SDSU PR Students Advocate for Pride in Every Stride

A team of nine PR capstone students at San Diego State University gained hands-on experience launching a campaign for the Modern Military Association of America in the spring 2024 semester.

MMAA is the nation’s largest nonprofit that serves the LGBTQ+ military community and allies but faces limited brand recognition and community engagement.

Pre-campaign research indicated that future military leaders desired to learn more about LGBTQ+ resources and MMAA through social media. This led the SDSU PR team to step in and help boost the organization’s social media engagement and brand awareness to connect with Gen Z ROTC, student veterans and service members.

The team created 12 Instagram reels, two feature stories and two in-person allyship modules.

They earned media coverage at the New Mexico State University Round Up and The Transgender Show, a podcast uplifting LGBTQ+ voices.

“The team was eager to work for a nonprofit client supporting two underserved communities,” said capstone professor Dr. Kaye Sweetser. “I am proud of the team’s growth and perseverance as PR professionals, problem solvers and storytellers.”

The military community’s knowledge of MMAA grew by nearly 256% and Instagram engagement grew by 6.23% after the two in person allyship modules known as LGBTQ+You sessions.

“Leading a campaign from start to finish helped me grow not only as a PR practitioner but also as a leader,” said Saraí Solorzano, the team lead. “Seeing how our campaign boosted engagement and brand awareness for our nonprofit client assures me that I am pursuing the right industry.”