Educator

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Encouraging curiosity that leads to professional pursuits begins during elementary and teen years. Since the start of her career, Wenks has encouraged young writers by guiding high-school journalism staffs, mentoring as president of the Northwest Florida Press Club, and speaking to young women at Shawnee State University's Career Development Day. As a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassador, supporting Earth, sun, and space sciences, a board member and volunteer with Fairfax County Park Authority education partner Analemma Society, a Virginia Cooperative Extension certified master gardener teaching plant and pollinator biology in Fairfax County classrooms and libraries, a founding member and Youth Writing Contest coordinator of the Great Falls Writers Group, and volunteer with other local organizations, Wenks supports science and communication education endeavors and creates media and community communication campaigns and partnering strategies for nonprofit organizations and events.

Christina Tyler Wenks encourages university students to gain professional communication experience prior to graduation. During her five years at George Mason University, her journalism students generated portfolios and published works, and her public-relations students graduated with real-world  campaign-building experience with nonprofits and business leaders seeking fresh online, social media, and community collaboration. With most of her students nearing graduation, Wenks's teaching philosophy includes applying textbook lessons and theory to real-life scenarios, rather than exercises, as well as  identifying and capitalizing on strengths to build areas of needed growth.

With the guidance of adjunct professor Wenks and a grant from Middle Tennessee State University's Free Speech Center, four George Mason University public-relations teams developed a 10-day, student-led "1 for All" campaign in Spring 2021 to raise awareness about the five freedoms addressed by the First Amendment. The team challenge was magnified by the pandemic's distanced learning. Students created informational and multimedia tactics generating emotional and experiential engagement among Mason students on- and off-campus and throughout their Northern Virginia communities. 

Wenks's students helped the university meet outreach goals, saving staff time and money.  In addition to creating press releases and public relations strategy for many campus forums and events, PR student teams created food-insecurity awareness and publicity for the campus food pantry, a gaming and coding skills center, festivals, and science events,  while another team received national attention for a double-digit student body enrollment increase in a networking and career-building platform called Handshake, which connects students with prospective employers eager to onboard graduates into the workforce. Handshake and University Career Services recognized Wenks's communication students for their strategy and tactics and encouraged other universities to use them, too.

Aligning capstone projects with individual career goals requires extra work for the professor but the time invested builds students' confidence and portfolios, For example, journalism  students wishing to cover the airline industry interviewed airport and airline leaders at international airports to find and produce timely stories. Those digging into viticulture were guided on writing and interviewing while covering agricultural issues within Virginia's burgeoning wine industry. Sports communication majors partnered with local teams. While meeting learning objectives, Wenks marshals projects corresponding to the students' professional goals.

Journalism students covered regional and campus events, like Hardball's Chris Matthews speaking at the Communication Forum and difficult topics like climate change. Class guests included industry and research pros who introduced measurement tools for reporting accurate data and make apples-to-apples comparisons. Extra effort to coordinate individuals' class projects with career goals paid off in student confidence, published works and many jobs post graduation. Many of Wenks's students participated in the Facebook Journalism Project and certified for tools like Final Cut Pro. 

At the December 2018 American Geophysical Union Conference in Washington, D.C., Wenks discussed research to better prepare student journalists for real-world reporting and publication. She contributed research and data to “Getting Out of Comfort Zones: A Case Study in Science Communication Outlining Lessons Learned During Practical Experience With Undergraduate Students Reporting about Science and Climate Change." with post-doctorate journalist-scientist Daniela Vianna and the Center for Climate Change Communication Director Ed Maibach. 

During her five years working at the most diverse university in Virginia, Wenks co-advised the George Mason University's Public Relations Student Society of America and coordinated business participation PRSSA's annual career fair, assisted students at the Fourth Estate newspaper and in Student Media's Society for Professional Journalists served as liaison for adjunct faculty to Mason’s Department of Communication and the Insight Committee consisting of area business partners supporting student growth opportunities.

Wenks was nominated for the Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award 2020-21, recognized in top percentage of student-rated instructors for core courses May 2020, nominated for Career Connection Faculty Award 2018, and participated in the Stearns Center for Teaching Excellence Self-Study Collaborative.