PhD Student | Comms Consultant
Lubbock, Texas
Sydney Olivia Scheller
Bio
Hey! My name is Sydney. I am a 26-year-old Ph.D. student and strategic communication consultant. I am deeply passionate about education, effective social media research, and living in the intersection between ministry, business, and communication. Above all, I care about crafting compelling narratives—whether it is communicating a brand's identity; teaching a class of undergraduate students; developing religious communication research; creating and executing exciting and life-changing events; crafting a blog post; or simply making a TikTok. I believe our world is built on stories, and telling these stories creatively and accurately is integral to both my professional and personal life. ​
Education
After attending a classical school for nine years, I chose to continue pursuing my education at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations on May 9, 2020. Graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided the most productive use of my time would be to pursue my master's degree. Asbury's Master of Arts in Communication was a perfect fit for me vocationally and personally. After taking some time off to focus on advancing my career, I graduated in August 2024.
My master's thesis work focused on conceptualizing Gen Z as digital hippies. During this project, I sought to define what role social media, particularly tumblr, has played in the proliferation and dissemination of alt-left values into American youth culture.
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Currently, I am a Ph.D. student at Texas Tech University where I teach popular culture and communication and assist on a variety of research projects within the University. I plan to continue my social media and culture research, with a concentration in religious communication. I have a particular interest in the ethics of marketing faith in many arenas, including religious institutions, religious tourism, and digital evangelism.
Internships, assistantships, and
intercollegiate programs.
Previously, I managed both the undergraduate and graduate communication department social media accounts for Asbury University, as well as served as the event coordinator for the communication department my senior year. As a graduate research assistant for Dr. Elizabeth Jones, I assisted in projects surrounding communication and aging.
Professionally, I spent time as a Campaign Manager with Long Haul Management, a talent agency which boasts the largest roster of basketball influencers in the world, working with amazing clients such as Jordan Lawley and Grayson "The Professor" Boucher. Most recently, I worked as an SDR at Pylons Cloud Innovations.
During my collegiate career, I participated in multiple marketing and public relations internships with local businesses, ministries, and the Lexington hospitality department, VisitLex. While functioning in these roles, I participated in student government, serving as both the chair of concert committee and president of Asbury's chapter of the Public Relations Student Society, both for three of my four undergraduate years.
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Within the last decade, I have dedicated most of my free time to serving in ministry contexts, leading middle school students closer to Jesus, as well as serving in women's ministry. This has looked like leading small groups, creating and executing large- and small-scale events, and working with Christ in Youth as a video director and road-hand for a summer with CIY MIX.
(Fun fact: I was impaled on tour with CIY! Ask me about it sometime.)