Most finals are fairly straightforward – likely comprised of some questions on the class material and maybe an essay or two. However, the final for Professor Jonathan Lupo’s Media Writing class will be much different. On May 10, five groups of four students each will pitch public service announcement (PSA) they have created to a real client: the New Hampshire Youth Firesetters Task Force.

The goal of the NH Firesetters Task Force is to educate the community on the issue of youth firesetting. This includes providing the state with the awareness of what a youth firesetter is, the expenses related to this behavior, and what resources are available to combat this problem.

Thus, Professor Lupo’s Media Writing class has set out to hit two birds with one stone: to inform people about the NH Firesetters Task Force and to give students at Saint Anselm a very unique opportunity.

As Professor Lupo states, “Working with a local client is an excellent opportunity to move from the academic world to the working world.” This is a jump that many people fresh out of college struggle to make, so bridging the gap between academia and employment is incredibly valuable, says Lupo.

Using a seven step method, students are expected to formulate a strategy based on a proposed budget and local resources. The finished project will include a short speech – which may contain storyboards, images, and music – and a script lasting 2-4 minutes. All these things will then be pitched to the NH Firesetters Task Force during the class’s final exam period.

“The aim,” Professor Lupo says, “Is to convince the Task Force that their concepts help achieve the communication goals of the organization.” Though the students will not be making the PSAs themselves, the Task Force intends to select one concept and produce it.

On how this project will benefit his students in their future careers, Professor Lupo says, “It’s one thing to teach and learn professionalism but it’s another to be able to apply those skills with clients.” His class is showing these students how to do just that, and the experience will certainly help them later on.