Day 896: Communications Senior Showcase
On May 7, the graduating seniors of the communications department produced their senior showcase. Titled ‘Day 896’, the showcase was framed though the lens of a senior who has already lived through many seasons during their time at MBI. The name of the event is an approximation of how many days the seniors had spent with the status of Moody students.
The 2025 Communications Senior Showcase walked their guests through a typical day of a student at Moody Bible Institute. In one of the initial planning meetings, Sydney Georgia (Bylsma) suggested this theme, as the showcase would feature a broad scope of projects with no other clear organizing principle. These projects were then categorized by time of day:
Morning - Guests enjoyed a restful start to the ‘day’ via Rachel Maxwell’s mural in the entryway of Chapman 1
Afternoon - All the publishing projects (Yejin “Casey” Hwang, Jordan Mitschelen, Abigail Sommer, Lily Thao, Wen Xing, Melody Mansurova), podcasts (Sydney Georgia), and client work (Alexandria Baker, Josh Warder, and Grace Xiong) became a part of the library/coffee shop experience of the Moody student, with Louise Lamb’s original worship songs performed live as the soundtrack.
Evening - Guests wound down at the movies, where Max Kumsher, Ryanna Powell, and Ben Sullivan displayed their video projects.
Lily Thao and her team were the geniuses behind all things related to the physical space of this experience. The result was a retro-vintage style space, where the guests were able to walk around Chapman 1 and enjoy light refreshments, observe the work of the students, and write heartfelt notes on the vinyl records that were dedicated for each senior. All of the seniors contributed to the showcase both by displaying their capstone projects, but also by assisting behind the scenes in various administrative roles.
It was an exciting and sentimental night as the seniors were able to showcase the pinnacle of their MBI Communications program experience, see their loved ones, and hear once again about the vision and mission of the department from communications program head Prof. Brian Kammerzelt. Each project was personal and unique, as the seniors were passionate about the vision they had for their capstones and the way those skills will be used for the glory of God and the good of his Church. It was a great way to celebrate the end of their journey as MBI students and to honor the creative spirit that God has woven into their minds and hearts.
