One of Alex Carpenter’s favorite memories from visiting Japan this winter was searching for one last bite of Kobe beef on the final day of the trip.
Just when the journalism and media major and his friends were at their wits’ end, they found an affordable, all-you-can-eat buffet where they indulged in the Japanese delicacy one more time.
What made that moment special was not the food—which was delicious—but the camaraderie shared among fellow members of the inaugural Alan and Wendy Wilson Communication and Leadership Academy cohort.
“We’re laughing, smiling, grilling up delicious food as a group, one last time,” Carpenter said. “It was kind of a reflective moment. It was just a culmination of all the great things this trip has encapsulated.”
Traveling to Japan this winter was the academy’s first global experience and one of many opportunities included in the one-year, competitively selective professional and leadership development program. Such experiences are tailored to train the next generation of Vol leaders to excel in the communication, information, and business industries.
Established in 2024 through a generous $4.5 million gift from College of Communication and Information (CCI) alumnus Alan Wilson (’80) and his wife Wendy, the academy combines industry-focused leadership development opportunities with hands-on learning experiences for its cohort of CCI and Haslam College of Business students.
Hands-on learning experiences include monthly workshops on communication and leadership, individualized mentorship with industry professionals and faculty, a cohort-led community service project, and a global trip.
“The goal is to provide them with the opportunities and the training that they need to take the lead in the workplace, wherever they end up,” Associate Professor and Wilson Academy Director Guy Harrison said. “Everyone involved in the Wilson Academy will tell you that this has been a wonderful experience so far, and we owe it all to the Wilsons.”
Growing Abroad Together
Members of the inaugural cohort describe the trip to Japan as transformative both professionally and personally.
For Katie Tolene, an economics major, bonding with the cohort was her favorite highlight from the trip. She recalls feeling nervous about joining the Wilson Academy after learning about the caliber of other students in the inaugural cohort.
However, she is glad she applied, adding traveling abroad with the cohort only brought members closer together.
“It’s single-handedly the biggest opportunity I’ve had at UT,” Tolene said. “Being with this cohort has made me better in a million ways. I think that the marriage between communication and business is so crucial today. It’s a phenomenal opportunity. I don’t know if there’s another one like it on campus.”
For the academy’s inaugural global trip, students visited Tokyo, Kyoto, and Kobe, where they met with international partners, alumni, and university peers to learn more about different leadership and communication styles, global philanthropy, Japanese work culture, and much more.
Harrison said the country offered students a chance not only to advance professionally—as the country is a major hub for communication, media, and commerce in the world—but its unique culture offered a perspective-changing opportunity for the students to learn more about leadership and stewardship.
“I think it was very developmental for me in terms of my career and personal life,” CCI master’s student Abby Kom said. “The culture is just so different from what I’ve experienced here in Tennessee.”
Harrison said students learned Japanese cultural concepts such as wa (和), which emphasizes interdependence, harmony, and group respect over individual needs, and how it might be applied to their own individual leadership styles.
Students also engaged in several hands-on learning experiences as they learned more about leadership in another culture, such as engaging in a service project with KimPax Inc., a nonprofit focused on transforming Japanese communities by addressing sustainability challenges through agricultural knowledge preservation and AI-driven analytics.
After speaking with the CEO about the nonprofit’s mission and values, students got their hands dirty by picking radishes alongside local farmers. Junior Ciara McMahon, an information sciences major, enjoyed learning about leadership and service from the KimPax CEO, but said that working on the service project made the trip’s lessons come together.
McMahon recalled that one local farmer was so moved to see several young people engaged in such service that he told them it gave him hope for the future.
“I think those perspectives are ones you normally wouldn’t hear as a normal tourist, but those are the ones that mattered most to me,” McMahon said. “We were helping the local community, but we were able to understand the meaning and the motivation behind it as well.”
Harrison said the experience also helped students better conceptualize how they can be servant leaders within their communities. Part of the cohort experience this academic year is planning a service project with local high school students.
Kom said participating in the service project in Japan further reinforced the concept that it doesn’t take much to have a wide-reaching impact on people’s lives.
From helping to build homes for those in need, to teaching English in China, Kom has always been an ardent advocate of service work and looks forward to applying lessons learned in Japan to the cohort’s own service project, and beyond.
“I think one of the takeaways from this trip for students is learning how to lead while serving others,” Harrison said. “Leadership is serving, ultimately, and when you think of examples servant leadership, like the Volunteer Creed, it is something good leaders aspire to and we got to put that into action in Japan.”