COMMunity Roar

Intern Insights: Sophia Talks Hangout Fest

My Experience at Hangout Music Festival 🙂

Picture this; it’s a random day in April. I’m sitting on a bench in front of Daniel Hall (because where else would I be) when I receive a call from my cousin with an offer that I couldn’t refuse. 

“Would you come with me to Hangout Music Festival if my mom buys you a ticket?”

While in utter confusion because I’ve never heard of Hangout Music Festival, I tell her that I’ll call her back. My first move is to look it up. I see the names “Post Malone” and “Doja Cat” and I immediately call her back and say yes without hesitation. Believe it or not, I have never been to a concert other than Bruce Springstein with my mom (ugh) so this was really exciting for me! My aunt wanted me to come because my cousin is 17 years old, and she needed someone to watch over her.

My cousin’s cat, Snooki 🙂

Fast forward to May 19, 2022– it’s time to go! Hangout Fest is in Gulf Shores, Alabama. My cousin lives a few hours away from there, in Fort Payne. On the

Thursday of May 19, I flew to her house, where I was warmly welcomed by her adorable cats. 

The next morning, we drove down to Gulf Shores. We stayed in an RV park, which was something I never thought I’d do, but it was actually really cute and convenient– a 5 minute walk from the festival! After spending 2 hours covering ourselves in makeup, bubble braids, and glitter, it was time to go. It had to be 90 degrees out, but we didn’t care. As soon as we walked in, I was shocked by the atmosphere; the entire festival was on the beach! There were food stands everywhere, 4 stages, a DJ tent, hammocks, and so many people. We started at the Surf Stage where Oliver Tree performed. I was really excited to hear him because of his song “Alien Boy.” The crowd was ecstatic when that song came on! After this, we went to the DJ tent for quite some time. Though it was blazing hot in there, it was probably the most fun little tent to be inside. We were dancing our butts off for hours while multiple DJ’s came through!

Post Malone singing “Stay”

We can skip the rest of these little performances and start talking about the headliners. Zedd was amazing, with a strong start and lots of flames. Following Zedd was my favorite artist, Post Malone. We didn’t leave the crowd during the hour break between Zedd and Post Malone, and we spent this hour shoving our way to the front. We got pretty close! Post Malone was amazing– his performance was so meaningful and you could tell that he cared so much for his fans. I even cried when my favorite song, Circles, came on.

The next day, we were supposed to see Doja Cat, however she unfortunately canceled due to issues with her tonsils. On the bright side, Lil Yachty had to be the most fun performance ever. He handed out water bottles for his performance, and made everyone open them and throw them in the air at the same time– it was awesome!

Overall, Hangout Fest was the experience of a lifetime and I will definitely be returning next year. Not only was it so much fun, but it also brought me so much closer to my cousin!

 

–Sophia Wilkins, Junior, Communication

 

 

Meet the Interns | Summer 2022

Three new interns are working under the guidance of Dr. Lori Pindar as media communication and engagement interns this spring. Their internship experience in the Department of Communication will include content creation for the departmental blog, YouTube Channel, and other social as well as alumni outreach and interviews, external communication management and upkeep of the departmental newsletter. Learn more about Sophia, Maylin, and Daniella below!

Top Left: Sophia, Bottom Left: Maylin, Bottom Right: Daniella

Sophia Wilkins ‘24 | Communication (BA)

Sophia is a rising junior Communication major with a double minor in Brand Comm and Italian! Though she has not been to Italy yet, you’ll catch her there one day speaking the worst Italian you’ve ever heard! This is now her third semester as an intern for the Department of Communication, so you can find her previous work in the blogs, weekly newsletters, and social media posts! Sophia is from New Jersey and will be spending her summer at the Jersey Shore (don’t worry, it’s not like the TV show). Obviously with a Jersey Shore summer comes a passion for tanning, along with fitness and art!

Maylin Lindsey ‘24 | Economics (BA)

Maylin is a rising junior from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and she is majoring in Economics with a minor in Spanish Studies. Although she is an Economics major she loves branching out and trying new things which is what led her tobecoming a Department of Communications Intern and this is her second semester interning with Dr. Pindar. Maylin loves staying active, coffee, and taking care of her wellness, physically and mentally. One of her other favorite hobbies is reading! So, you can catch her reading all of Colleen Hoover’s books this summer while tanning on the beach in Mexico! 

 

 Daniella Medvedeva ‘23 | Management  (BS)

Daniella is a Junior from Kaliningrad, Russia, however she spent most of her life living in Mallorca, Spain. She is majoring in International Management with a Brand Communications minor. Daniella forms part of the Clemson women’s tennis team. She is very energetic, positive, goofy, and hardworking. This isn’t only her first internship with Dr.Pindar in the Communications Department, but also her first internship ever. Tennis has taken Daniella all over the world, giving her the opportunity to meet a lot of friends, see different cultures, and explore more than 30 countries. This has also helped her be fluent in 4 languages (English,Spanish,Russian, and Catalan) and understand a couple more. This summer Daniella will be spending in Clemson working out, so you can catch her at the Duckworth Tennis Facility.

 

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