Jennifer Conrad is the Founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of Arizona Ascent, a media platform more than a magazine—uniting business, real estate, and community across Arizona. She builds brands and content that people remember, turning storytelling into strategy—and strategy into measurable impact.
Under her leadership, Arizona Ascent spotlights the leaders shaping Arizona’s future, positioning their work within the state’s broader momentum. Its stories don’t just inform—they elevate credibility, expand visibility, and connect leaders to the ecosystem that makes growth possible.
By Sylvie Stephens, Business Editor
This semester in my Applied Advertising class at the University of Arizona, our focus has gone far beyond lectures and case studies. Instead of working on a hypothetical brand, my classmates and I are collaborating with Base Camp for Veterans (BCI), a Tucson-based nonprofit that uses equine-assisted programs to help veterans heal, grow, and reintegrate into civilian life.
BCI’s model includes a week-long program at White Stallion Ranch where veterans work with trained horses, followed by monthly clinics, peer mentoring, and ongoing community support. For many participants, these experiences become transformative steps toward rebuilding trust, confidence, and connection
To mirror the structure of a real advertising agency, our class is divided into four departments: marketing, creative, public relations, and operations. Each group plays a unique role in building a full campaign, applying skills in research, message development, media strategy, and event planning to a live client project.
As a member of the Public Relations team, I’ve focused on how to share BCI’s story with the public. Our work goes beyond traditional press releases, it’s about communicating the impact of BCI’s programs in a way that resonates with veterans, their families, and the wider Tucson community. Crafting these narratives has been both challenging and rewarding, as it requires balancing the seriousness of reintegration struggles with the hope and healing BCI provides.
So far, our class has developed campaign branding, designed flyer and website mockups, and conducted audience research to better understand the Tucson community. As the semester progresses, we plan to launch media campaigns, track engagement, and potentially host a campus or community event to further highlight BCI’s mission.
My classmates have shared how impactful this opportunity has been for them as well. “Our partnership with BCI gives us all a chance to connect with the Tucson community and create meaningful impact,” said Audrey Pitzer. Operations Director Teagan Schreiber added, “The opportunity to lead operations for this campaign has been incredibly valuable, and I look forward to creating an unforgettable event for such an important cause.”
From the creative side, Paige Stockford highlighted the breadth of experience this partnership provides: “Applied Advertising offers a full range of hands-on experience to help prepare students for the real world. Our current partnership with BCI has allowed students to show off their creative abilities through websites, posters, mockups, research and more. In addition, it is rewarding to give back to the Tucson community.”
For BCI, this partnership offers fresh creative perspectives and community exposure. For us as students, it provides not only hands-on experience, but also the opportunity to use advertising skills in service of a greater mission.
By semester’s end, the goal is that our campaign will leave a lasting imprint on both BCI and the Tucson community, while reminding us all that advertising can do more than sell products. It can help tell stories that change lives.
