Student Experience Stories
-
CCI Students Sweep the 2025 Southeast Journalism Conference with 20 Awards
This article was written by Drue Hamlet College of Communication and Information students and outlets in The Media Center brought 20 awards back to Rocky Top from the 2025 Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC), more than doubling the number earned at last year’s competition. Ten students traveled to Cartersville, Georgia, on February 5 to compete against…
-
CCI Expands Study Abroad Trips to Morocco, Experience Focuses on AI, Information Sciences
Nyja Casey was pleasantly surprised when she learned that the College of Communication and Information (CCI) offers a study abroad program focused on artificial intelligence (AI). The applied artificial intelligence major’s first study abroad experience was this past winter as part of the inaugural cohort for the UTK CCI in Morocco program. Casey said the experience combined…
-
CCI Students Take on Community-Focused Reporting Through New Knox News Partnership
Professor of Practice Melanie Faizer, far right, is leading a cohort of three student journalists who will work with the Knoxville News Sentinel to do accountability reporting. The students are, from front left clockwise: Kayleigh Smith, Lauren Holladay, and Olivia Lee. This article was written by Drue Hamlet Beginning this semester, College of Communication and…
-
Tombras School Student Lands Spot in Tree Hut’s Inaugural Super Bowl Commercial
If you watched the Big Game on Peacock, or in select states, you may have seen a familiar face from the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations. Junior public relations major Lanie Draughon, also known as Lanie Kristin on social media, appeared in body care brand Tree Hut’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial. Draughon’s passion…
-
For Second Time, UT Journalism and Media Students to Cover Paralympic Games for USA TODAY Network
For a second time, students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s College of Communication and Information (CCI) will have the opportunity to cover the Winter Paralympic Games, reporting from Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in March 2026. Building on the success of their reporting experience at the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, students will…
-
A Hidden Passion Unlocked: Cade Beasley Finds His ‘Voice’ as Co-Host of BBC’s Introducing in America Show on WUTK “The Rock”
When Cade Beasley started his major at the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the idea of becoming a radio host never crossed his mind. That changed last summer when he began his practicum at 90.3 WUTK FM, UT’s student-run radio station. What started as a hands-on learning experience quickly…
-
From Classroom Curiosity to Published Research: SIS Faculty and Alumni Explore How Museums Manage Their Collections in the Age of AI
From left to right: Sidney Gavel, Professor Wade Bishop, and Emily Chapin When Professor Wade Bishop from the School of Information Sciences began studying how museums organize and digitize their physical collections, he did not anticipate that a class assignment would evolve into a multi-year research project. This unexpected journey would involve three SIS master’s…
-
Navy Veteran, Communication Studies Major Graduating After Finding His Home Sweet Home on Rocky Top
Graduating senior Mason Vucinic was standing in the VolShop at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in a sea of orange and white merchandise when he made the decision to attend Tennessee’s flagship institution. It wasn’t the choice he’d originally anticipated making when he began his higher education search, but it was an easy one to…
-
The Power of Saying Yes: Graduating Senior Kylia Berry’s Reflects on Making the Most of Her Hands-On Experiences
When graduating senior Kylia Berry held a camera in her hand on her first day at the School of Journalism and Media (J&M), she knew she had found her calling. Growing up in Seymour, Tennessee, Kylia always dreamed she would one day call Rocky Top home. She spent her childhood cheering on the Vols at…
-
CCI PhD Student and Faculty Member Participate in United Nations Summit
Nadia Khalique, a PhD student at the College of Communication and Information, had the unique opportunity to attend the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City along with Assistant Professor of Practice Joe Stabb from the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations. Their participation came through Stabb’s work with the GIRL…