In late April, nine College of Communication and Information (CCI) students traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to network with alumni, tour company facilities, and learn about the technology industry at five major companies.
The students visited William Mills Agency, where they met CCI alumnus and CCI Leadership Board member William Mills (B.A. ‘83). During the visit, they gained insight into the financial technology industry (FINTECH) from a public relations perspective. Following that, they visited AT&T, where they were hosted by alumnus Richard Basen (B.S. ‘17) and his recruiting colleagues to learn about career paths within the company.
Additionally, the students visited General Motors IT Innovation Center, Home Depot’s Orange Works Innovation Center, and Equifax. They also attended a networking dinner where they met over 20 CCI alumni. At GM, they were hosted by 5 CCI alumni, and at Equifax, they met with Jermaine Washington Jr. (B.S. ‘15) and Madison Betsill Short (B.S. ‘17).
“I learned more about how to strategically break into the field I want to go into through the network we had the opportunity to tap into,” said School of Information (iSchool) student Ashari Penerton. “I also may have gotten swayed into moving to Atlanta after graduation.”
“The overwhelming fog that is figuring out post-grad life became a lot clearer after seeing how open our wonderful alumni are to helping and sharing their experiences,” said information technology (IT) graduate student Andrea Colon-De Feria.
iSchool senior Bella Bozied emphasized the appreciation the group of students had for Associate Dean Ebe Randeree, the organizer of this trip. “We were able to visit an array of IT-centered companies made up of so many people holding different roles. We were able to connect with Software Engineers, Scrum Masters, Project Managers, Product Owners, and more. Networking can seem daunting, but everyone I was able to speak with during the trip provided so much advice!”
Software engineer at General Motors and iSchool alumna Kelly Newbrough (B.S. ‘21) said, “It was such a fulfilling and exciting experience getting to connect with the FSU CCI students. As a student, I always loved and appreciated these trips, and it’s a little surreal getting to be on the other side. I can’t wait to see how they all utilize the information they gained and see them succeed.”
The goals of the trip are to connect current student leaders with FSU alumni, experience the work environments of various companies, network with recruiters, and learn from alumni. Associate Dean Ebe Randeree said, “we have been coming annually to Atlanta for over 12 years, providing networking and mentoring opportunities to our students and alumni, connecting students for internships and jobs, meeting with our industry partners, and keeping updated on current industry trends/needs; the hope is that the student leaders that traveled will come back and share the information within their student groups.”