By: Olivia Tompkins
During the first week of January, seven AdPR students traveled to Silicon Valley in California to meet with Fortune 500 companies and learn more about digital and new media in the technology industry. Students and faculty visited eBay, Google, Kiip, Facebook/ Instagram, Oath/ Verizon and Twitter.
Each visit consisted of presentations on current company projects, Q&A sessions with employees from multiple different positions, and impressive tours of the company’s office spaces. Students also enjoyed attending a mixer with UGA alumni in the Silicon Valley area. Popular topics of discussion were current industry trends and professional roles and expectations on the job. This is the second time Grady College has offered this opportunity for students.
“I am so grateful that Grady offers so many unique opportunities to get hands-on experience and insight into the AdPR industry in a variety of specialties. It was great to hear first-hand from such interesting and influential individuals in companies that don’t always have high transparency,“ senior public relations major Alexandra Vlk said. Vlk also serves as PRSSA’s Director of Internal Communications.
“The trip to Silicon Valley is an exceptional experiential learning opportunity for our students as they get to visit and interact with leaders from those international leading technology and information companies, such as eBay, Google, Facebook, Twitter, among others. It is critical to let students see how communication, information and technology can integrate effectively in the real world. It also helps us maintain our strong relationships and networks with those leading brands and companies,” faculty member Dr. Juan Meng said.
The seven AdPR students in attendance were: Bradley Barker, Ariana Giovetti, Ashley Nickerson, Alexandra Vlk, Delaney Ann Doolittle, Emily Jennette Clary and Brooke LeBlanc. These students were accompanied by faculty members Dr. Karen King, Dr. Juan Meng, Dr. Joe Phua and Dr. Bryan Reber. Students, look out for this amazing opportunity next year!
