The 48-Hour Pressure Cooker
Last weekend, the world got a little smaller and a lot faster for 12 Miami Ad School students.
At 7:00 PM sharp on Friday, January 30th, the briefs for the 48-Hour Repack National Student Packaging Competition dropped. The challenge? Solve complex, real-world problems for two giants: The Coca-Cola Company and Southwire.
By Sunday evening, after 48 hours of no sleep and pure creative adrenaline, our students from Miami, New York, and our Online campus proved once again what this community is capable of when the clock is real and the stakes are high.
The Challenge: Beyond the Box
This isn’t just about “making a pretty package.”
- Coca-Cola asked teams to rethink the fountain beverage for a delivery-first worldโmaking it sustainable, ergonomic, and essential.
- Southwire, the quiet giant that powers our homes and stadiums, challenged students to eliminate plastic spools entirely, replacing them with a retail-ready, sustainable solution.
Other schools might focus on pure engineering. At MAS, we focus on storytelling, human truth, and strategic clarity.
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The Teams
Our squads represented every level of the MAS journey, from 1st-quarter rookies to 8th-quarter veterans, blending writers, designers, and art directors into a unified force:
- Team “AIET Design”: Led by Amanda Watson, with Irene Chang, Emma Getz, and Thomas Hysom.
- Team โThe Girlsโ: Led by Nicole Costa, with Savannah Robinson, Delaney Kazawic, and Sandra Omariba (joining us from Kenya!).
- Team “The Bountyโs Launch”: Led by Zion Nolan, with Soleil Francois, Ellen Kirk, and Giovanni Martinez.
From the Classroom to the Directorโs Chair
What makes this year especially electric is seeing the full circle of the MAS family. Serving on the national jury this year is Sarah Syah, a Miami Ad School alumna and the current Director of Global Brand Creative for the Disney Store.
Sarahโs story is the MAS story. When she first arrived, she was one of our quietest students. Through the “arena” of challenges like this, she found her voice and became the first designer here to master what we now call experiential design. Today, she leads brand expression for a multi-million dollar global business. Having her evaluate this work brings a level of rigor and heart that only an alum can provide.
Why We Compete
We do this because it works. This competition sits at the top of a resume for a reason: it shows how design, when grounded in human truth, belongs at the highest strategic table.
Back in 2024, the team “The Real Housewives of Packaging” composed of Miami Ad School students Anna LeBer, Julia Lindemann, Paula Roxo, and Jessica Bickmann, took 2nd place nationally.
Today, those winners are thriving at the industry’s highest levels. They are employed as copywriters at VML, designers at Boston Consulting Group/BrightHouse, and as professional photographers. This competition played a vital role in showing how their work has moved “upstream”, from visuals to values, and from execution to strategic influence.
Whatโs Next?
Now, we wait. In about five weeks, ten finalists will be named. The top three will be invited to present their work live at the Coca-Cola World Headquarters.
To our 12 students: You survived the pressure cooker. You showed up, you did the work, and you stayed together. Whether we take home the gold or just the experience, youโve already won by stepping into the arena.
The Heart of the Arena: A Note on Hank
You canโt talk about the “arena” at Miami Ad School without talking about the person who has been there since the very beginning.
Hank Richardson has been a part of the Miami Ad School family since the school’s earliest days. For Hank, the 48-Hour Repack isn’t just a competition; itโs a moment of transformation. It’s about witnessing what our community is capable of when the clock is real and the stakes are high.
As he put it after this weekendโs sprint: “This is what growth looks like. This is what the arena feels like. And this is why we do it”.
Thank you, Hank, for your steady hand and for always reminding us that while the clock is real, the pride and camaraderie built under that pressure are what truly last.
