Office of Student Media technology coordinator and advisor Austin Orr has aspirations of one day being an instructor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
In his current role, he works with students on a daily basis helping them grow their photography and video skills through hands-on experiences in student media organizations such as Lumos Media Services and The Daily Beacon.
“That experience has been so fulfilling and so enriching that I was like, I really want to do my master’s so that I can have the potential to teach actual classes one day,” Orr said.
This May, Orr moves one step closer to achieving his goals as he graduates with his master’s degree with a concentration in strategic and digital communication offered online through the College of Communication and Information.
As a young boy, Orr said he never would have imagined pursuing a master’s degree. He feels fortunate to reach this level of education given that many from his family did not attend college.
Orr was drawn to the strategic digital communication program because it was fully online. That allowed him a lot of flexibility as someone who worked full-time. He added the university also provides some financial support to staff members seeking to enhance their education, which made the prospect of going back to school easier.
Orr said one benefit of the program is that it pulled knowledge from the four schools under CCI. This allows him to work on different skills that will help him not only do his current job better but also help prepare him to work as a future instructor.
“I think given the very versatile nature of my role here in the office, having classes that cover a variety of different things in communications has helped me do my current job better. It’s opened me up to a lot of new experiences,” he said.
One experience that stood out to him was his practicum. He was assigned with the task of assisting a large church in Maryville, Tennessee, livestream its services. This was a new skill for Orr, who has more experience in commercial video production. In commercial video production, they have the luxury of shooting as many takes as possible to get things right, unlike a livestream, so he said it was a great learning experience.
The practicum helped him feel prepared to assist students in April when they livestreamed the Milk Man & The Big Band performance at Yee-Haw Brewing. The effort brought together Lumos Media Services, The Volunteer Channel, and WUTK-FM students and staff for the project.
When it came to selecting a college, Orr knew he wanted to stay in Tennessee but it wasn’t until a visit to Rocky Top that he knew UT was the place for him.
During his time on campus as an undergraduate student, he worked at The Daily Beacon, focusing a lot on managing their video section. He recalled how his friend and mentor, John Kennedy, shaped his experience on campus for the better. Kennedy was the former technology coordinator and student media advisor for the Office of Student Media and an adjunct professor for the School of Journalism and Media.
When Kennedy moved on from the Office of Student Media, Orr stepped up to fill his role as technology coordinator shortly after he graduated in 2022 with his bachelor’s degree.
Orr tries to emulate some of Kennedy’s traits when he works with students, such as making himself available as best he can and taking interest in them beyond just what they need to do for school or student media. He finds joy in helping others and views it as a bonus that he has found a way to do so while combining his passion for media storytelling.
As he prepares to graduate from UT for the second time in May, the moment is extra special because he will be walking this spring alongside his fiancé Lauren Ward, who completed her undergraduate degree with a major in journalism and media and has secured a position with Jupiter Entertainment post-graduation.
Another factor that makes completing his master’s special is the fact that, not only did he complete the program at his alma mater, but he did it through the college he enjoys working for daily.
“It just feels very fulfilling. I know my family is incredibly proud,” Orr said. “It’s even sweeter now because I have gotten to meet and work with so many of the faculty and staff here in the college. I just think that that’s a cool personal touch to it now.”