Linnea Bacon graduated from Clemson in December 2019 with a dual degree in Psychology and Sports Communication. While at Clemson Linnea worked for Clemson football in recruiter and player development which piqued her interest in the sports side of research and academia. Her work with Clemson football as well as a talk she attended given by Dr. Mazer on research in the Social Media Listening Center are what lead her to add a Sports Communication major. In the department, Linnea developed close relationships with her professors due to theirintentionality and the small class sizes. Her classes were very discussion based which allowed her to further develop her critical thinking, material application and verbal communication skills. In particular, Dr. Cramner had a great influence on Linnea and made her realize that there were more opportunities to work in sports besides the traditional on the field and reporting jobs.

While at Clemson, Linnea produced a thesis about Mental Health and Student-Athletes who had recovered from concussions. She surveyed over 100 Student-Athletes at the high school and college level. Linnea found that athletes with a history of concussion were more likely to have anxiety, depression, and sport anxiety as well as lower perceived social support. Dr. Cramner was instrumental as a member of her thesis committee and was able to draw from his previous research on concussions. Linnea’s Psychology advisor, Dr. Kowalski, also served on her thesis committee and had great influence on her success at Clemson.

Linnea got involved with Fulbright through a fellowship information session in the Office of Major Fellowships. She found that Fulbright had a Health Science and Sport fellowship at the University of Sterling in the UK and immediately applied.  If she is granted this fellowship, Linnea will live in the UK for a year, conducting research on mental health and athletes. At the conclusion of the year, she would graduate with a Master’s of Science in Sports Psychology.

Currently, Linnea is working at the University of Michigan as a research assistant in the Department of Psychiatry. She is researching how social media can be used to deliver psychological interventions for young adults who may be at risk for substance abuse.

Linnea aspires to work as a clinical or sports psychologist. She wants to work with athletes that struggle with mental health since she understands that athletes are under intense pressure, much more than normal students, and often do not get the support they need. She also plans to research athlete pressures and culture and how to mitigate some of the risks that athletes take and the consequences of said risks.

Linnea suggests that current Communication students get to know their professors. Students can utilize professors and their research and experience to help and support them on their path. Later on, students can also use the relationships for recommendations, thesis help and research assistance and guidance. Linnea also advises students to get involved on campus so they can apply the experiences that they are learning in classroom. Finally, Linnea recommends developing public speaking, Interviewing, relationship building and research skills.

Best of luck to Linnea on her Fulbright journey!

Perspectives sessions serve as a mechanism to build bridges between our current undergraduates in the Department of Communication and young alumni who have blazed new trails in the professional world and are seeing success in their early- to mid-career endeavors. We invite all current students, faculty, and staff to attend our virtual sessions. If you would like to be involved or learn more, please contact communication@clemson.edu.

Brooke Skelley earned her BA in Communication from Clemson University in 2015. She currently serves as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee in Tampa, Florida.

Her journey towards her current position with the Super Bowl LV Host Committee began when she chose to switch her major to Communication following her junior year and explore what the field had to offer. She was determined to work in the world of sport and encourages students to always be willing and ready to volunteer or work in jobs to gain the experience necessary to stand-out and become a marketable candidate. Additionally, Brooke emphasizes the importance of networking and being kind, eager and professional across all interactions. She used these skills that led to her success and helps students following her path to do the same.

Watch the video below for a full recap of Brooke’s journey and the advice she has for Clemson Communication students and recent graduates.

Perspectives session serve as a mechanism to build bridges between our current undergraduates in the Department of Communication and your young alumni who have blazed new trails in the professional world and are seeing success in their early- to mid-career endeavors. We invite all current students, faculty, and staff to attend our virtual sessions. If you would like to be involved or learn more, please contact communication@clemson.edu.

Kaila Burns-Heffner earned her BA in Sports Communication with an Entrepreneurship minor from Clemson University in 2017. She currently serves as a Content Associate at ESPN and is responsible for all content that is edited before the games for college baseball and football that are presented during the broadcast.

Her journey towards her current position at ESPN began when she chose to attend Clemson University. Through the Department of Communication, Kaila was appointed to the Dean’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Council as a sports communication representative and served as a department ambassador. Through these experience and her numerous internships with organizations that include: The Clemson Insider, Sports Illustrated,  Campus Rush and WSPA-TV, she honed the skills and gained the experience needed to secure an internship at ESPN Magazine.

Since then, she has propelled herself into the content associate position she holds today. Kaila attributes her success in the sports industry to concerted planning, intentional networking and even failing (and persistence).

Watch the video below for a full recap of Kaila’s journey and the advice she has for Clemson Communication students and recent graduates.

Perspectives session serve as a mechanism to build bridges between our current undergraduates in the Department of Communication and your young alumni who have blazed new trails in the professional world and are seeing success in their early- to mid-career endeavors. We invite all current students, faculty, and staff to attend our virtual sessions. If you would like to be involved or learn more, please contact communication@clemson.edu.

John-Oliver Valentin is a 2016 graduate from Sacramento, California. After finding a home in Clemson, he moved to New York City to live out his dream of residing in the city and working in the entertainment industry where he currently serves as a booker for the Tamron Hall Show. Valentin began his Clemson career as a marketing student who was unsure what career path he would take until he learned about entertainment marketing. Learning about this new sector of marketing opened Valentin’s eyes to the idea that one could have a career, earn money, and have fun on the job.

The key turning point for Valentin in his undergraduate career occurred during his broadcast journalism class with Wanda Johnson. Johnson told him “if you do not do something in this industry it will be a waste of talent.” From that point on, Valentin worked with various professors, notably Eddie Smith and Dr. Lori Pindar, and local commentators to put himself in the best situation to break into the industry.

Valentin’s first internship was with the WFBC radio Hawk and Tom Morning Show. Instead of living the life of a typical college student with time spent between the library and downtown, Valentin spent all of his free time working at WFBC. His dedication to the radio show was worth it to Valentin because he was able to make connections to industry professionals and was later promoted to promotion director at WFBC..

Valentin continued to network and used his connections and past experiences to earn a summer internship at US Weekly in New York City the summer before his senior year. After returning to Clemson, Valentin got in contact with Debra Norville, a friend of Eddie Smith and the host of Inside Edition. After speaking with her, he was offered an internship in January of 2016 and promptly left Clemson to finish out his semester in New York. By May of that year, Valentin became the first intern to be offered a full-time booker position. Later, a former coworker reached out to Valentin to offer him booker position for the Tamron Hall Show that he currently holds today.

Valentin stressed that to be successful in the entertainment industry one needs a passion for the business because it will lead them to work harder. He also suggests that students use this time to figure out their work style and how to adapt to best fit to those at the organization they are working for and hope to work for—because when the work styles are compatible, you become invaluable. Further, Valentin stresses that there is no direct path and “if you can’t get through the front door, throw a rock and take a new path.” Nevertheless, a crucial step that is necessary in all paths is building a network. To do so, Valentin suggests simply walking up to someone, get their card and say, “let’s keep in touch.”. He also suggests reaching out to professionals in the business one is interested in and ask them what they like about it and then what positions are available at the company.

John-Oliver created a way for himself in the entertainment world through tenacity, listening and believing in himself the way his professors, advisors, and employers did, and despite being a minor in Communication, using all his resources to build a career for himself while a student. For current and prospective students, we encourage you to work with your advisor to share your interests and gain insights that will help you also find a way to make your dreams a reality.

John-Oliver Valentin Perspective Video:

Author and Producer: Bridget Kane

Perspectives session serve as a mechanism to build bridges between our current undergraduates in the Department of Communication and your young alumni who have blazed new trails in the professional world and are seeing success in their early- to mid-career endeavors. We invite all current students, faculty, and staff to attend our virtual sessions. If you would like to be involved or learn more, please contact communication@clemson.edu.

Madison Albin earned her Communication BA, with a minor in Entrepreneurship in December 2019 and is currently awaiting the start of her eight week training program to become an Assistant Buyer with Macy’s Corporate.

Albin new at an early age that she wanted to work in fashion in New York City. Given her goal, Albin did all within her power to gain a competitive edge over other candidates. To start, in high school and early on in her college career, Albin worked primarily in retail. She then added to her hands-on knowledge by taking classes at LIM College of Fashion in New York city over the summer while she was a Clemson student.

Albin was able to use these experiences, along with professional lessons learned from a mentor she built a relationship with while at Clemson, to acquire an internship with Macy’s Corporate in New York City. Albin worked in the buying and selling department with Free People, Sanctuary and Lucky Brand Jeans. Here, she used previous sales and trend forecasts to make a plan for what to buy. She then implemented the plan by going to the markets and picking out styles similar to the best sellers from the previous year. During this internship, Albin made sure to ask an abundance of questions and constantly request feedback. This allowed her to become desirable member of her internship class as well as led her to build an intimate relationship with her mentor at Macy’s and her entire team.

At the conclusion of her summer internship, Albin was offered the full-time position as an Assistant Buyer. This position was set to start in June of 2020 but with the majority of retail sales coming from in-store and the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic–Macy’s had to furlough employees which included her. Albin eagerly awaits the commencement of her job, but has made use of her time by remaining in in contact with her college recruiter housed in Macy’s HR department at least once a week.

Albin worked hard and built many relationships to set herself up for her dream job and advises graduating seniors to do the same thing by always asking for feedback. Albin attributes her success to her constant desire to improve and learn more. During this time of uncertainty, Albin advises young alumni to be proactive and constantly apply for jobs and connect with new people. She also suggests that one stays relevant by improving skillsets such as Adobe and Microsoft and earning certifications that are free and online.

Madison is an example of a young professional who utilized tenets of the communication program and her own tenacity and desire to work in the world of fashion to carve a space for her success. For current and prospective students, we encourage you to work with your advisor to share your interests and gain insights that will help you also find a way to make your dreams a reality.

Author: Bridget Kane

Madison Albin Perspective Video:

Producer: Brooke Bailey