Second Story Media was created to empower students to bring bold ideas, sharp instincts, and a willingness to learn by doing. This year’s graduating seniors embody that spirit more than ever. They’ve spent time balancing client expectations with creative ambition, pushing themselves to grow as strategists, designers, storytellers, and leaders.
What unites them is a shared passion for creative work, a commitment to collaboration, and the ability to turn challenges into opportunities. They’ve built something meaningful together, and now they’re ready to take that momentum into their professions.
Second Story Media Team
As President Ella Isaacson reflects, “My experience over the past four semesters at Second Story Media has been pivotal in shaping my professional goals and has genuinely changed my life. Leading a team of 16 dedicated individuals while managing three clients each semester gave me invaluable hands-on experience in project management, client communication, and team leadership. Through this work, I discovered a passion for serving as the central point of coordination and communication. This atmosphere feels more like a family than anything else, fostering collaboration, trust, and shared ambition. These are skills and values I plan to carry forward into a future career in the dynamic and ever-evolving advertising industry.”
Meet the seniors whose talent and tenacity have shaped the agency and whose futures are already unfolding.
Ella Isaacson - President
As President, Ella thrives at the intersection of creativity and coordination. Her global experiences, leadership roles, and hands-on work in hospitality and athletics have shaped her into a confident strategist who excels at keeping teams aligned and energized. She’s poised to bring her passion for storytelling and client relations to New York City, where she’s ready to dive into the fast-paced world of strategic advertising.
Ella Isaacson
Micah Rogosich - Vice President
Micah’s strength lies in her ability to connect people, ideas, and strategy. Her PR background, paired with real-world social media experience, has given her a clear sense of how communication can shape communities and brands. She’s heading into her career with a strong foundation in leadership, collaboration, and creative problem-solving, all fine-tuned through her work at SSM.
Micah Rogosich
DeeAnne Montero - Creative Director
Deeanne is a storyteller with experience in videography, photography, design, and strategy, all which fall within her creative toolkit. She’s led major projects, produced documentary work, and contributed to athletics and sustainability initiatives. With ambitions to blend travel, sports, and visual storytelling, she’s already preparing for graduate studies in entrepreneurship to one day launch her own agency.
DeeAnne Montero
Sidonie Horan - Director of Social Media
Sidonie brings a rare blend of cultural insight, strategic thinking, and design intuition. Her experience in account management and hospitality-driven branding has shaped her into a marketer who understands how to create meaningful, memorable experiences. She’s ready to build a career that merges her love for design with her passion for retail, hospitality, and food and beverage brands.
Sidonie Horan
Alyssa D’Amato - Accounts Director
Alyssa excels in organization, communication, and client-focused collaboration. Her leadership in dance and her academic background in digital media marketing have prepared her to manage complex projects with confidence. She’s heading toward a career in event coordination in Raleigh, where she’ll continue growing her freelance design work and applying the agency experience that shaped her.
Alyssa D'Amato
Franceska Dela Rosa -Traffic & Productions Director
Franceska is a detail-driven communicator with a passion for storytelling and workflow management. Her internships, PRSSA leadership, and agency experience have strengthened her ability to guide projects from concept to completion. With a love for creativity and organization, she’s ready to pursue PR or digital marketing in a big city, a place where her strategic mindset will shine.
Franceska Dela Rosa
Catelin Hochstrasser - Strategy Director
Catelin brings curiosity, precision, and a global perspective to her work. Her time studying in Florence, combined with her experience as a small business owner and strategist, has shaped her into a thoughtful creative with a strong sense of voice. She’s eager to pursue copywriting or art direction while exploring the world. She reflects, “Second Story has shown me what teamwork truly means… Collaborating with other like-minded individuals has pushed me to grow and has provided me with agency experience that I would not have otherwise.”
Catelin Hochstrasser
Kamryn Agurs - Member
Kamryn is driven by curiosity, empathy, and a desire to understand people and communities. Her PR experience, volunteer work, and advocacy for sustainability and human rights shape her approach to communication. She’s ready to build a career rooted in purpose- one that blends creativity with meaningful impact, whether she’s managing social media, supporting community initiatives, or exploring new experiences with the people she loves. “Second Story has shown me how powerful confidence, passion, and teamwork can be.”
Kamryn Agurs
Together, these seniors represent some of the most impressive young professionals: passionate thinkers, dedicated collaborators, and emerging talent who know how to turn ideas into action. They’ve shaped the agency with their expertise and teamwork — and now they’re stepping into their futures with confidence, curiosity, and a shared commitment to telling stories that matter.
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About Second Story Media
Second Story Media is a student-run advertising agency at Appalachian State University with a mission to help clients fulfill their communication objectives while providing meaningful experiences for carefully selected student members. The team represents a broad spectrum of disciplines, backgrounds and skill sets, united by a commitment to tell the unique stories of deserving business and nonprofit clients throughout the High Country and surrounding areas.
About the Department of Communication
One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Department of Communication at Appalachian State University focuses on preparing students to succeed in the varied fields within the communication industry. The department offers five majors – Advertising, Communication Studies, Electronic Media/Broadcasting, Digital Journalism, and Public Relations – and a minor in Communication Studies. Graduates work in a wide range of positions in media, corporate, agency, government, and nonprofit organizations.
About the College of Fine and Applied Arts
Appalachian State University's College of Fine and Applied Arts is a dynamic and innovative group of seven academic departments, bringing together a variety of perspectives, experiences, and real-world education to provide unique opportunities for student success. The college has more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate majors. Its departments are Applied Design, Art, Communication, Military Science and Leadership, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, and Theatre and Dance.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio, and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
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