Hi! My name is Olivia Coutts. I’m a May 2025 graduate with BA in Strategic and Corporate Communication with a minor in Creative and Cultural Industries. When I first arrived at Chapman from West Vancouver, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I committed to Chapman the year after COVID, without ever being able to visit the campus in person. I jumped in headfirst, across borders, away from home, with no real plan. I just hoped that it would all work out.

Here is an image from the first week at Chapman.  These were my roommates and still my best friends!

Like any big transition, it wasn’t easy. I had to adjust to living in a new country, far from my family and everything familiar. I didn’t know many people, and I was still trying to figure out what it meant to be a college student versus a high school student. I knew I was passionate about people, storytelling, and creating meaningful work but I wasn’t entirely sure

Olivia in graduation robes

I can’t believe it has gone by so fast.

what that would look like or what I wanted to major in.

I didn’t come to Chapman knowing I’d be a School of Communication (SoC) major. It was actually recommended to me by a friend who had fallen in love with the program. The more I learned about it, the more it just clicked. What made it even more special were the people I met along the way. SoC gave me the chance to work on tons of group projects, and honestly, some of my closest friendships came from those shared experiences. The program also gave me opportunities to take on hands-on projects that made a real difference on campus. One of my favorites was helping rebrand the Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship, it was so cool to see our student-led work actually implemented. Projects like these made me realize that the work we do in class doesn’t just stay in the classroom, it creates real change.

Chapman, and the School of Communication specifically, helped me find the language to express who I am and what I care about. I’ve discovered that I’m not just passionate about marketing; I’m passionate about meaningful branding, emotional storytelling, and using communication as a tool for connection. The SoC program gave me the space to explore that, and for that, I’ll always be thankful.

Now, looking back at everything I’ve experienced through Chapman and the School of Communication, I feel incredibly grateful. This program didn’t just teach me how to communicate, it gave me the tools, the community, and the confidence to lead, create, and grow as an individual.

Senior Year Formal

If I could give any advice to future students, it would be this: say yes! Chapman is full of opportunities, and if I could go back and tell my younger self one thing, it would simply be: yes. Say yes to the internship, the group project, the club meeting, the random activity, the sport you’ve never tried. Say yes even when it feels uncomfortable. Even though you may not love every moment of it, those are the experiences that help you grow, challenge you, and shape your character in ways you wouldn’t even imagine.