Lasell has long held a philosophy of “learning by doing.” Students are encouraged to seek hands-on experience, join clubs, and start building their portfolios as soon as possible so their transition into the professional world is as smooth as it can be. One example of this is LZR Works, a digital agency designed by Dr. Kurt Wirth, a professor who’s been teaching at Lasell for almost four years.
Wirth, the Assistant Professor of Communication, has created a digital agency that is completely student-run, offering them the opportunity to work with real clients and collaborate with peers to create social media content and strategies.
Different students take on different roles involving sales, content creation and writing, and client communication. These roles give students the chance to gain experience and develop qualities and skills that will allow them to grow as students, and more importantly, as professionals.
The president of LZR Works, senior Ciro Zanetti, is one example of a student who has been able to grow because of his involvement in the agency. Zanetti credits LZR Works with helping him learn about “keeping composure, creating a schedule, and being able to neutralize any tension in the agency.” Zanetti also explained that “the most enjoyable part of being president is receiving any sort of assurance.”
He explained that his dynamic relationship with Wirth has allowed him to fully embrace his role as President and connect with the other members of the group. “I do my best to be on top of Google Drive and messages between the agency. To make sure the content is being produced efficiently, I have to constantly check Slack and contact members, making sure we’re all on the same page.”
LZR Works operates as any digital agency in the professional world would. Clients connect with LZR Works through the account directors, letting them know what they need from the agency. The content team then brainstorms ideas, which will then be approved by the creative and writing directors and Wirth. The content then gets posted to the client’s social media, and the strategy lead will analyze the data and interactions that the post garners.
When asked what prompted him to create an agency that gave students the reins, Wirth explained that he went into teaching with the intent of helping students grow as human beings.
For Wirth, it’s not just about assigning work and grading students but rather giving them the materials they need to excel at what they do: “If I can do that – set them up to crush it in their field and get a better job and because they have a better job, be happier – that is, I’m going to get cheesy, but that’s what I live my life for.”
Lasell offers more than seventy clubs for students to choose from. When asked how LZR Works compares with the different clubs on campus, Wirth explained that LZR Works is a much more hands-on experience than students may be used to. “The goal is that it encourages students to take on a lot of ownership and just like in the professional world… you have to just invent things, you don’t get just handed what you’re supposed to do – you have to make it happen.”
The club has worked with numerous entities, such as ComArts – Lasell’s Communication and Creative Arts department – but has also started to attract outside clients.
Wirth expressed his wish that LZR Works expand beyond social media, giving students a broader and more developed sense of the industry: “I think that a lot of students come into social media classes and the agency, and they think of social media as posting and scrolling. Obviously, producing content for profit, essentially, is so much more difficult than that; it’s so complex. And so, I think having students walk away from this experience with that context and understanding that it takes a lot to build a good strategy and have an effective communication strategy is really important.”
Wirth also expressed his belief that LZR Works isn’t just a club but rather an opportunity for students to grow as humans, connect with the local community, and begin to love the idea of learning new things and accepting more responsibility. “If I can encourage someone to be curious and know how to learn and want to learn, then I don’t care if they know how to write a research paper. The agency is such a good conduit for that.”
When asked what he hopes students gain from working in the agency, Wirth stressed the importance of not being afraid to learn new things: “No longer can someone just be a creative. It’s really hard to do that nowadays, especially in an entry-level position in the marketing world; you just have to do everything. You have to be willing and able to do all of it.”
–Nov. 4, 2025–
