By Caroline Nelms
“Going to the alumni event helped me see how much the department can truly benefit my future. All of the graduates talked about most of the classes I am in right now and that related to me a lot,” says Freshman Nicola Borrell.
The Student Alumni Conference was held on Thursday, April 6th, to offer current students networking opportunities and advice on their future careers. The Student Alumni Conference showcased six alumni with careers in the public relations field. Victoria Walker, Dani Roberts, Emily Conner, Sarah Schmader, Dylan Martinez, and Paige Rollins shared with students their unique experiences and how they all relate back to their time spent at Longwood University.
Emily Conner, college recruiting coordinator for Genworth Financial, targets colleges as she searches for candidates to fill positions at Genworth Financial. In her presentation she reinforced how helpful Communication Studies is: “Take the media classes – I would think those would be interesting ones to take with our current media situation. I really enjoyed the Applied Organizational Communication class too [now Public Relations Campaigns] – it was a great way to learn leadership skills and teamwork. Also, be as diverse as possible in your portfolio so you have work to show when you graduate. Finally, start building your LinkedIn page early!”
Students left the inaugural conference feeling excited that the work they are doing now in their classes will soon be put to good use in their future careers, whether as an event planner or a human resources recruiter. It gave students the opportunity to network through one-on-one conversations and mutual experiences here at Longwood. This conference was a significant success for Communication Studies and the COMMunity!