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 program鈥檚 annual fall trip to Atlanta has many objectives 鈥撀燾areer exploration, personal and professional growth, and building camaraderie top the list. And this year鈥檚 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 Georgia鈥檚 capital on Oct. 21-22 to learn firsthand about a few of the city鈥檚 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 country鈥檚 largest independent PR and marketing agencies. While at Delta, the students were met by Drake Springer 鈥10, the airline鈥檚 associate creative director, who coordinated a panel with the company鈥檚 communications staff.
鈥淔or me, one of the highlights was getting to see Delta鈥檚 campus for the first time, thanks to the access provided by Elon alum Drake Springer,鈥 Bockino said. 鈥淗e even secured us some time in the flight simulator for our students 鈥 the same place where Delta trains all of its pilots.
鈥淔rom what I heard, most should stick with their current majors,鈥 Bockino quipped.
That afternoon, the group visited Jackson Spalding, a trip organized by Hannah Collier, the agency鈥檚 public relations coordinator. At the agency, the students heard from a staff panel and spent a few minutes with Glen Jackson, Jackson Spalding鈥檚 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 鈥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 鈥16, Bella Branham 鈥20, Marjorie Ann Foster 鈥20, Addie Haney 鈥14 and Ross. The two-day trip concluded with a Saturday morning visit to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
鈥淥ur annual trip to Atlanta with the first-year Communications Fellows does two things 鈥 one, it exposes these students to a professional work environment and gives them some ideas on what it鈥檚 like to work in communications or sport management. And two, it allows the cohort to have an experience together off campus,鈥 Bockino said. 鈥淓ven though it鈥檚 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.鈥
Bockino explained that the opportunity to meet young alumni succeeding professionally often has positive ramifications that make a lasting impression.
鈥淔irst-year students often talk about their dream jobs as just that 鈥 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,鈥 he said.
Bockino thanked senior Fellows Anna Cave 鈥23 and Lily Gardner 鈥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 trip鈥檚 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鈥 recent experiential trips, read 鈥Communications Fellows experiences highlight possibilities.鈥