Helena Medeiros-Cansana
Majors: Public Relations; Nonprofit Administration and Legal Studies minors
Class: 2021
Experiential opportunities drew Helena to the public relations program at the UO, and she credits caring faculty members for helping her succeed. An active member of the Public Relations Student Society of America, Helena attended alumni networking panels—where she landed a two-year internship—and was on the UO’s Bateman Case Study team, a national PR competition. With her current emphasis on social media content and strategy, Helena envisions a career with a legal nonprofit.
Experiential Learning
Allen Hall Advertising and Allen Hall Public Relations Student-run agencies, real-world clients
Duck TV Student-run TV studio that produces weekly news, sports, and creative shows
Flux Annual student-run print magazine that focuses on the Pacific Northwest
Media and Social Action Academic Residential Community First-year student produce impactful stories about social issues in a variety of media
Media in Ghana Six-week internship practicing cross-cultural communication in Accra
OR Magazine The nation’s first student-produced tablet magazine
Science and Memory Students learn how to communicate about complex environmental issues at sites around the world
Troy Elias
Assistant Professor: Advertising
In the fight against climate change, widespread engagement is key. Troy’s work focuses on the level of support for climate action among people of color. His research shows this support runs deep, but non-minorities don’t always realize it. In fact, Troy believes that if more people understood that minority communities care about climate change, the movement would be even more powerful. Working in connection with the Center for Science Communication Research, Troy aims to help climate change organizations, brands, and journalists understand evidence-based ways to include and communicate with communities of color.