Senior Sana Boghani always wanted to attend an industry networking trip, but there was always a scheduling conflict—until the most recent networking trip.
The communication studies major joined more than 90 students and faculty from the College of Communication and Information on a two-day industry networking trip to Nashville, Tennessee in October.
“As a senior getting ready to graduate this December, I knew this trip was the perfect opportunity to meet industry professionals and get a glimpse into what a communication studies degree can offer in the real world,” Boghani said. “I could not have asked for a better first industry networking trip with a wonderful group of students and amazing faculty.”
For more than 30 years, CCI has offered school-led networking trips to major cities across the United States. These trips provide students with unique, real-time insights into communication, journalism and media, advertising, public relations, and information sciences industries.
Students also network with industry professionals and connect with CCI alumni during these trips. This networking has resulted in many students garnering interviews, jobs, and internships from the connections made with professionals during these trips.
Visiting Nashville with CCI was also advertising major Ava Schwarz’s first industry networking trip. Being from Nashville made the trip even more meaningful, said the senior, who enjoyed making connections with professionals in her hometown.
“These networking trips are truly invaluable, and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to attend,” Schwarz said. “I see all the hard work and dedication put in by CCI faculty to make this happen for us. I know that they fought to make these trips as affordable as possible for us, and I appreciate that so much.”
Taking it to the ‘Next Level’
CCI Dean Joseph Mazer said the college is building on these trips’ success over the past three decades by providing more support, both financially and administratively, to take student experiences to the next level.
This means committing additional funding to expand the size, scope, and quality of the trips, while making them more affordable for students. The goal is to ensure every CCI student benefits from at least one high-impact experiential learning opportunity through funding provided by the college; among these are industry networking trips.
“As we prepare the next generation of communication and information leaders, we are committed to providing every CCI student with meaningful, hands-on learning and professional development opportunities,” Mazer said. “By reducing the financial burden of participation, we’re expanding access to these valuable experiences and helping more students position themselves for success after graduation.”
To further support this initiative, the college appointed Joe Stabb, assistant professor of practice in the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations, as an administrative fellow for industry networking trips. Stabb will work with the college, its four schools, and the CCI Office of Academic Affairs and Student Success to coordinate college industry networking trips.
Boghani said she is amazed by how, in just a few years, CCI has expanded its experiential learning opportunities for students. She said her success as a student would not have been possible without these opportunities and the CCI community’s support. She is beyond grateful that she chose CCI as her home at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Supporting Student-Employer Connections
CCI Director of Career Development Alexis Andershock said networking trips are one of the key strategies the college uses for enhancing career readiness and outcomes for students.
She said students can explore career options and learn first-hand what working in communication and information industries is like at a time in their career journey where pivoting or diving deeper into a selected career path is generally easier.
Students can also use the trips to practice their networking skills ahead of future internships or job interviews.
Daniel Hahofer, a master’s student studying journalism and media at CCI, said networking can be intimidating, but these trips help students overcome those trepidations. He said having CCI faculty and staff nearby for support and advice makes engaging with professionals easier.
He added that some professors even initiate introductions to professionals and alumni on students’ behalf; with such support, Hahofer said he can’t help but feel motivated to work hard.
“That’s what has really stuck with me after these trips,” Hahofer said. “You get so inspired by all these people and what you see that you want to get better so you might end up in their position in the future.”
Andershock said these trips facilitate employer connections that can be leveraged to build new professional development initiatives or improve current initiatives at CCI. It also strengthens the career pipeline for CCI students.
Vols Helping Other Vols
A key aspect of CCI networking trips is connecting students with alumni excelling in the career fields they aspire to join in the future.
Each trip typically features the college or school hosting an alumni reception designed to bring together generations of Vols in the same room. Schwarz said she enjoyed visiting different organizations as part of the trip, but the college’s alumni reception was her favorite part.
At the reception, she met and connected with alumnae Pam Schmidt (‘93) and Tiffany Carpenter (‘96) with MP&F Strategic Communications. She said Carpenter, who operates out of the public relations firm’s Knoxville office, offered to review her résumé and visit their office.
“It was so great to meet and connect with so many CCI alumni,” Schwarz said. “You can tell that our alumni truly want to help us and see us succeed, and that means so much. I was very nervous at first to start conversations with alumni, but everyone was incredibly nice and there to help.”
