Detroit Mercy’s Marketing & Communications Department recently rolled out a new communications fellowship.
The charter fellows, Alizé Tripp and Jenny Raptoplous, were selected in late April and will focus their work on capturing and sharing stories of community engagement in Detroit and abroad. Tripp majored in Communication Studies and graduated this year. Raptoplous graduated in 2024 and is currently a freelance journalist.
“Community engagement animates this exciting new communications fellowship which focuses on making visible the less visible stories that truly reflect UDM’s mission,” said Jocelyn Boryczka, dean, College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences (CHASS).
“Jenny and Alizé graduated from the Communication Studies Department in the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences. As fellows, they will carry their outstanding academic learning out into the world to make an impactful difference.”
Raptoplous traveled to India with a UDM group in May during a service immersion trip and engages in community service work.
Gary J. Erwin, associate vice president of MarCom, expressed enthusiasm about this new pilot.
“The fellowship affords Jenny and Alizé an opportunity to work closely with Brian Rolling, founder of Let’s Roll, learning the finer points of human-interest storytelling,” he said. “It’s important to engage our students in telling this aspect of the UDM story and critical to the future of the evolving University brand.”
Erwin said that as part of their work, Tripp and Raptoplous will develop a story budget, conduct and shoot interviews throughout Detroit and elsewhere, and edit long and short pieces for social media, including TikTok and YouTube.
“The media fellowship is an exciting opportunity,” Raptoplous said. “I get to highlight what makes UDM special – the sincere care for one another; from students, to professors, faculty, staff and individuals within the broader Detroit Mercy community.”
Tripp, who played guard for UDM’s women’s basketball team, applied for the fellowship program because she wanted to gain more experience in the field of film and storytelling.
“I get to work closely with team members on assignments, while also having a little bit of creative freedom—which I think is super important in the marketing realm,” she said. “More importantly, I hope to increase my interpersonal skills with others and create great relationships.”
For more info about the comms fellowship, contact MarCom at marcom@udmercy.edu.