someone in admissions led a great presentation about all the benefits of Penn State and how large the alumni network is,” he said.
“Throughout the tour I took, I got a feel for how small Brandywine is and how it felt very close-knit. Everyone I talked to during my visit told me how you really get to know your professors and how small the class sizes were, which I really preferred over larger campuses in the area.”
Copeland was very involved during his time at Brandywine, as he wrote for Lion’s Eye, the campus’ student-run newspaper; was involved with the Marketing and Communications Club and Civic and Community Engagement Club; and was in the Cooper Honors program. When thinking about his favorite memory from his time at Brandywine, he recalled making and spending time with friends.
“My favorite memory was the friendships I made along the way. I have some lifelong friendships I made during my time at Brandywine,” he said.
“I met one of my best friends during our honors public speaking class my first year," he added. "We were prepping for a group speech, and I was messing around with one of her group members, distracting him during the prep time, and she got really mad at me. I thought I made an enemy, but we soon became best friends.”
Upon graduating from Brandywine, Copeland spent some time working in the communications industry before landing his current job as a media and engagement planner at CMI Media Group, a healthcare media agency. At his job, Copeland curates and implements media plans through various media channels to target healthcare professionals.
“It’s an extremely cool job. I love working at CMI Media Group,” he said. “What I enjoy most is taking a media plan from start to finish. The planning starts almost a year before it’s set to launch, and seeing everything come together and go live is really rewarding.”
When asked what advice he has for current Penn State students, Copeland said to enjoy every moment.
“College is super fun and rewarding, so make the most of it,” he said. “Ask a lot of questions, talk to your professors and go to their office hours. Learn about their life experiences and what they’ve done so far. Forming those relationships was super impactful and helped me find out where I wanted to go post-graduation.”