Category: Student Profiles

Yujin (Floria) Lee

Yujin (Floria) Lee
Yujin (Floria) Lee

Email: yujinl3@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Yujin’s research interests include virtual reality, artificial intelligence, social media marketing, celebrity endorsement, media usage, and cultural analysis.

She is a doctoral student at the Institute of Communications Research. She completed her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in advertising from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

Recent Publications/Presentations

Lee, Y.*, Fukada, M., Baptiste, P., Du, X., Nelson, M. Hey, You Put Ads in My Netflix: How Audiences Negotiate the Changing Streaming Media Landscape, American Academy of Advertising (AAA), Portland, OR, March 14-17, 2024 

Kim, W. J., Lee, D., Heo, S., Park, S., and Lee, Y. When Lonely Hearts Meet Talkative AI: Exploring AI Interactivity and Social Motivation. American Academy of Advertising (AAA), Portland, OR, March 14-17, 2024 

Ham, C., Ju, I., Heo, S., and Lee, Y. Examining the Change-of-Meaning Effect: Sequential Persuasion Knowledge Structure in Coping Mechanism with Online Behavioral Advertising, Annual conference at AEJMC, Washington D.C., August 7-10,2023

Courses Taught

  • ADV 150: Introduction to Advertising 
  • ADV 281: Advertising Research Method 
  • ADV 360: Innovations in Advertising

Awards and Honors

Earl Cummings Advertising Research Award, 2023 
List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students: FA 2022, SP 2024 
American Academy of Advertising’s Graduate Students Travel Scholarship, 2024

Related Links

Rheanna Lewis

Rheanna Lewis

Get to know some of our College of Media students! Rheanna Lewis is a Class of 2026 journalism major. 

Rheanna Lewis

Why did you choose journalism as a major?
As a kid I always loved storytelling. Although I wasn’t thinking about journalism back then, I enjoyed telling stories and being on camera. My mom bought me a camera when I was younger to make video diaries, so I found myself talking to the camera, kind of acting like a vlogger. It wasn’t until high school that I realized that journalism might be the career for me after taking a newspaper class. My teacher for the class inspired me to tell and write stories; it was almost like an art. By senior year it was time to apply to colleges and journalism felt like the right choice. Although I wasn’t sure what kind of journalism I wanted to focus on, I knew the field was right for me.

Have you discovered what kind of journalism you want to focus on?
One of the things I like about journalism is how broad the field is. However, I come from a sports-loving family, and as a result, I am interested in sports journalism. While I don’t know specifically what I would like to do in sports journalism, I do see myself writing game recaps, broadcasting it on television, or taking pictures on the field.

Are you currently involved in any journalism programs or internships?
I am currently taking JOUR 400 for Illini Sports Night. I’m a reporter for the show and I take videos of games, interview players, and get to be a part of production. I think the class will help me narrow down what it is I want to do in sports reporting exactly. I’m also a part of an internship called “The Girls Club,” which is a media company that uplifts women who like to watch, play, and report on sports. From what I’ve seen in the field, it’s very male heavy. I don’t see many women involved in reporting games, especially women of color. So the company helps women break into the industry. Currently, I’m a reporter for their social media so I create content for their platform. It’s great getting to meet women who have the same interests as me, and being able to help other people break into the industry.

As a sophomore transfer student, how has your transition been?
Before coming to Illinois, I attended a university on the west coast for my freshman year. I was intrigued and invested in the west coast, and loved how diverse the community was. But because of a lack of journalism activities outside of school, I decided to transfer to the College of Media at the University of Illinois because of the number of opportunities it has for students. If you like television and broadcast journalism, you have classes at Richmond Studio; if print is more your style you have The Daily Illini (the student-run newspaper); and if you enjoy sports media there’s Fighting Illini Productions! I’ve been here almost a whole school year and I’m truly happy with my choice. I feel like I belong here. The school has a better environment and also more people with so many different backgrounds. You’d think that a school in the middle of a cornfield wouldn’t have as many opportunities for journalism, and such a diverse population, but you’d be wrong.

What are your career goals post-graduation?
I’ve had this goal on my vision board since I was 11, but my dream is to host my own talk show. I don’t know if I want the show to be more sports-focused or something like the late-night TV show. In my mind I picture my own show with me hosting and talking with all these famous guests. I just love conversing and getting to know people, so getting to just talk with these interesting people, it’s just a dream of mine. 

I would also love to work in more digital media spaces focused on sports after graduation! I love sports and I feel comfortable in this field and hope to mix my skills with digital media and sports. I’m not sure what exact job or position I’d want to do, but I’d love for it to have both sports and digital content.

How does your cultural background play into your role as a journalist?
Like I said earlier, you don’t see a lot of people like me in this field. This is why I enjoy getting to talk to people with the same or similar backgrounds. It makes me feel like I can be myself and implement that in the stories I tell and the questions I ask. A big reason why I came here was following [Illinois journalism alumna] Taylor Rooks, who does Thursday Night Football for Prime and she is also a host for Bleacher Report. She’s an alumna from the College of Media and she inspired me to do what it is I want to do. It makes me think that I can rise to a position like hers and be the Taylor Rooks for someone who will be in my position one day.

—Interview by Nathan Gonzalez, New Voices Intern

Alice Ji

Alice Ji
Alice Ji

Email: rji3@illinois.edu

Research Interests

My research centers on the psychology of persuasion in digital media, with a particular focus on social media platforms. I investigate how consumers interpret and react to persuasive messages such as advertisements and health-related messages by brands and social media influencers. I am also interested in the effects of misinformation and their mitigation, as well as the impact of LLM conversational agents like GPT models on cognitive processing.

Recent Publications/Presentations

Wise, K., Willis, E., Ji, A., Paltaratskaya, V. (2025, November). Reimagining the Presentation of Important Safety Information (ISI) in Social Media Pharmaceutical Advertising. NCA 111th Annual Convention, Colorado, US. 

Liu, A. Y., Ji, A., Taneja, H., & Nelson, M. R. (2025). Stakeholder-desired audiences: Fans’ 
audience data imaginaries and how they shape industry data practices. Convergence, 0(0). 
https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565251366412

Paltaratskaya, V., Ji, A., Mazumdar, P., & Wise, K. (2025). Beyond Buzzwords: The Development of Large Language Models and Their Use in Advertising and Strategic Communication Research. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 1–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641734.2025.2498996

Wise, K., Paltaratskaya, V., & Ji, A. (2025). Media choice. In De Gruyter Handbook of Media Psychology. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. 

Ji, A., Paltaratskaya, V., & Wise, K. (2025, June). The Effect of Message Fatigue on Visual Attention to, and Elaboration of Mental Health Infographics. Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA 2025), Colorado, US. 

Ji, A., Khowaja, L., Gilloly, K., Luo, H., Oshodi, N., Randolph, Z., Sun, R., Wang, C.-Y., Nelson, M. R. (2025, March). TikTok Made Me Buy It: Breaking Expectations with Shoppable Ads. American Academy of Advertising 2025 Annual Conference, Pennsylvania, US.

Courses Taught

  • ADV 480: Social Media Analytics 
  • ADV 305: Adtech and the Digital World 
  • ADV 150: Introduction to Advertising 
  • MACS 100: Intro to Popular TV & Movies

Awards and Honors

  • 2025 Bart A. Cummings Gift Fund, University of Illinois 
  • 2025 Graduate Student Conference Scholarship, American Academy of Advertising
  • 2024 Fall List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students

Related Links

Yanbo Li

Yanbo Li
Yanbo Li

Email: yanbol2@illinois.edu

Research Interests

My research interests lie at the intersection of computational communication and political communication. Specifically, I am interested in using computational methods to learn about online misinformation and incivility contagion inside and between different countries and the possible factors that foster these processes.

Recent Publications/Presentations

Li, Y., & Su, C. (2022). “Toxidization” of social media discussion: Comparing online incivility expressed about the Russian-Ukraine war in China and the United States. Paper presented at the 73rd ICA annual conference, Toronto. 

Chaikulngamdee Chawannuch, Janaki Riji Nair, Yanbo Li, Yanling Zhao, Cathleen Cusachs, Danilo Martinez, Yangyang Duan, Zige Chen, Xuanqi Ye, & Kelsey Prena. (2022). Learning through gaming: Examining the learning outcomes of EEK! game. Paper presented at 2022 International Conference on Meaningful Play, East Lansing, MI.

Courses Taught

  • ADV150 Introduction to Advertising (Fall 2023)

Se Il (James) Park

Se Il (James) Park
Se Il (James) Park

Email: spark110@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Se Il is a doctoral student at the Institute of Communications Research (ICR). Se Il’s interdisciplinary research focuses on persuasive messages in the context of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Metaverse, and Web 3.0. He wants to examine the difference in consumer behavior in a more immersive and intelligent virtual environment. 

Prior to joining ICR, Se Il received his master’s in advertising and bachelor’s in communication, both from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In addition, he worked for the Korean government agency, KOTRA, as a marketing consultant in Chicago and for a blockchain project, WEMIX, as a business development and PR manager in Korea.

Courses Taught

  • ADV 250/283: Advertising and Brand Strategy (Fall 22–present)

Awards and Honors

Teachers Ranked as Excellent By Their Students: FA22, *SP23
*Outstanding

What Most People Don’t Know about Me

I am an avid golfer.

Weiting Du

Weiting Du
Weiting Du

Email: wd12@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Weiting Du is a first-year Ph.D. student at the Institute of Communications Research. Weiting’s research interests encompass media effects and risk communication under the context of climate change, with a particular interest in climate inactions. In parallel, Weiting explores how contemporary visual imagery represents the complex interplay between human-environment relationships, collective memories, and broader societal issues. 

Weiting’s past research covers topics such as the social power of photography in China and persuasive health messages. Prior to joining ICR, Weiting earned his master’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University, specializing in science and environmental journalism, and holds a bachelor’s degree in ecological environmental engineering from Chongqing University.
 

Recent Publications/Presentations

Du, W., Sanders-Jackson, A., Neumann, D., & Tan, A. (2022, May 26-30). The effects of applying visual cues in culturally tailored anti-smoking messages for sexual minority women. Presented at the 72nd Annual ICA Conference, Paris, France (virtual session). 

Du, W. (2021, June 19). The Desert Protector: How did an environmental photojournalist trigger a storm of environmental protection in China. Presented at the 35th Annual Visual Communication Conference, Cannon Beach, Oregon, United States.
 

Courses Taught

  • JOUR 205 History of American Journalism
     

What Most People Don’t Know about Me

I love Not to Be Reproduced (1937), On Fire (1989), and The Shadow Play (2018).

Veranika Paltaratskaya

Veranika Paltaratskaya
Veranika Paltaratskaya

Email: vp21@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Veranika’s master’s thesis focused on the topic of time perception during media use. Her current research focuses on time perception, message fatigue, and computational approaches to communications research. 

Veranika completed her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and art history at Emory University, and her master’s in advertising at UIUC.

Recent Publications/Presentations

Paltaratskaya, V., Wise, K. Time perception, cognitive load, and memory for short form video applications (SVAs). 73rd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association. Toronto, Canada, in review.

Courses Taught

  • ADV 284 Consumer Insights

Awards and Honors

Earl M. Cummings Advertising Education Research Award (Spring 2022)

Zixuan (Melodie) Zhao

Zixuan (Melodie) Zhao
Zixuan (Melodie) Zhao

Email: zixuan26@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Melodie is a doctoral student at the Institute of Communications Research, primarily researching the social and psychological effects of media messages and digital media use. Her specific interests revolve around the interactions between interactive media technologies and individuals’ identity, perceptions of “otherness,” and social relationships, as well as their role in driving social mobilization or polarization. 

Melodie earned her BA and MA degrees in journalism from the University of Missouri. She had industry experience as a journalist and producer, having worked with media organizations including Warner Bros. Discovery, CGTN America, and several others.

Courses Taught

  • ADV 284 Consumer Insight

Junwei Zhang

Junwei Zhang
Junwei Zhang

Email: jz150@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Junwei’s research interests are centered around the relations between subjectivity, governmentality, global media network and the network’s interpretive power, which eradicate the boundary between public/private space, human/posthuman and self-governing/self-enslaving. Besides his academic research on communication and media, he is also a cross-disciplinary artist. Junwei received his master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Oregon. Before joining ICR, he explored gardens and vehicles in Japan as media to better understand the condition and method of language/culture.

Courses Taught

  • MACS 150: Intro to Digital Media Production 
  • ARTD 250: Print-based Media 
  • ARTD 251: Time-based Media 
  • ARTD 360: Digital Imaging

Related Links

https://junweizhang.com

Yewon Hong

Yewon Hong
Yewon Hong

Email: yewonh2@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Cuteness, aesthetics, affect, game, critical theory, cultural studies, cultural analysis

Recent Publications/Presentations

Puzar, Aljosa and Yewon Hong. “Korean Cuties: Understanding the Performed Winsomeness (Aegyo) of South Korean Women.” Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, vol.19, no. 4, 2018: pp. 333 – 349. 

Hong, Yewon and Dustin Hellberg. “Transient Labor: Past and Present of Young Female White-collar Work Force in South Korea.” The Journal of Human Studies, vol. 42, 2017, pp. 39 – 60. 

“Cultural Geography of Dating in South Korea’s Urban Landscape,” 9th East Asian Regional Conference in Alternative Geography, Daegu, South Korea. 

“The End of Boredom: Introducing Fun in Workspaces in South Korea,” Politics of Boredom, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Awards and Honors

Illinois Distinguished Fellowship, 2023 
Fulbright Graduate Student Program Award, 2023 
Horizon Fund, University of Amsterdam, 2018

What Most People Don’t Know about Me

I’m an early bird and I’m a night owl. So I’m wise and I have worms.

Related Links

https://illinois.academia.edu/YewonHong 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hong-yewon-84a5081a6/

College of Media
119 Gregory Hall
810 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-2350