There have been many impactful moments in and out of the classrooms at the College of Communication and Information for Addison Lafayette, who is majoring in communication studies. Whether she was learning how to refine her public speaking skills, making new friends, going on networking trips around the country, or sitting in a class taught by Peyton Manning (’97), Lafayette will walk across the stage this May with more than just a degree to take home.
“I’m walking away more confident in myself both personally and professionally. I feel more prepared, and I have more faith in myself,” she said.
That’s a strong statement from someone whose initial reaction to learning about all the public speaking courses she’d have to take was pure excitement. Lafayette laughs when she brings up how surprised her instructors would be at her unusual enthusiasm for a skill many students (and people in general) dread.
“I love talking. I told my professor that and she said I’ve never had a student tell me that before. I still love it even though I’m done with classes,” she said.
Despite her atypical passion for talking in front of large groups of people, Lafayette said she didn’t have the boldness necessary to doggedly chase her dreams until this past year. But, after learning so much and being encouraged persistently by faculty to put herself out there, she found the courage to take leaps of faith to further her opportunities.
Throwing a Hail Mary
Perhaps the biggest leap she took was getting a letter into the hands of Manning—who, in addition to being a former NFL quarterback and a current sports media personality, is a College of Communication and Information alumnus and a School of Communication Studies professor of practice—not just once, but twice. Manning travels to CCI to teach periodically, and Lafayette was the only student who lucked out in being in the class he taught in person for two semesters in a row.
The first time, she took that opportunity to write him a letter thanking him for the funds he provided the School of Communication Studies to cover expenses for students participating in the annual Washington, DC, networking trip; she also slipped her business card in the envelope. The second time, she wrote yet another letter to update him on her college experiences and she decided to just take the plunge and added, “If you’re ever hiring at Omaha, you have my number,” and slipped another business card into that letter.
“Roughly two hours after that, I got an email from Omaha Productions from a lady at HR and she said, ‘Peyton sent me your letter and your business card and he described you as driven and ambitious.’,’ Lafayette said.
It wasn’t an internship or job offer, but it was a foot in the door at Manning’s company, Omaha Productions. Lafayette was given an opportunity to meet with the head of the production company’s human resources to show her personality, ambitions, and capabilities. The result was a social media internship.
“It was literally…it didn’t feel real. Me, are you sure? The whole way it came about is what is so crazy to me; [Manning] took the time to read it, sent it to his people, and his people sent something to me. In my heart and my mind, I know it’s a God thing. I was trusting God with that, and he’s provided a lot for me,” Lafayette said. “It all happened so fast, and I started as an intern in the middle of September and worked remotely.”
Much of the work she did in the internship was social media, which is the graduating senior’s main area of interest for her future career. She said it was exciting to work on deliverables for shows that were completely under wraps prior to airing, including the second seasons of Netflix documentary shows Quarterback and Full Court Press. She even got to fly out to the ManningCast set in Denver once and met with Manning and chatted about School of Communication Studies Associate Professor John Haas, citing that the former football star is a “Dr. Haas fan.”
That type of extra effort to include her was an extension of an environment at Omaha Productions that Lafayette said was “unbelievably positive” and set a high bar for the workplace culture she hopes to find in her future. He was also very generous in giving her tickets to the Knoxville Morgan Wallen concert and giving her family—who are intense Volunteers fans—football tickets to the UT game versus the University of Florida.
“[Manning] is such a cool, down-to-earth guy and genuinely cares about his people, his employees, he really does. It’s something I’ve never experienced before, but in a great way. I told them that they spoiled me, I’ll have a hard time finding a culture like that. He’s so genuine with everyone who works there, he knows all their names,” she said.
While having a star for a boss is something Lafayette will never forget, the chance to hone and learn more skills during the internship is an invaluable addition to her resume. As an avid lover of sports, much of the research she had to do included work such as watching Monday Night Football—which didn’t feel like work at all. At the same time, she learned a lot about collaborating with a team, keeping up with trends, and creating concepts that could potentially go viral.
“That’s what I also love about social media, it’s changing every day. I’m learning new things every day and I love that. And I’m challenging myself in new ways,” she said.
Crossing the Endzone
The internship cemented Lafayette’s love of managing social media and lit a new passion in her for working in the professional sports industry. She’s applying to social media coordinator roles around the country for NFL teams, though she would consider college—with, of course, UT being at the top of that list.
Lafayette is a fourth-generation Volunteer, with her mother, aunt, grandfather, and great-grandfather all graduating from UT, and the latter two playing football for the Vols.
“When it came time to pick, I only applied here. But I got in, so it’s OK,” Lafayette said with a chuckle.
She started off as a marketing major but knew after the first semester she needed to change her major to a better fit. It was love at first communication studies class, and not just because she enjoyed the curriculum.
“I found in my first day in communication class, people actually talked to each other. I hadn’t been in a class where people talked to each other and knew each other’s names,” she recalled. “People made a point to get to class early to talk to their friends. The switch to going from silent classrooms to classrooms that don’t shut up, I loved it. That’s how I met people and that’s how I learned about the Communication Studies Club, and I took part in the Washington, DC, trip. And I made some really great friends through the club and class.”
These are the experiences, connections, and memories Lafayette will carry with her as she goes across the stage in the Thompson-Boling Arena May 16, marking the end of her undergraduate journey and beginning a new adventure as a UT alumna. With a major in communication studies and a double minor in journalism and media, and advertising and public relations, she feels more than prepared to take on this next phase of her life. That is, in no small part, because of the many people who invested in her success—from Peyton Manning and the team at Omaha Productions, to Associate Professor John Haas and her friends and family.
“It makes me want to go out of my way to help other people, because they helped me, so why would I not? I very much do see that more now; going above and beyond to help other people and making them feel seen, heard, and wanted,” she said. “I don’t need to get something out of helping you, me helping you is enough; even if me connecting you with this person doesn’t benefit me in any way, I still want to help you because that’s the right thing to do. Haas doesn’t get anything out of helping me, Hess didn’t get anything out of connecting me with people—that’s what I admire about that, you genuinely are just doing good for other people.”