BUCKHANNON, West Virginia — Bringing a strong showing from the West Virignia Wesleyan College Department of Communication, students and faculty showcased their research at this week’s Eastern Communication Association’s 117th Convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Faith Yoho ‘26, of New Martinsville, West Virginia, took three presentations to the conference:  “From Tying Harry Potter’s Shoes To Feeding Him Cookies: Why Ginny Weasley’s Personality Erasure In The Harry Potter Series Is Bad For Feminism;”  “Actor or Activist?: Exploring The Trend Of Celebrities Using Their Social Media To Share Their Political Beliefs, and How It Sways Their Viewers” and ““She Doesn’t Even Go Here!”: Exploring Universities’ Decisions To Utilize AI In Their Marketing/Advertising Instead Of Their Respective Students.”

Elisha Taylor ‘ 27, of Grantsville, Maryland, presented two projects: “The Girl At The Rock Show”: Examining the Differences in Male and Female-Led Rock Bands” and  “Inherited Votes, Independent Voices: Political Socialization in Transition to College.”

Mason Halfin ‘27, of Moatsville, West Virginia,  presented  “Broadcasting is Really Too Important to Be Left to the Broadcasters”: How Do Sports Broadcasters Navigate Contemporary Media?”

Several students also presented their projects as posters during the conference: Rhea Yokum ‘28, of Ellamore, West Virginia, “Decoding Swift: A Media Analysis of the 1989 Transformation;” Taylor’s “When Stories Haunt Differently: Creepypastas Across Text, YouTube, and Podcasts; Yoho’s  “No One Mourns the Fascist!” Exploring Themes of Facism Within Wicked;” Kristina Lesho ‘26, of Weirton, West Virginia,  “Listening with the Body: Music as a Nonverbal Communication for Runners” and Areonna Zarco ‘28, of Buckhannon, West Virginia, “Managed Understanding: Narrative Delegitimization and the Mediation of Black Lives Matter” 

In addition, Dr. Nancy Bressler, chair of the Communication Department, has six presentations in the convention and Dr. Alexis de Coning has two presentations. 

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) is a private, four-year residential liberal arts and sciences college in Buckhannon, West Virginia. A tradition of excellence for 135 years, West Virginia Wesleyan is home to 14 Fulbright Scholars. The Princeton Review ranked Wesleyan as one of its 2026 Best Colleges in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States. U.S. News & World Report’s 2026  Best College Rankings designated Wesleyan second in Best Value – Regional Universities (South). WVWC offers students nearly 60 majors and 40 minors; graduate programs in athletic training, business administration, creative writing, nursing and counseling; 22 NCAA Division II athletic programs; multiple performing arts groups; and more than 50 organizations. Founded in 1890, the College is closely affiliated with the United Methodist Church and abides by the Wesley doctrine that emphasizes service to others. For more information, visit wvwc.edu.