Julie Cajigas Portfolio

"Mr. Jeff is Fun" & pro bono media relations work, 2025

Capsule Social Media PlanPrepared for Academic Achievement Programs at The University of Akron, 2024

Ms.Takes Ultimate "How-to" Beachglass Guidewww.mstakesbythelake.com, 2024

Akron Community Engaged Scholars News Release, 2023

A very special graduate is #foreverazip, 2023

Living Well Stores Pandemic Mental Health Story, 2021

Parenting SOS, 5 Part Series Hellraisers Children's Section, The Devil Strip, 2020

Speechwriting - The University of Akron Achievement Awards 2017-2018

Engaged Scholarship Research Magazine, 2013

CMLAW Stories Book, 2012

"Apparel Hot Sheet" sectionCounselor Magazine, 2011

Marian Struna's life was an adventure100 Years in ClevelandThe Plain Dealer Blog, 2010

"All in the Family" Feature StoryWearables Magazine, 2008

With many occupants, this bookstore runs as the owner likes it The Cleveland Plain Dealer, 2005

"Mr. Jeff is Fun" & pro bono media relations work, 2025

ZipsGuide.com is a community engaged partnership between Cajigas' PR Writing and Publications classes and The Downtown Akron Partnership. While site content is written by students, Cajigas stepped in to write a feature on Mr. Jeff, a children's musician native to the Akron area, that her children adore. She also volunteered to assist Mr. Jeff with media relations during his trip to the 2025 Grammy Awards and again for the release of his new single 'Picasso.'

The Grammy Awards News Release was picked up by Channel 5 News and the Picasso release received outreach from News19, but has not yet aired.

View 'Mr. Jeff is Fun' on ZipsGuide.com

A ZipsGuide to Shopping Akron - Mr. Jeff is Fun.pdf

NR: World Entertainment Awards Win/GRAMMYS

Mr. Jeff Wins Best Childrens Album.docx

NR: 47-Stop 'Loud in the Library' Tour Kicks Off with New Coloring Book

Mr. Jeff Colors Our World - NR

NR: Picasso Music Video Features more Than 20 Local Children Creating

Picasso Video Features NEO Kids NR

Pitch: Shell pitch for the Picasso NR, customized for each outlet

Untitled document

Capsule Social Media Plan - ETS (2).pdf

Capsule Social Media Plan
Prepared for Academic Achievement Programs at The University of Akron, 2024

Cajigas was approached by a former student who is currently employed in the office of Academic Achievement Programs at The University of Akron with a request for pro bono social media consulting services.

Cajigas agreed and took the team through a discovery process, helping them identify their goals and objectives for social media, the audiences that mattered most to them and the resources they had to implement a social media effort. After gathering the information, Cajigas drafted this mini or 'capsule' plan to demonstrate how they might plan and execute plans in the future. The goal was to offer immediate solutions as well as training that would assist the group long-term.

Guide: Ms.Takes Ultimate "How-To" Beachglass.pdf

Ms.Takes Ultimate "How-to" Beachglass Guide
www.mstakesbythelake.com, 2024

Cajigas is an avid Lake Erie beachcomber and rockhound, so of course she has to write about it. While she doesn't always have the time she wants for her hobby, she spent a great deal of time researching and writing this beginners guide to how-to find beach glass at Lake Erie, specifically in the Cleveland area.

Part of the impetus for the piece is that the beach glass community tends to be secretive about their spots and methods, trying to protect their "honey holes" of glass. Cajigas firmly believes it is a wonderful activity that should be accessible to all.
The story has been shared hundreds of times and has afforded Cajigas minor celebrity status at some of the local beaches (people come up and say - "are you Julie? I read your guide!"). #lifegoals

Akron Community Engaged Scholars News Release, 2023

As a faculty fellow for the EXL Center, Cajigas assisted with social media content development and the occasional media release like this one.

NR ACES Program.docx

A very special graduate is #foreverazip, 2023

Inspired by witnessing the graduation of Robert Greathouse, Cajigas offered to visit Mr. Greathouse and conduct a more in-depth interview. After a fascinating conversation, the following is the story that emerged.

View on The University of Akron News page

A very special graduate is #foreverazip | The University Akron News | Ohio.pdf

Show Yourself Some Love: Keeping Your Mind, Heart and Soul Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Li.pdf

Living Well Stores
Pandemic Mental Health Story, 2021

Freelance work for Living Well Stores, a power mobility equipment vendor. This story offers seniors advice on how to cope with a second epidemic during COVID-19: loneliness.

When asked to cover this topic for Living Well Stores, Cajigas started by reviewing research conducted on loneliness in senior populations to offer support for the idea that this was a widely-experienced and impactful phenomenon, before making a case for how to address it.

View on the Living Well Stores Blog

Parenting SOS.pdf

Create Your Own Support Group.pdf

Parenting SOS, 5 Part Series
Hellraisers Children's Section, The Devil Strip, 2020

In 2020, Cajigas drafted a five part series "In Search of Support" or Parenting SOS for Hellraisers magazine, a subsection of Akron's former The Devil Strip newspaper/magazine. A blend of column-style writing and newswriting, the series explored places parents could find help and support as they parented at home during the pandemic. The guide explored topics including Help Me Grow early intervention, parenting coaches, support groups, lactation and breastfeeding support, and more.

Speechwriting Sample.pdf

Speechwriting - The University of Akron Achievement Awards 2017-2018

In 2017, Cajigas stepped into the role of co-chair for the (then) defunct University of Akron Achievement Awards. The awards had fallen by the wayside during times of transition and budget cuts, and her committee was tasked with reviving them.

As chair and a Communication faculty member, Cajigas drafted the award descriptions and qualifications, all presidential emails announcing and congratulating award winners and the remarks for the Achievement Awards ceremony. Her primary concern in drafting the script was to honor the recipients with very specific and genuine remarks. This required her to review nominations and award committee notes in-depth and conduct some external research.

The awards program has continued for the past 7 years and still uses the original descriptions and qualifications her committee approved in 2017.

Engaged Scholarship Research Magazine, 2013

In 2011, Cajigas had completed her position as graduate assistant for Marketing and Communications, but continued to work as a freelance writer for several units across campus with whom she had developed relationships.

In 2013, she was approached to ghostwrite portions of a research magazine for Cleveland State University. These stories are based on research articles published by the bylined faculty member. Cajigas' task was to translate the language from scholarly to accessible for a broad audience of parents and students. She was so successful on her initial story that she was assigned and completed ten of the pieces.

The Inflammation Switch.pdf

Teaching the Teacher.pdf

The Chemistry of Innovation.pdf

Finding the Cracks.pdf

To Die or Differentiate.pdf

The Electro Mechanical Solution.pdf

Healthy Divisions.pdf

Challenging the Mental Health Mythology.pdf

Making the Future Work.pdf

Research Trifecta.pdf

CMLAw.pdf

CMLAW Stories Book, 2012

The six feature stories in the 2012 CMLAW Stories Book were all researched and written by Cajigas for The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Apparel Hotsheet.pdf

"Apparel Hot Sheet" section
Counselor Magazine, 2011

After working with several editors in the ASI family of publications as a public relations professional, Cajigas was invited to write freelance for the trade journals. From 2008 to 2013, Cajigas wrote a monthly section in Counselor focused on the branded apparel industry.

In addition to researching and writing the section, Cajigas was also responsible for sourcing products from the interviewed companies. She coordinated the shipping of the products to the magazine in NY and the return to the business if necessary.

In addition to freelancing for Counselor, Cajigas also freelanced for Stitches, Wearables, Advantages and Corporate Logo magazine during this time period.

100 years in Cleveland Marian Struna.pdf

Marian Struna's life was an adventure
100 Years in Cleveland
The Plain Dealer Blog, 2010

In 2010, Julie Cajigas' great grandmother, Marian Struna, turned 100 years old. Cajigas looked up to her great grandmother as an influence and inspiration as she had never completed school and never gotten her driver's license, but managed to travel the country and the world, become a well-known local artist, write poetry and children's books - and so much more.

She drafted this story on the occasion of her 100th birthday by conducting interviews with Marian and family members, then pitched the story out to several local outlets. The Cleveland Plain Dealer agreed to publish the story on their blog and suggested they might consider a section called 100 Years in Cleveland, where they invited stories of any Clevelanders turning 100.

Read the story on Cleveland.com.

All in the Family.pdf

"All in the Family" Feature Story
Wearables Magazine, 2008

As Manager of Public Relations for Proforma, Cajigas worked with their more than 600 franchise owners across the US and Canada on individual marketing and public relations efforts. When the McCarthy family reached out and asked for help getting a placement, Cajigas first had to uncover their story. At first the family started off describing successful sales and services they had provided, but it became clear to Cajigas as she talked with them that the strength of their family business was the story.

After pitching to several industry publications, the editor for Wearables magazine, part of the ASI family of publications, reached out and suggested that Cajigas author the feature. The magazine sent a photographer to Florida to capture images of the family that appear in the story.

Cleveland Plain Dealer Article.pdf

With many occupants, this bookstore runs as the owner likes it
The Cleveland Plain Dealer, 2005

This was the story that started it all. Cajigas had worked for a year as a writer for Reflections and Visions, a Cleveland State University faculty-led website honoring distinguished university alumni. When the funding faltered, Cajigas implored then University president, Dr. Michael Schwartz to find a way to keep it alive. His solution? Hiring her as a marketing assistant for the university.

The Cleveland State University office of marketing and public relations was where Cajigas learned AP Style, PR formats, media relations and much more. In 2005, as she neared graduation, she leveraged connections she had made in the media to pitch a story all her own. Sure, the story involves letting a random frenchmen from Craigslist bunk in her home, but maybe that's what made it a good story (though the Plain Dealer editors demanded that part be removed for her safety).

The byline is Julie Powell, which is Cajigas' maiden name.

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