WKU’s advertising and public relations agency, Imagewest, finds itself with an important client.

The student-run team was sought out by the U.S. Department of State to promote its Peer-to-Peer Marketing Program, a project that seeks to inform undergraduate and high school students about career opportunities with the U.S. Department of State.

Imagewest started in 2004 in WKU’s School of Journalism & Broadcasting. Since then, it has worked with over 200 clients from all around the world.

The agency’s interim director Summer Bolton said Imagewest doesn’t rely on WKU for anything except space. They pay their own bills and finance their own equipment.

“This is probably the most sophisticated program of its kind on a college campus,” Bolton said.

Bowling Green senior Nicole Coomer, the senior account executive, said Imagewest has given her a real world experience that she wouldn’t get anywhere else.

“Imagewest is truly special because it is unique. There are no other groups in the country that can say they have this,” she said. “It has allowed me to take my knowledge from the classroom and put it into real life situations. It has as real of a work environment that you can get on a college campus.”

In the past, the Peer-to-Peer Marketing Program has only included one school. However, this year it will be working with three student-run organizations.

Coomer said the Department of State gave Imagewest two possible projects. The first entailed video production, and the second would task Imagewest with developing an advertising campaign.

“We chose the advertising campaign because it was inclusive to everyone and would be a team effort,” Bolton said. “We learned how to work together and get out of our comfort zones by handling different jobs.”

The Imagewest team hopes to continue to develop its brand, promoting itself in the years to come.

“I hope that the students will continue to succeed,” Coomer said. “It will be beneficial to the alums, but also students coming through the program. It is definitely a stepping stone.”

Bowling Green senior Penny Sprigg, a graphic design intern for Imagewest, said she is eager to see the team’s hard work come to fruition.

“I am most excited about presenting the Department of State our ideas and hearing their feedback,” she said. “All of the interns have put in overtime for this campaign and I think that we are all excited to see the results.”