‘Tremendous turnout’ of ElonComm students at employer meet and greet

More than 220 School of Communications students attended this week’s COMM/SPT Meet and Greet, an in-person internship and job event, to discuss their career interests with communications- and sports-related companies and their representatives.

The Sept. 20 event, held in Snow Family Grand Atrium, included on-site representatives from McKinney, Pace Communications, Pillar4 Media, Susie Films, SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology), Glen Raven, WGHP, WRAL and WXII. Additionally, students interviewed virtually with ESPN, Golin and Weber Shandwick.

The on-campus event allowed students – in a casual setting – to converse with the representatives about internship opportunities and full-time positions. A photo gallery of the meet and greet is available on the school’s Flickr page.

“We could not be more thrilled with the tremendous turnout we had at our meet and greet,” said Ross Wade, senior associate director of career services. “The employers raved about our students, commenting again and again about how polished, prepared and engaging the students were.”

“Equally exciting was the positive response we heard from students. My favorite student quote was, ‘I had to come for class … but I’m glad I did, this employer thing is awesome!’” Wade added.

Among the employers on hand were a few familiar faces – two Elon University alumni. Laura Levitt Watson ’12, assistant news director at WXII, and Dominique Rousseau ’22, brand coordinator at McKinney, returned to campus to talk with students about current and future roles at their respective companies. Want another Elon connection? Among Watson’s promotional materials was a flyer featuring a photograph of Jackie Pascale ’18, an anchor and reporter at WXII.

“As always, we are so thankful for our wonderful alumni who show up and work ‘the other side of the table,’” Wade said. “It is encouraging for our current students to see these alumni return to campus, gainfully employed and enthusiastic about their career paths and organizations. It really makes an impact on our students.”

The job and internship event was held in partnership between the Student Professional Development Center and the School of Communications. Stephanie Bourland, associate director of corporate and employer relations, coordinated the participating employers. Additionally, Alison Doherty, assistant director of career services; Amber Moser, internship director in the School of Communications; Genevieve Barnes, program assistant in the School of Communications; Abby Reed ’25, internship office assistant; and Wade helped coordinate and facilitate the day’s events. Kristin Walker, associate director of employer experience and technology, also played an integral role in organizing and hosting the SPDC event.