UMSL graduate student Elliott Brandon (seated, at laptop), president of the Entrepreneurship Club and graduate assistant at the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, discusses plans for the EIC during a recent weekly meeting with employees from The Barnett Agency (from left): senior Jaela Franklin, senior Belma Mujakic, freshman Kebeb Zimmerman, senior Elaney Reed and senior Trinity Atkins. The EIC is one of two clients for the student-run public relations agency. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)
When University of Missouri–St. Louis student Elaney Reed first joined The Barnett Agency in the fall semester of 2025, graduation was not something she looked forward to. Reed wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her bachelor’s degree in communication, and the prospect of leaving college and entering the workforce left her with plenty of uncertainty.
But after more than a year of working for UMSL’s student-run public relations firm, Reed is ready to accept her diploma this December with a different outlook.
“I’m more excited to graduate and apply my skills versus being scared,” said Reed, who will also earn a certificate in public relations. “Graduation was a scary thing. The fact that I wouldn’t be in school anymore was scary, but The Barnett Agency has really helped me to prepare and feel good about myself. I feel confident in my skills, and I feel like I’m ready to find a job that fits what I like to do.”
That growing confidence is what Jill Alexander had in mind when she launched The Barnett Agency in 2019. Named in honor of late UMSL Chancellor Marguerite Ross Barnett, the PR agency gives UMSL students an opportunity to put their classroom knowledge into practice, working with real clients on projects that help them develop professional skills before graduation.
After a 30-year career in public relations and corporate communication, Alexander joined the UMSL faculty as a teaching professor and PR certificate coordinator in 2017, and she immediately saw the need for such an entity. Many UMSL students were balancing their studies with full-time jobs or commuting to campus, making traditional internships difficult to pursue. At the same time, students voiced concerns over the challenges in finding opportunities to gain professional experience.
Alexander viewed the student-run firm as a way to address both issues.
“I look at all of this as workforce development,” said Alexander, who oversees and approves all of the agency’s work. “To me, I feel like that’s what The Barnett Agency is. For students in this space, this really is a way to give them an ability to develop beyond just the entry-level employee.”
Unlike a class project, The Barnett Agency operates as a paid employment opportunity, with internship credits available to those who need them. Students apply through UMSL Career Services’ Handshake platform and go through an interview process with Alexander, who also assesses potential candidates based on their coursework and individual skills.
Reed, now in her third semester with the agency, has been joined on the staff by Trinity Atkins, Kebeb Zimmerman, Belma Mujakic and Jaela Franklin. They typically work 10 to 15 hours per week, collaborating with clients and one another under Alexander’s guidance. While Alexander would eventually like The Barnett Agency to take on clients from the community, it has dealt strictly with on-campus departments and currently has two clients – the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center and the Center for Psychological Growth – that receive the PR benefits without having to pay a fee.
Elliott Brandon (left), president of the Entrepreneurship Club, works with (from left) Kebeb Zimmerman, Elaney Reed and Trinity Atkins from The Barnett Agency on a video to promote the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center.
“There are logistics and other things that go along with taking on a community client that we one day would like to get to,” Alexander said. “But so far we’ve been able to find enough business on campus to keep us busy.”
The agency’s work encompasses much more than creating social media posts. Students develop content strategies, write captions, design graphics, produce videos and build libraries of digital assets. They also participate in client meetings, discuss communication goals and learn to navigate the approval process that comes with representing an organization.
According to UMSL alum Vince Costa, the Barnett Agency replicates the day-to-day work of a public relations firm, giving students valuable professional experience. A May 2024 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communication and media and a certificate in public relations, Costa spent three semesters with the agency, an opportunity he credits with helping launch his career.
“Getting experience in PR before you graduate is so important,” said Costa, now a corporate marketing and communication specialist at Flat Branch Home Loans. “Without that experience from The Barnett Agency, I don’t think I would have been able to be as successful as I’ve been. It was the ideal opportunity for a college student.”
Costa said his time with the agency also helped him land additional internships, something he had struggled to do before. That initial entry into the industry allowed him to build a broader portfolio of work and develop the skills that ultimately led to a position in the corporate world.
“It’s hard to get your foot in the door without any experience at all,” he said. “Even internships now, they’re so competitive, and companies are looking for someone that, even though you’re an intern, even though you’re still learning, they want you to be familiar with these tools and familiar with the current market landscape, and I think The Barnett Agency is the perfect way to do that.”
Part of that perfection lies in the fact that Alexander does not expect perfection. Instead, she wants students to gain the confidence to make decisions, solve problems and learn from the results in a supportive environment.
“This is college, and this is your safe place to make mistakes as you learn,” she said. “Whereas if you make mistakes in the workplace, you can end up getting fired. So, that’s the gap that I’m trying to fill.”
Brittany Gurkan said The Barnett Agency’s work has been invaluable in the EIC’s efforts to showcase its work and increase student involvement. The center’s community engagement and operations coordinator, Gurkan said she has seen a significant uptick in attendance at Entrepreneurship Club events, and she credited the agency for helping EIC connect with a broader student audience.
“What I appreciate most is the excitement, creativity and fresh perspectives they bring to every project,” Gurkan said. “They don’t just take an idea and execute it; they think about how to make it better, more engaging and more meaningful to the audience we’re trying to reach. Their enthusiasm for celebrating the accomplishments of our students, entrepreneurs and the EIC as a whole has made this partnership especially rewarding.”
Gurkan said she was especially appreciative of the impact that The Barnett Agency has made on the Entrepreneurship Club officers, who are able to see their ideas come to life and recognize that their work is making a difference.
“I truly believe Jill has created one of the most impactful experiential learning opportunities for students through The Barnett Agency,” Gurkan said. “What makes this experience so special is that students aren’t just learning about marketing, communications and client relationships in a classroom. They’re actually doing the work.”
For Reed, that preparation has made the prospect of life after college feel less daunting. After more than a year of gaining experience, building her skills and working with clients, she’s looking forward to putting what she’s learned to use.
“I’m more excited to go on to the real world, to say the least,” she said.
