Mission Statement
" We all deserve to be protected from all the crises whether they were expected or not expected."
-Sera
Mission Statement
" We all deserve to be protected from all the crises whether they were expected or not expected."
-Sera
Assistant Professor, Ph.D. | Researcher
Advertising and Public Relations, Grand Valley State University
In 2014, Sera witnessed the devastating TV news report about the sinking of the Sewol ferry that occurred in South Korea. The ferry capsized while carrying 476 people, mostly high school students going on a school excursion. The accident resulted in 304 deaths. This tragedy saddened the whole country, and she was devasted by the government’s poor response to the crisis. This unfortunate was a key factor influencing her to pursue a career as a PR specialist capable of communicating with the public in an effective way when a national crisis occurs.
She has often asked herself what it is that makes a good communicator. Her academic and personal life has shown her that versatility is at the heart of strong communication, and a good communicator is thus someone who embraces a variety of subjects and situations to influence people’s perceptions. It is her desire to continually develop as a communicator and master the art of versatility resonating with and influencing people by understanding their emotions and by communicating through effective narrative messages.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Ph.D. in Public Communication and Technology, Colorado State University, 2024
Master of Science in Public Communication and Technology,
Colorado State University 2019
Bachelor of Business Administration in Advertising and Public relations,
Hongik University, South Korea 2016
Research Interests:
Crisis Communication
Public Relations
Artificial Intelligence
Health Communication
Graduate Researcher | SP22, SP23
The Department of Journalism and Media Communication, CSU
Infectious Disease Research and Response Network (IDRRN) Fellow
2023 Ragan Research Award Winner - Institute of Public Relations
Mazid, I., Wallace, A., Chen, J., & Choi, S. (2024). Exploring Key Drivers for Embracing Artificial Intelligence in Public Relations Pedagogy. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10776958241299075
Choi, S. (2024). Building Relationships Through AI-Influencers: The Role of AI-Influencer-Product Congruence and Interaction. Public Relations Journal, 17(1). https://instituteforpr.org/prj-17-1-1-choi/
Choi, S., Anderson, A. A., Cagle, S., Long, M., & Kelp, N. (2023). Scientists' deficit perception of the public impedes their behavioral intentions to correct misinformation. PloS one, 18(8), e0287870. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287870
Choi, S. & Kim, J. R. (2022). South Korea’s On-going Battle with COVID-19: From Masks to Vaccinations. In P. Maarek. (Ed.). In Manufacturing Government Communication on Covid-19: A Comparative Perspective. Switzerland. Springer. Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09230-5_5
Choi, S. & Kim, J. R. (2021). Media and Reputation. In H. Cha (Ed.). In PR Communication and Reputation: Interdisciplinary Theory and Strategies. Seoul, South Korea. (pp. 267- 303). Hanul.
Kim, J. R., & Choi, S. (2021). South Korea: No shutdown, no lockdown. In D. Lilleker, I. Coman, M. Gregor, & E. Novelli (Eds.). In Political Communication and COVID-19: Governance and rhetoric in times of crisis. Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. (pp. 55–66). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Political-Communication-and-COVID-19-Governance-and-Rhetoric-in-Times-of/Lilleker-Coman-Gregor-Novelli/p/book/9780367636791
Choi, S. & Kim, J. R. (Under review). AI crisis communication through the lens of ethics of care: Effects on organization-public relationship, reputation, and behavioral intentions.
Roh, H., Park, S. & Choi, S. (In progress). Companion Animal Policy PR and Perception with Mars Korea Corporation.
Choi, S. (In progress). Ethics of care in AI failure/crises: a study about the interplay between crisis response strategies and ethics of care message.
Choi, S., Lan, D., & Enyinnaya, J. (In progress). The Effects of Narrative and Ethnicity on Public Attitudes on Instagram. Submitted to Journal of Interactive Advertising.
Son, H., Park, Y., & Choi, S. (In progress). ESG text mining and text classification.
Park, Y., Choi, S. & Corno, K. (In progress). Closing the Gap between You and Me: The Effects of a Diverse Spokesperson and Self-Construal Level
You, S. & Choi, S. (In progress). Obesity Stigma Communication.
You, S. & Choi, S. (In progress). Does a Celebrity Matter? Impact of Celebrity Endorsements on Perceived Effectiveness, Risk Perception, Self-Efficacy, and Behavioral Intention to Mitigate Climate Change
Choi, S. & Kim, J. R. (2025, May). Beyond Apologies: The Role of Ethic of Care Messaging in AI Crisis Communication. Korean Academic Society for Public Relations Conference 2025. South Korea.
Choi, S. (2025, May). PR Communication in the Era of Generational Diversity: Intergenerational Dialogue and Gen Z Session. [Research Penal Session]. Gen Z and Longevity: How Generational Change Shapes a Sustainable Future. Korean Academic Society for Public Relations Conference 2025. South Korea.
Roh, H., Park, S. & Choi, S. (2025, May). Policy PR and Companion Animal Policy and Perception Research (Domestic and International). Korean Academic Society for Public Relations Conference 2025. South Korea.
Choi, S. (2024, August). Strange New Worlds: Communication Theory in the Age of AI. [Research Panel Session]. Communication Technology and Communication Theory and Methodology Divisions. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference 2024. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
You, S, & Choi, S. (2024, August). Does a Celebrity Matter? Impact of Celebrity Endorsements on Perceived Effectiveness, Risk Perception, Self-Efficacy, and Behavioral Intention to Mitigate Climate Change. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference 2024. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mazid, I., Wallace, A., Choi, S. & Chen, J. (2024, August). Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Empowerment: Preparing Students in Ethical Use of AI for Civic Engagement. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference 2024. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mazid, I., Wallace, A., Choi, S. & Chen, J. (2024, August). Exploring Key Drivers for Embracing Artificial Intelligence in Public Relations Pedagogy. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference 2024. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Third Place Paper, Teaching Paper Competition
Choi, S., Anderson, A., Cagle, S., Kelp, N., & Long, M. (2023, May). The Barrier of Rationality in Scientists' Intentions to Correct Misinformation: How Deficit Model Attitudes Moderate the Relationship Between Previous Communication Engagement, Attitudes Toward Misinformation, And Behavioral Intentions. International Communication Association (ICA) Post Conference 2023 in Authentic Voices in Science Communication. Toronto, Canada
Choi, S. (2022, May 26-30). Building Relationships through AI-Influencers on social media: the Role of AI-Influencer Product Congruence and Interaction [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA) Conference 2022 in Public Relations Division. Paris, France.
Park, Y., Choi, S. & Corno, K. (2022, March). Closing the Gap between You and Me: The Effects of a Diverse Spokesperson and Self-Construal Level [Paper Presentation]. International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC) 2022. Orlando, Florida.
Choi, S. (2021, August). Apologize Correctly, And Fans May Not Turn Their Backs: The Use of Non-Verbal Cues to Express Apology and User Perception on Influencers’ Apology [Poster Presentation]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference 2021. “Converted from in-person conference to virtual due to COVID-19”
Kim, J. R., & Choi, S. (2021, June). South Korea: No shutdown, no lockdown. International workshop Government Communication Facing Covid-19: A Crisis, Realities. Niche, France.*
Choi, S. (2021, May). Applying Construal Level Theory into Crisis Communication [Paper Presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA) Conference 2021 in Public Relations Division. “Converted from hybrid conference to virtual due to COVID-19”
Choi, S. (2021, May). It’s Our Pride: A Comparative Textual Analysis of South Korea and the U.S Online Newspaper Coverage on the Movie – Parasite [Paper Presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA) Conference 2021 in Journalism Studies Division. “Converted from hybrid conference to virtual due to COVID-19”
Choi, S. (2021, May). Challenging Instagram’s “Ideal Body”: A Case Study of Gymshark’s Body Positivity [Paper Presentation]. Korean Advertising and PR Practitioner Society Conference 2021. South Korea.
Choi, S., Lan, D., & Enyinnaya, J. (2020, August). The Effects of Narrative and Ethnicity on Public Attitudes on Instagram [Paper Presentation]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference 2020 in Graduate Student Interest Group. 3rd Place Student Competition Paper. San Francisco, CA.
Choi, S. (2020, August). Effects of Crisis Severity and Crisis Response Strategies on Post-Crisis Organizational Reputation [Paper Presentation]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference 2020 in Public Relations Division. 4th Place Student Competition Paper. San Francisco, CA.
| GVSU Courses
CAP210: Fundamentals of Advertising - W25
CAP115: Research Basics for Advertising and Public Relations - FA24, FA25
CAP105: Technology in Public Relations and Advertising - FA23
CAP220: Fundamentals of Public Relations - W25, FA 24, W24, FA23
COM275: Foundations of Communication Research - W24
CAP415: Social Media Campaigns - W25
| CSU Courses
JTC373: Digital Promotion Management - FA22, SP23-Instructor
JTC301: Corporate and Professional Communication - SM22-Instructor
JTC301: Corporate and Professional Communication - SP22-Co-instructor
JTC350: Public Relations - FA21 - Graduate Teaching Assistant
JTC301: Corporate and Professional Communication - FA21- Graduate Teaching Assistant
JTC354: Crisis Communication - SP21 – Graduate Teaching Assistant
LB300: Specialized Professional Writing - SP21/FA20/FA19 – Recitation Instructor
JTC300: Professional and Technical Communication – SM21 /SM20 - Instructor
JTC300: Professional and Technical Communication Graduate Teaching Assistant SP20/FA19/SP19/FA18/SP18/Fall18
Content Marketing Certified - HubSpot - Credential ID: e1b08a4071be4e1a83932dcc3c936a31
Growth-Driven Design Certified - HubSpot - Credential ID: 69c1677b811e4a39a81feb5c7b189a61
Inbound Certified - HubSpot - Credential ID: 0d032fa92b5944aeac915a9cdccd9e71
Group 2.SOCIAL / HUMANISTIC / BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH - CITI Program, A Division of BRANY - Credential ID: 38402398
Sera’s research explores factors influencing people’s perception in times of crisis and how to effectively communicate about a crisis with people. Her recent research has investigated South Korea’s “no shutdown, no lockdown” approach to ensure the least disruptions to the lives of its citizens, applying construal level theory into crisis communication, and effects of crisis severity and crisis response strategies on post-crisis organizational reputation.
She is also broadly interested in strategic communication in various contexts, especially in social media. Her recent projects include "Apologize Correctly, And Fans May Not Turn Their Backs: The Use of Non-Verbal Cues to Express Apology and User Perception on Influencers’ Apology," "Challenging Instagram’s 'ideal body;' a case study of gym shark’s body positivity campaign," "It’s our pride: a comparative textual analysis of South Korea and the U.S online newspaper coverage on the movie – Parasite" and "the effects of narrative and ethnicity on public attitudes on Instagram."
Sera is a current member of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and International Communication Association (ICA). She serves as a graduate representative in the Journalism and Media Communication Department at Colorado State University as well as a graduate representative in the AEJMC Korean American Communication Association (KACA).
Raised in South Korea, she moved to the United States to pursue her master's degree, which opened up new avenues for personal growth and interests. She is a keen gardener, cook, craft enthusiast, and golfer. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Michigan's picturesque trails with her dog and husband. Surprisingly, she won the international food competition in 2015 in the Chicago area!