Meet the First School of Communication Accelerated Master’s Program Graduate

As School of Communication graduate Pranjali Mann crossed the stage on Friday, June 14th, she did so leaving a legacy that includes being the first student in the Accelerated Master’s Program, recipient of multiple awards, Digital Democracies Institute Communications Manager and much more.

Being the first student in the Accelerated Master’s Program, Mann took on graduate course work while completing her undergraduate degree. “The Accelerated Master’s program is especially helpful if you enjoy research and have grad school on your radar,” she says.

“We have an amazing crew of professors at the department, so I owe it to them for their support, encouragement and guidance to pursue grad school.”

Her time at the Digital Democracies Institute helped shape her understanding of the tools needed for “research” and all the hard work that goes behind writing those papers. Of course, she also continues to serve as Communications Manager for DDI, working on events, internal and external communications.

Mann’s accolades include receiving the prestigious Alyssa Jordan Undergraduate Award, Omni Television Award in Communication (twice), FCAT undergraduate student research fellowship and President’s Roll of Honor, amongst others. She was also a part of SFU350, a student-led group dedicated to engaging the university in climate justice that received multiple awards for their advocacy. These awards showcase her academic excellence and commitment to serve the community.

Mann is grateful for the platform she got for her undergraduate research papers at SFU, like the FCAT Undergraduate Conference and the Undergraduate Research Symposium. These conferences gave her confidence to present papers internationally in Germany, Amsterdam, and London.

She will continue in academia by pursuing her master’s degree at SFU starting this summer. The research excellence she demonstrated during her undergraduate degree will undoubtedly contribute to this degree as well.

When asked what advice she would give to other School of Communication students, Mann says to try out diverse combinations of Communication and other areas of study to find what interests you the most. For her, this included courses such as math and statistics which helped fuel her interest in tech-data.

“You should seek out opportunities — there’s always something exciting happening at the university. Find what you like & what fits your work style — that’s where you also find your community!”