The Department of Communication is committed to helping students see the many professional directions their communication skills can take them. Reflecting this mission, the Department partnered with Vitalant throughout the fall semester to plan and host an on-campus blood drive.
Vitalant is one of the nation’s largest blood and biotherapy healthcare organizations, providing hospitals across the United States with safe and reliable blood supplies. The organization coordinates roughly 60,000 blood drives each year to support its 115 donation centers.
A crucial part of this work is effective communication—especially on a college campus. For Pitt’s drive, that meant developing messaging that resonated with students and highlighted the life-saving importance of maintaining steady blood supplies in local hospitals. A group of communication students took the lead in coordinating this messaging and on-campus advertising, putting classroom learning into practice.
The drive, held on Friday, Nov. 14, collected 15 units of blood and welcomed 9 first-time donors—an important contribution to addressing local blood supply needs.
Maya Santana, Communications Manager at Vitalant and COMMRC alum, served as the primary liaison between Vitalant and the Department during the planning and promotion process. A spring 2023 graduate, Santana values opportunities to remain connected with the Department, making the collaboration especially meaningful.
“It means a lot to stay connected to the Department of Communication in a real, hands-on way,” Santana said. “Working on this blood drive with Pitt Communication students lets us support a community need while giving them practical experience they can carry into their careers.”
Santana credits the work of Vitalant’s two Pitt communication student interns, Phoenix Fanter and Sofia Pugliese, for helping the drive make a strong impact on campus. Pugliese, a sophomore media and professional communications student, and Fanter, a senior communication rhetoric student, used their experiences as Pitt students to shape messaging that felt relevant and accessible to their peers.
“Phoenix and Sofia were key in turning this from a standard blood drive into something that reflected the campus community,” Santana said. “They led on social media outreach, gathered student-focused content, and made sure our messaging looked and sounded like Pitt. That student-led approach helped build trust, visibility, and ultimately stronger participation.”
For Pugliese, interning with Vitalant has offered a firsthand look at how communication work can contribute to meaningful community outcomes.
“My experience this past semester with Vitalant has been extremely rewarding both personally and professionally. Working alongside Phoenix and Maya to spread awareness on the importance of blood donation was truly meaningful for me,” Pugliese said. “Every Instagram post, flyer, and campus tabling effort contributed to something bigger than just the internship objective guidelines, it helped support a mission centered on saving lives.”
Fanter shared similar reflections on the value of applying her communication skills to a cause with such tangible impact.
“Interning with Vitalant has been an incredibly meaningful experience,” Fanter said. “Organizing our final fall semester campus blood drive was extremely rewarding, knowing that every donation has the power to save lives makes all the effort feel truly worthwhile”
The partnership between Vitalant and the Department of Communication provided students with the invaluable opportunity to apply the skills they learn in the classroom to a real world working environment while supporting an urgent community need. Students who are interested in supporting Vitalant’s future on campus blood drive efforts are encouraged to pursue the Vitalant student intern program.