Longwood University Communication Studies

The Communication Studies Career Conference has become a tradition within the major thanks to Dr. Naomi Johnson and other Communication Studies professors. This conference has been traditionally held in person with Communication Studies alumni hosting various career sessions. Naomi described the COMM Career Conference (now week) by saying, 

“The overall purpose is for students who are juniors and seniors is to give them an opportunity to network with people and professionals in fields that they’re interested in to help them obtain internships and jobs after graduation. Then, for all students, but especially for freshmen and sophomores, it is really helpful to see what is possible. A lot of times alumni are in positions that students don’t even recognize exist or are possibilities for them. So, for all students, but especially for younger students, I think it’s really helpful to identify what options are available for you and then that way you can make plans for the remainder of your time at Longwood to achieve those goals.” 

COMM Career Day used to be one day with multiple sessions from successful alumni. Since having to switch plans to accommodate for COVID-19 guidelines, Naomi also said she believes the conference will continue to take place for a few days rather than one day. Also, she hopes in the future the event can be a hybrid format of having some alumni in person while others join via zoom. 

COMM Career Week is not only helpful to current students but to alumni as well. It is a great way for COMM alumni to help current students and to reconnect with their professors. When asked what Naomi wanted alumni to gain from this conference, she said, “Our alumni want to still feel connected to the COMMunity… we’ve been overwhelmed with gratitude with how many alumni have reached back to us and said we really want to help students, we still want to be a part of Longwood, how can we help? That’s been so wonderful to see. It really warms all of our faculty hearts. So, this is just a great way for alumni to still feel connected with students and feel like they’re helping students in a concrete way.” 

During COMM Career Week, many alumni shared their job experiences with students, 13 to be exact. Many said they enjoyed being able to give back to the COMMunity and share their knowledge with students. Steven Herring (’19) said, 

“I would say my favorite part would be connecting with the students. I have been able to connect with one of the students who attended the session and have been assisting that student in not only how to get into Emergency Management, but also what to expect both within the field and with life in general after Longwood. I feel creating that connection and being able to provide that guidance and support to students who will soon be leaving Longwood and entering into their respective careers is by far the most rewarding experience.”

Katelyn (Kate) Hackett Supa (’10) shared a similar perspective and said her favorite part about speaking during the conference was, 

“Nostalgia is real, and I loved being able to reconnect for a few minutes with Dr. Naomi, really try to put myself back in a student’s shoes and think about what they would want to hear and of course I really loved how interested the students were. Social media is ever changing and in seeing their excitement about it I know they are going to be able to take the tools that they are getting from their time as students and kill it in their careers.” 

Hunter Stinnett (’20) said she really liked hearing all of the questions from current students. She said, “They brought great questions and were engaged throughout the session.” Hunter also said she was pleased with the number of students who joined her session. “I wish I would have had more time with them than just 20 minutes, they were asking so many great questions I could have talked with them for an hour.”  

Other COMM alumni that were presenters during COMM Career Week said they enjoyed interacting with other alumni during their session. Nicole Del Rosario (’19) said, “I loved getting to speak alongside my very close friend, Shannon Blunt, and having the moderator be one of my Longwood mentors, Clint Wright! It was fun to reunite with people that definitely helped me get to the point I am right now in my career.”

COMM Career Week truly benefits everyone in the COMMunity, from current students to alumni. It is an opportunity for current students to hear from alumni and receive advice as well as to network. Likewise, it is a chance for alumni to return to Longwood, even virtually, and get to share their experiences with students. This event serves as a reminder that one’s place in the COMMunity does not end after graduation but keeps going to help the next generation of successful citizen leaders. 

Events on campus last fall and this semester have looked a little different than normal. The annual LAMP (Longwood Academy for Meeting and Planning) workshop was no exception. On February 11, 2021, students had the opportunity to learn about virtual events from experienced professionals in the field via Zoom. During the workshop, Tim Vaughn (Technical Producer for Arloesol Designs) and Sarah Luongo (Associate Director for UVA Clubs Strategic Events and Global Engagement) led students through the process of creating virtual events by describing the differences between in-person meetings versus webinars, adapting in-person events to virtual experiences and preparing for digital events. The event consisted of a presentation going over this information then the students worked on a project in break out rooms. 

One of the facilitators, Sarah Luongo (’15), an alumna of the Communications Studies program, had some special reasons why she chose to help with this event: “I love any opportunity to come back and meet Longwood University Communication Studies students. I would not be where I am today without the support of the COMMunity (faculty, staff, and fellow students). When I was a student, I was given the opportunity to attend 2 conferences (1 in DC and 1 in Tampa) and with the generous support of alumni and the University I was able to attend with little to no out of pocket expenses. This meant the world to me because I might not have been able to attend without their support. Any chance I get I like to pay it forward.”

Sarah is experienced with virtual event planning because it is a large portion of her job. She was able to provide students with a lot of personal knowledge due to her experiences. As previously mentioned, many aspects of virtual events were discussed throughout the event. However, Sarah also mentioned the most important parts of LAMP to her. “Even though virtual events look different than in-person, we still go back to the basics for the planning process. It is important to identify the goal of your event, your audience, and how you want to measure success. Once you outline those foundations you could build any event – in-person or virtually!” Sarah was able to provide great insider advice to students and we thank her for her willingness to participate. 

For most students in 2021, attending class online has become the new norm. However, attending a virtual conference was new to some student participants. Many students expressed their thoughts about LAMP and described what was most useful to them. 

Nichole Reano, a junior Communication Studies major with a concentration in Public Relations, seemed to enjoy LAMP and said her biggest takeaway was, 

“How to successfully promote a virtual event. This resonated with me because it gave me a better understanding of how important it is to identify your audience, market an event at the correct time, and how to communicate a compelling reason why your audience should care about the event you are trying to promote.”

Reano also mentioned that this was her first time attending a virtual event and that she would recommend other students to participate in LAMP to learn something new. 

Another student who benefitted from attending LAMP was Jacob Farmer, a sophomore with a double major in History with a concentration in Pre-Law and Communication Studies with a concentration in Public Relations. Jacob mentioned “As president of the College Democrats of Longwood University, I have worked hard with members and community organizers this past fall and now spring to host engaging online events, so I have certainly experienced this reality firsthand.” The reality Farmer is describing is how much work and preparation goes into planning and facilitating virtual events. Students of all ages who are involved in clubs and organizations have faced the challenges of keeping their members interested in virtual events. Jacob also commented on LAMP as a whole, “I think this year’s LAMP event went exceptionally well. I appreciate that the Communication Studies department took advantage of our new virtual academic landscape to translate LAMP into an online event.” 

Students, organizations, companies and the like have had to re-envision their events this year. The Communication Studies department is committed to providing students a useful experience no matter the circumstances. We are very proud of this year’s LAMP and that we were able to carry on the tradition for the fourth time. This event could not have happened without our facilitators and the contributions from our professors. Also, the event could not have occurred without students attending. We thank everyone who was involved in the planning and implementation process as well as all of the participants. 

By: Heather Waldo

For many students, professors and faculty, fall 2020 will go down in history as being one of the most challenging and strangest semesters yet. Many students are feeling the weight of this semester and are in need of a pick-me-up. That is exactly what Lambda Pi Eta accomplished during their COMMunity Open Lawn event on October 28 on Lankford Mall. 

Lambda Pi Eta is the official honor society of the National Communication Association (NCA). The Nu Epsilon chapter of Lambda Pi Eta at Longwood University began in 2008. According to the NCA, there are over 500 chapters nationwide. Lambda Pi Eta stands for logos, pathos and ethos: logic, emotion and ethics/credibility. The goals of the organization are to recognize outstanding scholastic achievement in the communication field, promote both professional and academic development, encourage students to have positive mentor relationships with faculty and other students and to stimulate interest in Communication Studies. 

When asked about this organization, President Allison Turner (’21) said, “One of our six goals is to establish and foster relations amongst the students and department, and that is what we are doing not only through this event, but also on a day-to-day basis. We also recognize scholastic achievement, and we do that through our Student of the Month event, put on by our Vice President, Caitlin Sullivan.”

Turner also mentioned that this event had many benefits for current as well as prospective members. “Our initiation was virtual in the spring, so the members that joined in the spring (a majority of the group) have not been recognized publicly yet. We wanted to invite the Communication Studies department and were then asked to collaborate with the department to create this event. The goal behind it is to recognize the new members of Lambda Pi Eta, but also bring the Communication Studies department together for the first time this semester.”

Cade Kinzel (’21) and Brookelyn Parker (’21), both seniors and Digital Media concentrations, came to the event to receive their Lambda Pi Eta certificates and pins. They were inducted into the organization last spring and were excited to see other members as well as other fellow COMMunity members. Kinzel said, “I really wanted to attend this event because we haven’t really gotten that in person connection with the members of Lambda Pi Eta, this was my first opportunity to do that.” 

This event was about welcoming new Communication Studies majors and to formally initiate new Lambda Pi Eta members into the organization. When asked what her favorite part of the event was Brookelyn Parker (’21) said, “I think the quiz was really fun because you got to learn more about people in Lambda Pi Eta, the COMMunity and the professors.” The quiz was about all things within the COMMunity. It had questions about many topics, from organizations, professors and even students. The winner of the quiz also received a $25 gift card. 

Along with current Communication Studies majors there were also prospective ones. Brittany Washington (’23) a Computer Science major attended the event to learn more about the department because she is considering adding it as a minor. Brittany mentioned she is already familiar with some of the software that is used within the major. She attended to learn new things and to help her make her final decision whether to add the minor or not. Washington said, “I hope to learn more about Communication Studies and speak to some of the professors and learn about the organizations/clubs I could join.”

Another person attended the event to learn more about Communication Studies. “My friend is a Communication Studies major and she talks about it all of the time and since I’m undeclared I felt I like I need to get out there and learn about different majors.” This event provided this student an opportunity to talk representatives of Communication Studies clubs, current Communication Studies majors as well as other prospective students. This student said she enjoyed being able to talk other students within the major by saying, “My favorite part of this event is definitely interacting with the other Communication Studies students because you get to learn the most from talking to other people.” Overall this student was glad she attended the event and got the opportunity to learn more about Communication Studies. 

Lambda Pi Eta’s event was definitely a success. When asked what the purpose of the event was, Dr. Kris Paal said, “This event is intended to provide just a little opportunity to accomplish both bringing together students and celebrating some of the academic success of our newest members of LPH.  2020 has been a rough year for everyone, and it certainly has made it difficult for our COMMunity to feel like a community.  The purpose of the COMMunity Open Lawn is rooted in LPH’s desire to hold some sort of gathering for members and other students to connect.  Additionally, LPH’s spring initiation was held via Zoom due to lockdown, and so our new members have yet to have a ceremony where they can receive their official membership certificates and where we can publicly acknowledge their achievement.”

Everything Dr. Paal and the rest of Lambda Pi Eta set out to do by hosting this event was accomplished. New members of LPH got the opportunity to be publicly recognized and to connect with other members. It also provided prospective students a chance to learn more about the COMMunity and why it is such a unique major to join. As Dr. Paal mentioned, this semester has been a challenge for everyone. This event provided students an opportunity to connect with one another and to not focus on all of their challenges for a little while. The COMMunity Open Lawn event also proved that as a major we can still come together and keep our community strong no matter the circumstances. Even in the most challenging of times, the COMMunity remains resilient.