Hi, I'm Kayla Canfield!

Context Developed a full public relations campaign for a fictional client as the semester-long project for an introductory PR course. The campaign addressed enrollment growth for a small early childhood education center and required professional agency-level deliverables across multiple phases.

Action Produced four professional deliverables under the NXT LVL Communications agency brand: a formal client strategy memo, a 12-page full PR plan with SMART objectives and a 14-month Gantt chart, a print-ready event flyer, and a two-sided referral card for an incentive program.

Result Delivered a complete, agency-quality PR campaign package demonstrating strategic planning, audience analysis, budget management ($54,395 total), and multi-format communication design.

Context Developed a marketing plan presentation for Renfrew Museum and Park as part of a communications course project. The goal was to identify the organization's positioning challenges and propose actionable marketing strategies.

Action Researched the organization's audience, competitive landscape, and current communications. Developed a structured marketing plan with strategic recommendations and presented findings in a professional slide deck.

Result Delivered a complete marketing plan presentation demonstrating research, strategic thinking, and professional communication skills.

Context Produced as part of the "Together for Tomorrow" campaign, this tactic report provided a detailed analysis and rationale for two specific PR tactics: direct mail and print advertising.

Action Researched best practices for each tactic, wrote detailed implementation recommendations, and connected each tactic to the campaign's audience analysis and objectives.

Result Delivered a professional tactic report demonstrating the ability to research, evaluate, and recommend specific PR tools within a larger campaign strategy.

Context As Membership and Public Relations Officer of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society chapter at Mount St. Mary's University, I identified a need to increase chapter visibility, boost membership recruitment, and promote the organization's value to students and faculty.

Action Developed a full marketing campaign strategy, project tracker, and campaign planner. Designed visual assets and wrote all campaign copy. Managed the campaign timeline and budget tracking using custom spreadsheet tools.

Result Produced a complete campaign package including a strategy document, case study, project tracker, and marketing planner that demonstrates end-to-end campaign management skills.

Context The Sigma Tau Delta chapter needed a social media announcement to promote the upcoming honors dinner and drive attendance among members, faculty, and the broader campus community.

Action Created a short animated video for Instagram to serve as the save-the-date announcement. Wrote the accompanying caption and hashtag set to maximize reach and engagement on the platform.

Result Delivered a polished social media asset with a complete Instagram caption and hashtag strategy, ready to post and promote the event.

Context The MSMU Communications Department needed a print brochure to support advising week, student recruitment, and campus events. No current print collateral existed for the department.

Action Planned, wrote, and designed a tri-fold print brochure from start to finish. Developed audience-centered copy highlighting program value, course pathways, and career connections. Designed the layout for print production.

Result Delivered a complete, print-ready tri-fold brochure demonstrating end-to-end marketing materials development for a higher education audience.

Context The Political Science Department needed a student-facing document for recruitment and academic advising that clearly communicated program value, course pathways, and career connections.

Action Created a one-page program fact sheet that organized key information into a clear visual format. Wrote all copy for prospective and current students and designed the layout for easy scanning.

Result Delivered a clean, audience-centered fact sheet that supports both recruitment and advising conversations.

Context Academic departments needed a clear, visually organized handout to communicate spring course offerings to students during advising week.

Action Designed a course offerings handout that presented scheduling information in a scannable, student-friendly format. Wrote and organized all content for clarity and ease of use.

Result Delivered a clean, functional advising handout that reduced confusion and supported student registration decisions.

Context The History Department needed a formal invitation for its annual senior reception, an event recognizing graduating seniors and their academic achievements.

Action Designed a print invitation that balanced formal academic tone with warm, celebratory design. Wrote all copy and produced the final print-ready file.

Result Delivered a professional event invitation that reflected the department's academic identity and created a positive impression for graduating students and their guests.

The Equitable Inclusion Society at Mount St. Mary's University needed a recruitment flyer to attract new members and communicate the club's purpose, meeting schedule, and location to the campus community.

Designed a bold, illustrated flyer using Canva. Selected a warm cream background with playful doodle-style graphics to appeal to students. Wrote concise copy covering the club's mission, meeting day and time, and room location. Formatted for both print and digital distribution.

The flyer was shared on Instagram and posted across campus. It helped increase awareness of the club and supported membership growth by clearly communicating what the club does and how to get involved.

The Equitable Inclusion Society needed a flyer to promote a Color Therapy event for students looking for a midweek reset. The event was held in Borders Hall, Room 110 on Wednesday, September 24th at 4:00 p.m.

Designed a high-energy, colorful flyer using paint splatter graphics to reflect the event theme. Used bold typography for key details and a clear content hierarchy. Distributed as a print flyer, email newsletter attachment, and Instagram post.

The flyer effectively communicated the event's welcoming, creative tone and reached students through multiple channels, supporting attendance and club visibility on campus.

The Equitable Inclusion Society needed a visual schedule to communicate the full lineup of Fall 2025 events to members and the broader campus community, including themed nights running from October through December.

Designed a clean, scannable events schedule listing all upcoming themed meetings: K-pop Demon Hunter Night, Lego Dorm Design Night, Clay Messages in Braille Night, Disability Book Night, Music Therapy Night, Barbie Night, and Minecraft Lego Night. Included meeting logistics (every other Wednesday, 4 p.m., Borders 110). Formatted for print and digital sharing.

The schedule gave members a clear, at-a-glance view of the semester's events, supporting attendance planning and keeping the club's programming visible throughout the fall.

Faculty and students needed a clear, posted reference for when the Echo Room was in use and when it was available. Without a visible schedule, the room was frequently interrupted or left unused due to uncertainty about availability.

Designed a door-posted schedule using a bold, graphic layout with color-coded time blocks for each recurring event: ESPN Meetings, Echo Editors' Meeting, Dr. Scott's ENGL 498-A class, Office of Advising sessions, and English Department meetings. Included a QR code linking to the live calendar and contact information for questions. Formatted for physical print posting.

The posted schedule reduced interruptions and gave faculty and students a reliable, at-a-glance reference for room availability throughout the semester.

When a faculty member was out sick, students arriving at the classroom needed a clear, immediate notice so they would not wait outside an empty room. A quick, readable door notice was needed that communicated the cancellation, the affected class sections, and where to find further updates.

Designed a bold, high-contrast door notice for August 27, 2025. Listed the affected class sections (WCIV-201 CH and WCIV-201 DH), the reason for cancellation, and directed students to check email and Canvas for updates. Kept the message brief and the hierarchy clear so it could be read at a glance.

Students received a clear, immediate notice at the classroom door, reducing confusion and directing them to the right channels for follow-up information.

A faculty member recovering from a hand injury needed to communicate a delayed class start to students arriving at the classroom for ENGL 498 A and B (English Senior Seminar).

Designed a bold, graphic door notice using a high-contrast lime green background with torn-paper typography elements. Stated the delayed start time (10:00 a.m.), the course name and sections, and a brief note acknowledging the faculty member's situation. Kept the message respectful and easy to read at a glance.

Students arriving at the classroom immediately understood the updated start time and the reason for the delay, reducing confusion and unnecessary waiting.

Faculty, students, and staff using Microsoft OneNote often underuse the tool because they are unaware of its more practical features. A quick-reference guide was needed to surface the most useful tips in a scannable, accessible format.

Researched and curated the most practical OneNote features for academic and organizational use. Wrote concise, jargon-free tip descriptions covering: embedding Word/Excel online, setting page size to A4, annotating PDFs, mass deleting pages, snipping and clipping content, and using the OneNote Web Clipper. Designed the layout as a visual card-based reference sheet for easy scanning.

Produced a clean, audience-centered quick-reference guide that helps users get more out of OneNote without needing to search through documentation or tutorials.

Context Wrote and designed a reflective workbook to support individuals navigating grief in the first year after loss. The project combined personal experience with research on grief support and reflective writing practices.

Action Wrote all original content, developed the workbook structure, and designed the layout for readability and emotional accessibility. Organized prompts and exercises to guide readers through different stages of the grief process.

Result Produced a complete, audience-centered workbook that demonstrates long-form writing, content organization, and empathy-driven design.

Context Served as Managing Editor for the student newspaper at Hood College, supporting both the print edition and the website during a period of editorial transition.

Action Helped the Editor-in-Chief manage deadlines, review articles, plan coverage, and guide student writers and editors. Wrote, edited, researched, and fact-checked stories, interviewed campus sources, and helped prepare print layouts in Adobe InDesign. Attended weekly staff and editorial meetings, pitched story ideas, followed campus and local news, and supported advertising outreach with local businesses and nonprofits.

Result Contributed to a student publication that served the Hood College campus community, developing editorial leadership, writing, and production skills in a real newsroom environment.

Context Needed a fast, browser-based tool to split multi-page PDFs into individual pages for document management and distribution workflows in the office.

Action Built a lightweight web application that allows users to upload a PDF, select pages, and download individual pages as separate files. No server required; runs entirely in the browser.

Result Created a practical tool that solved a real workflow problem and demonstrates the ability to apply programming skills to everyday professional challenges.