Anna Kochigina, a PhD candidate in advertising and public relations is the subject of a student spotlight in the College of Communication and Information. Her research takes a public-centered approach to public relations, exploring how publics engage with organizations, other publics, messages, issues, risks, and crises. She is interested in what constitutes engagement, what motivates publics to engage, and how different forms of engagement affect publics, organizations, and development of issues. Using the framework of engagement, Anna wants to move beyond understanding how societies can be fully- functioning, but identify how communication can help them thrive. She is also interested in disengagement, advocacy, activism, corporate social responsibility, storytelling, global public relations, as well as risk and crisis communication.

Kochigina’s future aspirations are to work in academia, teach, build her land of research, learn more, and become a mentor for others.

“I want to give back to others what so many have given me. Being an empowering mentor and encouraging people to accomplish what they believe in is a dream goal of mine,”

Read more about Anna’s story at the College of Communication and Information.