hi, i'm leah!

Hi, welcome to my portfolio! I’m Leah Glass, a senior at James Madison University pursuing a BBA in Marketing with concentrations in Digital Marketing and European Business. I’m passionate about branding, social media marketing, and crafting creative strategies to connect businesses with their audiences.

On campus, I stay involved as a Madison Advising Peer for the College of Business and an active member of Madison Business Society, Scratchpad student ad agency, AMA, and Global Dukes, sharing my study abroad experiences in Belgium.

At home in Richmond, Virginia, you’ll find me exploring downtown restaurants, editing photos from a recent photoshoot , or discussing Taylor Swift’s latest album (currently in my Lover era). I love traveling and dream of visiting all seven continents—though I might skip Antarctica!

After graduation, I hope to find a role where I can think outside the box, create innovative strategies, and help brands build meaningful connections with their audiences.

Wait, so what's up

with the McChickens?

It all started on in September 2023 on a trip to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest during my semester abroad. After a long travel day and finally arriving to our hotel, my group and I decided to order McDonald's. I expected nothing other than a typical McChicken, but to my surprise I was faced with an LONG shaped sandwich. Crazy right?! I could not shake this discovery and had so many questions. "Why is it like that? Is this just in Germany? How many other shapes are out there?" After this discovery, I set out to try a McChicken in as many countries as possible. This experiment went on through McDonalds' across many airports and post night-out meals in the streets of Europe.

What began as a simple experiment turned into a tradition and, ultimately, a reminder of our shared connections. No matter where I went, every McDonald’s had one thing in common—people gathering for good food. The late-night laughs I was sharing with my friends in the restaurant booth were the same as the Europeans at the next table— even though our backgrounds couldn't have been more different. It’s proof that even the smallest, most routine experiences can reveal something deeper about culture and the ways we connect across the world.

Funny enough, I never encountered another long McChicken again. After trying McChicken's in America, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, England, and Wales I had come to the conclusion that they were all pretty much the same (disapointing—I know!) I was, however, able to draw a few comparisons about names, packaging, shape, and taste shown in the infographic below: