In his final semester at FGCU, Tyler Gibson’s schedule included a public relations campaign capstone course. It was the perfect ending to the perfect college career.

“It really gave me the chance to show all the things I learned in my communication and PR courses—and be able to pitch a PR proposal to real clients and get that real hands-on experience,” he says. “That was something unique I was able to do that made it a fun and engaging class and project for me.”

It also led to an internship at Charlotte Behavioral Health Care—and a job there as marketing coordinator after graduating in 2017 as a communication-PR major.

It also inspired Gibson to start his own company, Reflections Media LLC, offering services in publishing, graphic and web design, social media marketing and print products.

“It opened that door and led me into my career,” he says. “I look back at what I’ve accomplished, and I have to attribute everything to FGCU.”

Gibson arrived at FGCU as an introvert, feeling the size of the campus and the student body wouldn’t overwhelm him. It was even better for him than he thought.

“The class size was perfect,” he says. “Small class sizes allowed me to interact and make new friends, which was especially important being a commuter student. In this program, there is a lot of interaction with others. A lot of us had the same classes and followed each other along the way. You really got a chance to build relationships.”