Sunnie x Purdue Partnership

Purdue University is the exclusive education partner of Sunnie, a new Gen Z media platform created by Hello Sunshine, founded by Reese Witherspoon. Designed to empower girls through storytelling, education and community, Sunnie helps young women reimagine what’s possible for their futures — particularly in STEM, creativity and career exploration.
For Purdue, this partnership reinforces our national leadership in STEM for women while strategically positioning the university within a culturally relevant, values-aligned platform that speaks directly to the next generation of students and their caregivers.
Timed with Sunnie’s national launch, the partnership created shared momentum and immediate scale. We co-developed national STEM storytelling, curriculum-aligned content and in-person activations including Pause With Purdue and Sunniefest. We also launched a custom STEM playbook designed for Gen Z audiences, along with a curated list of Purdue courses and certificates tailored for parents and caregivers exploring educational pathways.
The unifying message: Purdue is helping girls everywhere dream bigger — and providing real-world opportunity to make those dreams possible.
This integrated effort bridged arts and sciences, illuminated unexpected pathways into STEM and showcased women leading across industries. It introduced Purdue not just as a university, but as a launchpad for curiosity, experimentation and bold futures.
The results exceeded expectations. The partnership generated 1.1 billion earned media impressions against a goal of 26.7 million, along with 829 earned media mentions. Social media delivered 2.2 million impressions and 535,000 views. Engagement drove 44,000 page views and 1,800-plus clicks to curated course offerings.
By meeting young women where they already are — in culture, media and community — the Sunnie x Purdue partnership turned inspiration into action and positioned Purdue as a top STEM destination for the next generation of changemakers.