Led by faculty members David Bockino and Colin Donohue, 25 first-year Fellows and two senior Fellows traveled to Atlanta Oct. 21-22 to visit several well-known companies and sports venues, including Delta Air Lines headquarters, Jackson Spalding PR agency, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena.
The Communications Fellows programs annual fall trip to Atlanta has many objectives career exploration, personal and professional growth, and building camaraderie top the list. And this years expedition was no exception.
Led by Associate Professor of Sport Management David Bockino and Instructor in Journalism Colin Donohue, 25 first-year Fellows and two senior Fellows visited Georgias capital on Oct. 21-22 to learn firsthand about a few of the citys most notable companies and sports venues. The students were split into two groups to tour organizations based on their major of interest.
Bockino accompanied students to Delta Air Lines headquarters and Jackson Spalding PR agency, one of the countrys largest independent PR and marketing agencies. While at Delta, the students were met by Drake Springer 10, the airlines associate creative director, who coordinated a panel with the companys communications staff.
For me, one of the highlights was getting to see Deltas campus for the first time, thanks to the access provided by Elon alum Drake Springer, Bockino said. He even secured us some time in the flight simulator for our students the same place where Delta trains all of its pilots.
From what I heard, most should stick with their current majors, Bockino quipped.
That afternoon, the group visited Jackson Spalding, a trip organized by Hannah Collier, the agencys public relations coordinator. At the agency, the students heard from a staff panel and spent a few minutes with Glen Jackson, Jackson Spaldings founder.
Across town, Donohue led seven sports-minded students on tours of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, and State Farm Arena, which houses the Atlanta Hawks. While at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the students met with Elon alumnus Byron Ross 18, a Falcons fan services executive.
The two groups reconnected later that evening to attend the Hawks’ home game against the Orlando Magic at State Farm Arena. The sporting event was the perfect backdrop to meet with Atlanta-based alumni, including Rajat Agarwal 16, Bella Branham 20, Marjorie Ann Foster 20, Addie Haney 14 and Ross. The two-day trip concluded with a Saturday morning visit to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
Our annual trip to Atlanta with the first-year Communications Fellows does two things one, it exposes these students to a professional work environment and gives them some ideas on what its like to work in communications or sport management. And two, it allows the cohort to have an experience together off campus, Bockino said. Even though its only a couple of days, I often hear graduating Fellows talk fondly about their Atlanta trip. That alone is worth all the planning and effort that goes into putting this experience together.
Bockino explained that the opportunity to meet young alumni succeeding professionally often has positive ramifications that make a lasting impression.
First-year students often talk about their dream jobs as just that dreams. But then they meet our alums and realize that if they put in the work and remain focused, those dreams can one day become realities, he said.
Bockino thanked senior Fellows Anna Cave 23 and Lily Gardner 23 for helping chaperone the first-year cohort, as well as Alyssa Donohue, program assistant in the School of Communications, for her assistance coordinating the trips logistics.
First-year Communications Fellows will again travel as a cohort in January as part of The Fellows Experience, a Winter Term course, where students tour media outlets and communications organizations in Orlando and Tampa.
For an in-depth look at the Fellows recent experiential trips, read Communications Fellows experiences highlight possibilities.