The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication has named three Yarbrough-Grady Fellows for the spring 2018 semester: Kathryn Kostovetsky, Anna Alyssa McKoy and Jessica Twine. McKoy and Twine will be focusing on public relations in their fellowships, while Kostovetsky will focus on graphic design.
The Yarbrough-Grady Fellowship is an experiential work program where Grady College students work with the office of communications to produce materials for the college website, social media messages and public relations strategy for the semester. The Fellowship is funded through support from Grady College alumnus Dick Yarbrough (ABJ ’59).
McKoy is from Bogart, Georgia, and graduated from North Oconee High School in 2015. She is a third-year student who is earning a bachelor’s degree in public relations, minor in fashion merchandising and certificate in Public Affairs Communications.
This past summer, she stayed close to her hometown to serve as a public relations intern at See.Spark.Go, and is currently the director of member relations for the Drewry Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.
McKoy’s goal is to either work in fashion PR in New York City or in the corporate communications field in Washington, D.C. after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in May 2019.
Twine is from Marietta, Georgia, and graduated from Carlton J. Kell High School. She is a fourth-year public relations student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
This past summer, Twine worked as the public relations intern for CNN. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a communications career in the entertainment industry. She graduates in May 2018.
Twine is an active member of the student body and has previously served in organizations such as Student Government Association and the Black Affairs Council. She is currently a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America and serves as a student leader on an on-campus ministry, NavCompass, a minority ministry of the Navigators.
Kathryn Kostovetsky is a fourth-year student currently earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism. She is a 2014 graduate of First Presbyterian Day School. She considers herself to be savvy at social media, writing and computers.
Kostovetsky will focus primarily on graphic design in her fellowship. This entails using computer programs to create content for the college’s website and social media platforms, as well as other related tasks.
Through the Yarbrough-Grady Fellowship, students work in the Grady College Communication Office as a part of the external relations team to help develop communication and outreach programs and services.
“The Yarbrough-Grady fellowship looks for top talent among our students and creates a win-win program. The students receive solid work experience and networking for an employer that they know a lot about, and the college benefits from a student perspective and from working with students who exemplify the strong education we offer,” said Sarah Freeman, director of communications at Grady College.
Dick Yarbrough has funded Grady student success for several years through the Fellowship and the C. Richard Yarbrough Student Support Fund. He also funds the C. Richard Yarbrough Professor in Crisis Communication Leadership, a position currently held by Bryan Reber.
“I am honored to be able to fund fellowships at Grady College,” said Yarbrough. “I can never repay my alma mater for what it has meant to me. I am so impressed with the quality of the students there today and hope that perhaps the fellowship will give the recipients a learning opportunity they might not have been able to receive otherwise. The only thing I ask in return is that when they are able that they give back to the next generation that will succeed them.”
The Yarbrough-Grady Fellows are excited to gain career knowledge and sharpen their skills for their future careers.