Communication Studies Students Rise to Top of Abu Dhabi PR Competition

Each spring, students in senior affiliated faculty member David Gerzof Richard’s International PR & Global Communication Management course take part in GlobCom, an international public relations challenge that unites students from more than 15 universities worldwide.

The goal: to collaborate on real-world PR campaigns that prepare the next generation of professionals for a rapidly evolving international marketplace through immersive cross-cultural teamwork and strategic communication.

This year’s competition, held May 23-25 in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, culminated in the GlobCom finals and symposium, with Jaclyn Kotora ‘27 and Ivan Andarza ’27 representing Emerson College.

The client for GlobCom 2025 was Panthara, a global nonprofit dedicated to protecting the world’s 40 species of wild cats. Of the nine international teams in the finals, Team 1, led by Kotora, emerged as the first-place winner. Her leadership of a 20-person cross-cultural team led to the development of a compelling campaign that stood out among stiff competition. Andarza contributed to one of the other finalist teams that presented in Abu Dhabi.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to participate in, and win, GlobCom 2025 as part of professor David Gerzof Richard’s course,” Kotora said. “The experience taught me to navigate cultural differences and work across diverse styles, ultimately helping us build a campaign enriched by global perspectives.”

The theme of GlobCom 2025, Game On: Interactive Campaigns for Biodiversity, aligned with the curriculum of Richard’s course, which focuses on the practical, strategic, and technical dimensions of international PR. His students examine topics such as global media relations, social media strategy, branding, crisis communication, policy, and cross-border media management, providing students with the tools to build and execute global campaigns across multiple platforms and contexts.

“I’m immensely proud of all our Emerson teams this year, and especially of Jaclyn and Ivan for representing the college on the world stage in Abu Dhabi,” Richard said. “Their work, leadership, and commitment to global collaboration exemplify the very best of what our program aims to cultivate.”

Andarza said at GlobCom, he learned how to work with people from different cultures, and to communicate effectively.

“We were all so curious about each other’s cultural differences and similarities, leading us to become very close as a team,” he said. “Our differences made our team stronger, as we all drew upon our lived experiences and outlook on the world, ultimately leading us to pass the semi-finals and then place second in the finals!”

Joining Emerson in Abu Dhabi were universities from Australia, Bulgaria, Chile, Germany, India, Italy, Lithuania, Malaysia, Portugal, South Africa,  Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the host nation, UAE.

Story contributed by David Gerzof Richard.