School of Communications Meet and Greet features robust student and employer turnout

More than 200 Elon University students attended this week’s Communications and Sport Management Meet and Greet, an in-person internship and job event, to discuss their career interests with the 20 communications companies and their representatives in attendance.

The on-campus event held March 28 in Snow Family Grand Atrium allowed students – many dropping in between classes – to converse with the companies regarding internship opportunities and full-time positions. A photo gallery of the Meet & Greet is available on the school’s Flickr page.

The Meet and Greet included on-site representatives from APCO Worldwide, Campus Greensboro, Crawford, Easter Music Festival, Glen Raven, IPG Health, Method Savvy, Phaidon International, Real Chemistry, Relias, RLF Communications, SportsMEDIA Technology Corp, TriMark Digital, WGHP/FOX 8 and WXII-TV. Additionally, students interviewed virtually with Golin, Netflix Animation and Racepoint Global. Students could also speak with reps on hand from the Elon in LA Bridges program and the Interactive Media graduate program.

According to Ross Wade, senior associate director of career services, the Student Professional Development Center made a concerted effort this year to update its employer engagement events to be more casual and conversational.

“The events are more informal and focused on having conversations and building relationships with employers and alumni versus coming in a suit and tie and applying for jobs and internships,” Wade said. “This redirection in our programming is based on post-Covid professional culture shifts and the realization that many students haven’t had in-person engagement with professionals.”

Wade was thrilled with the strong employer turnout, noting the companies offered a “wide range of opportunities and geographic areas,” he said.

Several of the companies are regular Meet and Greet participants, including Golin, Glen Raven,  SportsMEDIA Technology Corp, WGHP/FOX 8 and WXII-TV. Ross credited this consistent participation to the school and its faculty for producing students with the skills, understanding and knowledge to contribute right away.

“Our faculty do a wonderful job of building a very strong foundation in the discipline and incorporating ‘real world’ projects in classes,” Wade said. “They also are highly engaged and collaborative with the SPDC, and ask Alison Doherty and I to attend classes to discuss professional development topics frequently. Additionally, our students gain a tremendous amount of hands-on experience through student media and internships, and that plays a significant role in their preparedness.”

The afternoon event was coordinated by Stephanie Bourland, associate director of corporate and employer relations, and Kristin Walker, associate director of employer experience and technology. Alison Doherty, assistant director of career services, Amber Moser, director of internships in the School of Communications, Abby Reed ’25, and Wade also helped facilitate the event.