Sarah Ali (JEM ’20) participated in the Going on Assignment in Prague program during the summer of 2019 with Professor Mark Harmon. A senior at the time, she has since graduated from UT, but we caught up with her to talk about her first time out of the country.  

Raven Bailey (CS ’19) participated in the Communicating Across Cultures in Dublin program led by Associate Professor Laura Miller and Director John Haas during the summer of 2019. Then a senior, she has since graduated from UT, but we caught up with her nonetheless to hear about her first time being abroad.  

Public Relations major Kensi Juszkiewicz, a Public Relations major, spent five weeks during the summer of 2019 in Siena, Italy as part of the Public Relations in Siena with Professor Candice White. A sophomore at the time, Lyra sat down with us to talk about her experience in the program and the best summer of her life.  

Liza Cunningham (AD ’20) participated in two study abroad programs: the CCI Global Scholars program in Sydney and the Advertising in Rome program during mini-term with Professor Sally McMillan.

Since graduating from UT, Cunningham is now an account executive with iHeartMedia, but we caught up with her to talk about her second time studying abroad in Italy. 

In a few months, Ciera Noe will earn her second degree from the College of Communication and Information. 

The second one will definitely be a first. 

Noe completed her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Electronic Media in 2020 and is on track to being the first graduate of CCI’s new Strategic and Digital Communication (SDC) program this summer. She does not have finalized career plans, but she found a strength in copy edited during her undergraduate studies and the SDC coursework sparked an interest in social media marketing. 

After more than 15 years away, Dania Sarelska returned to Rocky Top in 2018 from her home country of Bulgaria to pursue a PhD in Communication and Information with an emphasis in Journalism and Electronic Media.

She had been a part of the Journalism and Electronic Media program in 2000 and 2003 on different non-degree exchange programs while studying at Sofia University. Since graduating, she has been a news producer and director in Bulgaria.

What made you decide to pursue your PhD at UT?

Students from the College of Communication and Information received 53 accolades from the 2021 Academic Honors Banquet and the 2021 Volunteers of Distinction program. 

Below are the CCI award winners:

2021 Academic Honors Banquet

Top Collegiate Scholars 

River Bailey (Journalism & Electronic Media)

Anna Franklin (Communication Studies)

2021 Volunteers of Distinction

Academic Achievement

Megan Albers (Public Relations)

River Bailey (Journalism & Electronic Media)

Jonus Camp (Advertising)

Taylor Carter (Public Relations)

Alexandra DeMarco (Journalism & Electronic Media)

Hannah Dimon (Communication Studies)

Anna Franklin (Communication Studies)

Sara Gaddis (Communication Studies)

Brayden Huff (Communication Studies)

Cameron Hutt (Communication Studies)

Asynchronous course formats allow for greater flexibility and are a convenient way for students to further their education without having to put their lives on hold. These courses allow students to work on their own schedule while permitting them to work a job, complete internships, or even be a parent, just to name a few. It can help relieve the stress associated with balancing schoolwork with outside priorities.

Ford Sanders (JEM ’20) participated in the Going on Assignment in Prague program during summer 2019. A junior at the time, we checked in with Sanders, now an on-air reporter with the Nexstar Media Group in Nashville, to hear about how this program re-ignited his passion in journalism.  

Austin Byerly (PR ’18) studied abroad with Professor Candice White on the Public Relations in Siena program for six weeks during the summer of 2017. A junior at the time, he has since graduated from UT, but he remembers his experience like it was yesterday. We reached out to Byerly to learn more about why his time in Italy was so meaningful.