Category: Current Events

Hi Everyone, my name is Dani and as a student-athlete (women’s tennis) at Clemson, I’ve had the unique opportunity to work with Student Athlete Development to build my network and leadership connections beyond the tennis arena. I’m thrilled to share my recent involvement with POWER Leadership Academy.

This past June Clemson athletics, together with IPTAY, took a group of women student athletes and staff to a POWER Chicago trip. POWER is a group of women athletes and staff at Clemson who work on ensure the female student athlete’s college experience is enhanced through ensuring women collegiate athletes at Clemson are provided the same resources and opportunities as the male sports. We spent three days in Chicago and while difficulty parcel down into one post, I will walk you through our trip and the greatest takeaways that I think will benefit all students as we work to become young scholars and professionals.

DAY 1: Style

As soon as we hopped off the plane, we swung by Nordstrom to shop for business professional attire. We all had our own stylists who helped us find the right outfits for us. The biggest take away from there was that one should never be afraid to be yourself, even when you are dressing for professional events. Everyone has their own style and way of expression and that we can channel that expression for multiple settings. For example, I felt more comfortable and worked with my stylist to find brightly colored and fitted clothing while my friend appreciates more muted colors that are bit more breezy. No style is better than another, it just means we all bring something different to the table and can look professional in our own ways.

DAY2: Drop the Doubts

As our first activity, we met with two women who work at IMPROV company. We did various games and talks in order to get comfortable with each other and the work we would be doing.  What I didn’t realize until the end of the session is that I was learning so much about myself, too, because some of our activities really enabled us to open up with one another. The biggest lesson learned there was to never be afraid to be yourself, to show your personality or your emotions/worries. Being a woman, I sometimes believe we think we need to close-up and be the calm one in the room and control our emotions at our best, however, if expressed in the right way, you will see how many people share the same thoughts as you. 

We also had a networking session with a variety of successful women who were top in their fields like marketing, management, law, and so much more. To be honest,  I was worried before talking to them; I did not think there was going to be a flawless conversation or that they would even be interested in talking to me. However, once they walked in and I started conversation with a couple of these wonderful women, my nerves went away, the conversations were quality, and they wanted to know about me. During our conversations they  saw and pointed out so many great skills and characteristics that I knew I had but I didn’t think they were a big deal.  I have learned to not be so critical towards myself and take pride in all the assets that I have and not to doubt myself. I walked in there with so many insecurities, which turned out to be my best qualities, so never doubt yourself!

DAY3:

We visited Gatorade headquarters and our tour guide showed around the offices, explaining that it was emptier than normal because COVID protocols only dictated that employees be in-office for meetings. However, we were able to ask those in attendance many question about the work environment, the skills relevant for the job and the pathways they took to arrive where they are today.  What I realized that so many of these women didn’t even know that they wanted to be in marketing or in whatever they’re doing now. The whole point is that it does not matter where you are now or that you are undecided with what you want to do, it is all about trying and seeing what you like, what you’re best at and exploring until you find what you truly want to keep doing for a long time or as a career. They did not say that college degree did not matter, not at all, however they did say you can work almost everywhere with any college degree if you are someone who is hard working and wants to learn. 

Although I am an undergraduate student, I think the greatest lesson learned is to never be scared to network and we all have valuable qualities and skills–we just have to believe in ourselves–and that can make all the difference.

-Dani Medvedeva, Summer 2022 Intern

Follow our work here and be sure to check-out our work in these locations:

LinkedIn: Department of Communication-Clemson University
YouTube: ClemsonCOMMChannel
Instagram: @Clemson_Comm
Twitter: @ClemsonCOMM
Facebook. @ClemsonCOMM
Online: www.clemson.edu/communication

Also follow Student-Athlete Development on Instagram: @Clemsonsadev

Check out our latest video on Youtube (@ClemsonCOMM) to see our Club of the Month for September 2021!

This month, the president of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Sara Ciplickas, gives us an outstanding explanation of what this club is all about. Ciplickas is a junior at Clemson University and aims to have a career in public relations after graduation. Learn more about PRSSA and the highlights Sara provides about the organization.

Sara Ciplickas, President of PRSSA-Clemson

The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)is a professional organization dedicated to training ethical public relations professionals of the future. PRSSA works with local businesses and nonprofits to create social media content, press releases, and other PR deliverables. Being an active member in the organization is  a great way to build a portfolio, meet PR professionals, and make connections!

After looking into PRSSA’s calendar for Fall 2021, it is obvious that they have big things planned which you don’t want to miss!

For more information on PRSSA, follow them on Instagram and take a look at their website, listed below:

Instagram: @clemsonprssa

Website: https://prssaclemson.wixsite.com/clemsonprssa

Be sure to check-in on our blog and social channels for more highlights about the Department of Communication at Clemson University.

LinkedIn: Department of Communication-Clemson University

YouTube: ClemsonCOMMChannel

Instagram: @Clemson_Comm

Twitter: @ClemsonCOMM

Facebook. @ClemsonCOMM

Online: www.clemson.edu/communication

Three new interns are working under the guidance of Dr. Lori Pindar as media communication and engagement inters this summer. Their internships 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 Abbie, Hannah, and Jackson below!

Abbie Panuccio

Abbie Panuccio is a junior marketing major with a minor in sports communication. Hailing from Greenville, South Carolina, she is the youngest of four girls. She and her sisters grew up as tigers which did not make Abbie’s decision difficult when it was time to look at colleges. Abbie’s favorite part of Clemson is the Clemson family and her fondest memories are walking the dikes and the many meals she has had at the Esso Club with her friends. She is also deeply involved in the campus community as a member of Alpha Delta Pi where she serves as the chair of special events as well as a member of Fellowship Christian Athletes where she serves on the prayer and encouragement team. Abbie’s passion to serve others has served her well at Clemson through the numerous opportunities Clemson has provided her and she is happy to call Clemson her home.

Hannah Hank

Hannah Hank is a 20 year old international student-athlete who will be a junior this year as she continues her degree as an English major with a minor in Communication. Hannah calls Port Lincoln, South Australia home, growing up on the beautiful coast of the Eyre Peninsula, her family runs an oyster farm/tour operator business called Experience Coffin Bay. In her free time she enjoys being by the ocean/lake/pool, hikes and spending time with friends and family. She represented her state at the Australian Basketball Championships and was selected for two Junior National squads before being recruited to Clemson University. Since moving to the United States to continue her education and basketball career, Hannah has joined the Tiger Leadership Academy and recently was appointed as an ambassador for Tigers Around the Globe (TAG) affiliated with the athletic department.

Jackson Moehler

Jackson Moehler is a junior Sports Communication major with minors in psychology and nonprofit leadership. She is from Marietta, Georgia and is the oldest of five siblings. In her free time, she loves to hang out with her family and friends, try new restaurants (follow her food Instagram @tigertown_treats), and watch her favorite television show, Friends. Jackson also has a 9-month-old golden retriever  puppy named Boone. Boone loves going on walks at the dike and swimming at the rowing docks! Jackson grew up playing soccer and basketball and now is a member of the Clemson Women’s Soccer team. Jackson chose Clemson University because she loved the family atmosphere of both the campus and the people. She also loved how sports plays a huge role in the culture of Clemson and how everyone rallies together for all of the different athletic teams. Jackson chose Sports Communication as her major because she wanted to be able to learn about the inner workings of a sports team and organization from a school that is known for their athletics. Sports have helped shape her into who she is, and she would love to start a career with any major sports organization within their media department.

Follow our work here and be sure to check-out our work in these locations:

LinkedIn: Department of Communication-Clemson University
YouTube: ClemsonCOMMChannel
Instagram: @Clemson_Comm
Twitter: @ClemsonCOMM
Facebook. @ClemsonCOMM
Online: www.clemson.edu/communication

Millennials (age 24 -39), and the newest group of voters, the post-millennial generation (age 18 – 23) now make up 31% of the electoral, meaning they should be equally as large of a political force as Baby Boomers (age 56 -74). Young American’s have the opportunity to use their civic duty to influence the outcome of the election in their favor, but will they?

According to Pew Research Center, about 46 percent of millennials voted in the last presidential election. If history were to repeat itself, the potential for millennials and post millennials to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election will be diminished if similar voter turnout numbers are posted. Thus, it is important for young Americans to not only express their political opinions, but also take to the polls and VOTE. In the words of the cast of the hit musical Hamilton, “text less. Vote more. Show everyone what you’re against or what you’re for.”

The RIGHT to Vote

If you are lucky enough to be a part of the group of citizens in the United States that is granted a say in this democratic system with the right to vote, you should not be taking it for granted. To establish the United States of America, colony members fought to be independent from England because of “taxation without representation,” meaning that British Parliament refused to grant colonists representatives in the government.

In order to ensure that American citizens would always have the representation, the United States Constitution established the right for a limited group of citizens to vote (white males). Since then, women, people of color and other minority groups have fought against the patriarchy and systematic oppression for the evolution of the right to vote that now includes the more diverse, representative population of our country.

The right to vote is important to utilize because it is the duty of American citizens to elect candidates into office that represent the country, state, county, cities and their own best interests. In order to decide which candidates support said interests, researching the goals, policy plans and portfolio of each candidate is a necessary step. Research should include fact checking statements that candidates make as opposed to taking their word without further research. An easy way to fact check claims is to utilized credible sources that review claims and verify their accuracy—websites such as Politifact or Factcheck.org are examples of where you can find more information.

While we have our own beliefs and opinions, research and fact checking can help voters minimize the biases they may have about a candidate based on media or the opinions of those with whom they surround themselves. It can also maximize their ability to form their own fact-based knowledge and sentiments towards each candidate.

In order to stay informed, it is important to continue to research and be open to changing one’s opinion when gathering new information. It is also the responsibility of a politically educated person to correct their friends and family when they make an inaccurate statement to stop the spread of false information. The job may not be easy but voting has been a hard fought right for this county and in order for it to remain as such, these steps can assist in knowing and doing what is best for you as a voter.

How to Vote

Voting dates, processes, and registration vary from state to state. To learn about how to register to vote and how to vote in your state refer to The Campus Vote Project. Be sure to register to vote early, confirm your voting location, and ensure that you have a better understanding of not just the candidates, but other ballot items that impact your community. The Revolutionary War was not simply about the politics of separating from the British Empire, but also ideologically setting forth a new type of country where the voice of the people made an impact on leadership and decisionmaking.

Sources:

http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view_print.php?book=10482

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/06/14/younger-generations-make-up-a-majority-of-the-electorate-but-may-not-be-a-majority-of-voters-this-november/

https://www.npr.org/2016/05/16/478237882/millennials-now-rival-boomers-as-a-political-force-but-will-they-actually-vote

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/414778-hamilton-cast-drops-new-song-urging-americans-to-vote-in

https://www.campusvoteproject.org/state-student-voting-guides

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/08/150826-19th-amendment-womens-suffrage-voting-anniversary-history-saudi-arabia/

Author: Bridget Kane

The release of the horrific video of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers opened the eyes of many to the racial injustices in this country and around the world. Many began to realize that it was their job to work towards a fairer, accepting, and just world.

It is clear that those in the younger generations are becoming leaders of the important changes that are being made to today’s society. These emerging leaders are tackling long held social and racial discrepancies with an open mind and a unique combination of hope and determination that has captured the world’s attention.

In our Clemson community we have leaders who are prepared to educate, accept, and celebrate the differences they have with their classmates while empathizing, and advocating for real change. Following are changes occurring in Clemson due to the passion and determination of Clemson students.

A Band of Student Athletes Form a Group to Fight Against Racial Injustices

Following the outrage that came from the Black community and its supporters that forced the nation to pay attention to racial issues in this country, Student Athlete Development Assistant Directors Sable Lee and Anthony Hines created a “Tiger’s Unite” town hall zoom event for any student athlete to join to express their feelings and emotions. The two described this meeting as “a safe space for us to UNITE during this time.” (Sable Lee and Anthony Hines)

Clemson Student Athletes of all racial and ethnic backgrounds joined the meeting to express their feelings, listen, and learn. The meeting provided a space for Black student athletes and allies a sense of comfort and unity.

From there, a leadership council comprised of 1-2 student-athletes from each varsity team was formed and is led by President Crystal Childs (volleyball), Vice President Darien Rencher (football), Secretary Bridget Kane (rowing), and Treasurer Andrew Castano (xc & track). This group of 19 athletes has since been meeting as the club C.O.D.E (Commission on Diverse Empowerment) to plan how to best use our platform to diminish racial injustice through demonstrations, information, discussions, and the electoral system. One of the advisors, Sable Lee, explained “we have a great opportunity to continue a legacy started by many trailblazers to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion is always a part of our culture”.

Reclaim, Rename Movement

In 2017, the Reclaim, Rename movement was started by Clemson Alumni. This movement is run by a group of Clemson students and is designed to help students of color feel more comfortable by creating a move inclusive campus community.

In 2019, Hannah Connely, a member of Reclaim, Rename, started a petition to change the name of the former Calhoun Honors College, which unfortunately did not get much traction. Clemson University is built on John C. Calhoun’s Fort Hill Plantation and the institution chose to change the name of the honors college to ‘Calhoun Honors College’ in 1982 to pay tribute to him. The issue with Calhoun is his legacy as an adamant defender of slavery, he was a white supremacist, and owned nearly 80 slaves on Fort Hill Plantation. The leaders of Reclaim, Renameemphasized the importance of the removal of John C. Calhoun’s name from the honors college stating, “to reject the inclusion of this name on the Calhoun Honors College is to renounce racist ideals and affirm the notion that Black lives are valued at Clemson University.”

In light of the renewed-nationwide desire for racial justice, members of the Reclaim, Rename Movement decided to recirculate the petition, which gained national support, including endorsements from professional football players DeAndre Hopkins and Deshaun Watson, and ultimately led Clemson Trustees to remove Calhoun’s name from the Honors College. Read the full story, including an interview with the creator of the 2020 petition, Roann Abdeladl, below.

The group continues to keep the movement going and is currently focusing on centering the voices of students of color. Roann Abdeladl explained that the group wants to give students of color a platform to be heard so that they can continue to use their voices

Now that Reclaim, Rename has earned national recognition, the members want to use their new found connections to continue supporting students of color. Recently, the group began donation campaign to collect donations for three organizations that support students of color: the Harvey B. Gantt Scholarship Endowment, the Honors College Opportunity Scholarship, and the Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Multicultural Center. Click here to donate

Clemson Trustees approve Honors College name change following student petition

The national unrest and desire to act that brought the  Black Lives Matter Movement back to the national stage lead Roann Abdeladl, a rising Junior, Health Science major at Clemson University and other members of the Reclaim, Rename movement to relaunch the petition to change the name of Clemson’s Calhoun Honors College.

While in the process of relaunching the new petition, NFL player (Houston Texans) and former Clemson star DeAndre Hopkins found the old petition and reached out to the group. Hopkins told the Reclaim, Rename group members that he had done research on how to get the name changed and wanted to support them in any way he could. When reflecting on Hopkin’s efforts to get the petition circulated, Roann Abdeladl, remarked, “It was cool to see other well-known figures share the petition including Deshaun Watson(Houston Texans and former Clemson football quarterback) and current Clemson football players. I didn’t expect it to take off so quickly or honestly expect the result.”

The results Abdeladl speaks of are the unanimous decision made by the Clemson Board of Trustees to approve the Honors College name change from “Calhoun Honor College” to “Clemson University Honors College,” Additionally, the board also made steps to address the renaming of the iconic clocktower, Tillman Hall.

The abundance of support by students from the administration for the name change gave Abdeladl hope for more changes to occur around campus. While name changes are a start, she also hopes for changes in heart from the student body to be more accepting and welcoming of students of color.

As a student of color at Clemson University, Abdeladl has had an abundance of “not so great, unkind experiences” because she is Muslim and wears a hijab. As a freshman hearing of the Clemson family, it was a shock to her what the Clemson climate was actually like for students of color. Since her initial shock of her freshman year, Abdeladl has done a lot of work with diversity and inclusion with the goal of changing Clemson’s climate so that in the future, students of color won’t have to experience what she did.

Clemson Trustees request authority to restore original name of Tillman Hall

In South Carolina, the Heritage Act requires that at least two-thirds of both the House and Senate approve any change to any monument. In 1946 Clemson’s “the Main Building” was renamed “Tillman Hall” after Benjamin Tillman, a former South Carolina Governor who oversaw the establishment of Clemson College, making it fall under the Heritage Act’s jurisdiction. Recently, through petitions, demonstrations and public statements, it is apparent that students are upset that Clemson has a building honoring Benjamin Tillman who has a legacy of hate. Tillman was a self-proclaimed white supremacist who opposed civil rights for Black Americans.

Clemson trustees listened and respectfully requested the South Carolina General Assembly make a one-time exception to the state’s Heritage Act and restore Tillman Hall to its original name of Old Main.

Citation

https://www.clemson.edu/about/history/bios/john-c-calhoun.html

https://www.change.org/p/rename-the-calhoun-honors-college-at-clemson (Image)

https://www.clemson.edu/cuhonors/

https://clemsontigers.com (Image)

https://www.scpictureproject.org/pickens-county/tillman-hall.html

https://www.clemson.edu/about/history/bios/ben-tillman.html

The Check Down – @thecheckdown on Twitter (Image)

Author: Bridget Kane

When the coronavirus pandemic reached the United States, universities across the country shut down all on campus activity and switched to an online forum. First, Spring sports were suspended indefinitely, large group events were postponed, and the cancellation of classes soon followed. With our spring semester in upheaval, uncertainty soon followed. However, a sense of unity spread among college students across the nation as they were sent back to their hometowns to finish up their remaining two- to three-months of classes in their childhood bedrooms.

As a Clemson student and student-athlete, I was unsure how this transition would work. For many students, not only were they stripped of an in-person learning environment, but athletes lost their sports, seniors lost their end of college festivities, roommates lost one another, and all students lost any sense of normalcy.

In this time of drastic change, Clemson University administrators and professors did the best they could to make the transition as seamless as possible. In my experience, professors developed plans they believed would best fit their students and were also prepared to switch their plans based on reactions and feedback from their students. Professors combined Zoom classes, Canvas discussion forums, virtual office hours, assignments, and assessments to create the best environment possible for their students to finish out the semester strong.

Similar to other institutions, Clemson University provided an opportunity for students to receive an alternative to the standard letter-grade earned for the Spring 2020 semester.  This opportunity enabled students who were not satisfied with the A, B, or C they earned in a class to receive a “pass” on their transcript. Additionally, this policy allowed students who were not satisfied with a D they earned in a class to receive a “special pass” on their transcript and students who were not satisfied with a D or F they earned in a class to receive  “no grade” on their transcript.

The spring semester concluded in a way that no one expected and required students, faculty, and staff to be more creative, forgiving, and exemplary with themselves and others as we all faced unique circumstances. Continue reading below to hear how this impacted the student perspective.

Chandler Potts, Senior, Graphic Communication on Online Learning

This summer I enrolled in eighteen credit hours in order to finish my last semester of college. To say that eighteen credits combined with a full-time internship, job interviews, and the current events happening in our world is a lot to manage would be an understatement. However, the online education provided by the university has actually helped to alleviate some of the pressure that I have experienced. My professors made a huge effort to give their students everything they would get from an in-person class and have also made modifications to make the transition smooth for students.

The majority of my classes are taught by recorded lectures and shared learning decks; with instructors creating availability to meet on Zoom as you would with office hours. Email correspondence has strengthened and I feel that any question I may have is valued and answered quickly. The most prominent change that I have experienced comes from a professor that completely restructured her course and made it self-paced. This means that students can complete and submit assignments on their own timeline so long as they are turned in before the end of the semester in order to alleviate any added stress of due dates. While policy changes such as this may not be suitable for everyone, it has helped me hone my management and self-accountability skills while also helping me manage my stress levels.

This semester has been challenging, everything has changed, but it has also been incredibly uplifting to see my community come together to support and empathize with each other. I find myself feeling grateful that I have had the opportunity to gain this experience of learning in an adaptive environment. Although challenging, the Clemson community coming together to make changes and adapt to improve learning for all is what makes this place so special.

Authors: Bridget Kane and Chandler Potts

Mike Jones, Darien Rencher, Cornell Powell, and Trevor Lawrence

Clemson students Mike Jones, Darien Rencher, Cornell Powell, and Trevor Lawrence were able to rally the Clemson community around them for games and events surrounding the Clemson Football program as members of the football team. When organizing this event, the four men envisioned themselves bringing individuals of different racial and ethnic and backgrounds together to rally around them once again. This time, instead of supporting their athletic endeavors, the community was tasked to rally around Mike, Darien, Cornell, and many more to fight against the social and racial injustices they have dealt with their entire life. When asked why he organized this event, Communication student, Mike Jones, explained “I felt it in my heart, I wanted to do something. I felt like we could make a change in our own community.”

In conjunction with Mike’s desire for change, on Saturday, June 13, 2020, over 3,000 members of the Clemson community made their way to Clemson University’s Bowman field, marching side-by-side and standing in solidarity with the black community. When standing on stage looking across Bowman Field and seeing the diversity of the crowd gathered, Darien Rencher exclaimed, “I find myself here with hope because I’m seeing the good already coming out of this madness and tragedy.”

Talking with event organizer Mike Jones after the event, I found that he was on the same page as Darien and was feeling hopeful:

“It meant so much seeing everyone come out to the demonstration. Seeing more of a turnout than just black people showed me that the issues facing the black community aren’t necessarily just black issues anymore, and it showed me that people are starting to realize that it takes more than one group of people to create change and promote equality. Both the oppressed and the oppressors have to do their part in other to change the system.”

Throughout the event, the voices of not just student-athletes, but black men were heard. They not only expressed the pain and suffering contained in their own hearts as black men in America today, but also encouraged the audience to look into their own hearts. For Darien Rencher, this was the most important

and influential element of the event because “when we look in the mirror and deal with what is inside, this is what brings about change. When our heart changes, we change. As we change our homes change. As our homes change our society changes and hopefully our future changes.”

The turnout for this event gave these four student-athletes the affirmation that they can use their platform and extend it beyond football. Rencher noted, “step by step we are seeing we have the power to create change.”

When catching up with another one of the event organizers, Cornell Powell, he mentioned his satisfaction with the way he was able to use his platform to unite the community and is prepared to continue to do so:

“Saturday was beautiful. It was everything I could have imagined and more. To see the community come out and unite as one for the same cause was simply amazing! It was definitely a step in the right direction along with the renaming of the Honors College and the executive board requesting authority from the South Carolina General Assembly to rename Tillman Hall. Saturday showed that together we can achieve more. But it doesn’t stop there. We have a lot more work to be done and won’t stop until every black student, athlete or not, feels equal on Clemson campus.”

Call to Action

It is time for Clemson student-athletes, students, faculty, staff and fans to take the famous Clemson motto “ALL In” seriously. It is our job as members of this Clemson Community to support the students and athletes and off the field, inside and beyond of the classroom. It is time to stand up as a community to fight against and eradicate racism. If you can support members of the black community on game days, as a colleague, their roommate, or a friend; then you can support them every day and be a part of the change to combat racism.

We Thank the Following Student-Athletes for their Contributions to this Article:

Mike Jones: Communication Student and Student Athlete (Football) at Clemson University

Darien Rencher: Psychology Student and Student Athlete (Football) at Clemson University

Cornell Powell: Business Management Student and Student Athlete (Football) at Clemson University

All Photos Attributed to Clemson Athletics Staff (Via @clemsontigers on Twitter)

Author: Bridget Kane

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a great deal of uncertainty to individuals worldwide. Due to the rapid spread of the virus and the deadly impact it has had on nearly 120,000 Americans, many businesses were closed down for in-person operations. These actions led companies to downsize and lay off workers as well as convert their operations to an online arena.

COVID-19 directly impacted students who had summer internships, jobs, or study abroad/work abroad plans. Despite the new challenges presented by the global pandemic, many Clemson Students still found a way to advance their career development.

Read about how Clemson Students have turned their challenges into opportunity:

KJ Henry, Sports Communication with a minor in Athletic Leadership:

KJ’s original plan for the summer was to stay in Clemson to take classes and participate in summer football workouts. However, when team workouts were postponed and classes were moved online, he had the freedom to travel home to spend time with his family.

The class that has been impacted the most by being in a virtual setting is his sign language class. KJ mentioned that learning a new language, especially sign language, is very hands-on during a face-to-face class. Instead, KJ has to watch videos and lectures to learn the language. His class now involves a lot more assignments than his previous sign languages courses. These assignments are often videos that he must take of him signing to ensure to his professor that he is learning the language. Still, KJ found that one positive aspect of the online forum is that he is able to do the assignments on his own time and has as much time as he needs to think things through before turning them in.

If this had been a typical summer, KJ would have been in week 10 of summer workouts with his team, instead he has been working out from home. This has been difficult for KJ because he strives to be the best player he can be and can never know for sure if he is getting the full workout his coaches would be giving him. Additionally, KJ does not have access to nutrition, rehabilitation, and medical staff resources. Nevertheless, KJ has been able to make the most of the situation by working out with family and friends, sleeping more, and being able to fit his workouts more easily into his schedule.

In his newfound free time KJ has mostly been hanging out with his family and friends, getting schoolwork done, and playing video games. Overall, the best thing that KJ has been able to do during this time is take a step back and think about life. He has been able to reflect and make sure he’s doing what he wants to do and that he is on the right path to achieve his goals. Further, KJ has had more time to think about and process the current social and racial injustices that are finally receiving the global attention they deserve and how he can foster change.

Natalie McCrudden, Marketing:

Before the COVID-19 disrupted the world, Natalie had planned to move to Charlotte, NC and start her job in July at E&J Gallo Winery in their Sales and Leadership Development Program. The program would place her as a sales representative where she would be work directly with the distributor. Natalie would have managed several accounts where she would go to liquor stores and bars and work directly with the owners to engage and encourage them to sell them different wines and liquors based on their consumer touchpoints. Her tactics to do so would include building displays, having wine tastings, and more. Given the level of engagement and interactivity required in her position, her start date was pushed back to August 2020, at the earliest.

Since Natalie does not know when she is going to relocate, she is using this time to change her driver’s license, buy a car, and do other little things to make the transition easier. Some positives that have come out of the delay in starting her job are that she is able to spend more time with family and friends and has more flexibility to be able to do things such as home workouts, making homemade meals, and reading books. She has also been able to go on walks and appreciate nature. The best thing she has done during this time is talk to her study abroad and high school friends, whom she has not had the time to contact in years.

On the other hand, if she is tasked to work remotely in the near future, it will make her job a lot harder because a lot of it involves trying to get people to try a product which is harder to do if you cannot show it to them or let them taste it. Additionally, it will be harder for her to start a new career without face-to-face communication—a key driver in the sales experience.

Isabel Strinsky, Mathematical Science:

Isabel planned to spend the summer in Morocco studying Arabic through ROTC Project GO. Project GO (Project Global Office) is a program that provides cadets with language intensive training in a foreign country. Unfortunately, due to travel bans, the summer program was moved to an online forum that will provide her with two months of lessons for four hours a day. This was a disappointing change for Isabel because she will no longer be able to supplement her language lessons with everyday communication with native speakers. She is nervous to have to learn the language at a rapid pace without engaging in any face-to-face conversations and knows it will be a lot more difficult and she will have less available helpful resources. Further, Isabel is often hesitant to speak up or ask questions in Zoom calls because she does not want to interrupt a classmate or fellow student.

To supplement her time, Isabel applied to and was granted a UPIC internship with the College of Science Recruiting and Inclusive Excellence. Here, her main task is managing the science information accounts where she answers email questions about the college of science. She is also involved in COSMIC, a program designed to provide mentoring to incoming students and to increase the inclusivity of minority groups in the College of Science. Towards the end of her internship she will be using this found data to write an end-of-year report. The best part about this internship being online is that Isabel is able to pick her hours, allowing her to often work in the evening. The only negatives Isabel sees about solely being online is that she has to be more adamant about communication with her supervisor than she would if the internship was in person.

In addition to her internship, Isabel has been doing home improvement projects. Her biggest accomplishments were plumbing, taking the door off her shower, and cleaning up and redesigning her loft.

Jack Grozier, Civil Engineering with an emphasis in construction engineering and management:

Jack’s initial summer plans were to work as a paid intern at Bohler Engineering in Center City Philadelphia, PA. Here, he would have shadowed engineers who did design work for land development in the city, including land planning, determining where buildings and roads will go, and deciding how to properly integrate utilities. Jack would also have had the opportunity to go to site visits in person, attend meetings with customers, and get involved with as many aspects of engineering as possible.

Unfortunately, Jack’s internship transitioned into a 2-month unpaid virtual internship. This internship is still a great learning opportunity for Jack because he is going to be taught the programs he would have used, attend live lectures, and learn what he would have needed to know to do the job. The biggest downside for Jack about this transition is that he will not get as much hands-on experience which he believes is the best way of learning and would have given him a better understanding of what he wants to do in the future. Additionally, he will still be able to talk about this internship in future interviews, but he believes the lack of experience is a detriment. Further, now that this internship is unpaid, he has had to find other forms of income.

Through this challenge there has been opportunity. The internship transition gave Jack more free time to work and earn income in a warehouse where he helps ship flags. He also able to help renovate his parents newly purchased beach house and help his youngest brother with online school. He has also been able to sleep in and spend time with his brothers and parents.

Since Jack does not have to commute to Philadelphia every day, he is able to live in his parents’ beach house in Ocean City, New Jersey where he also works at a bike shop in the hours that he is not completing his internship. Additionally, since this internship is now less of a time commitment, he will have more time to enjoy summer with his family, since it is his last one before he moves out. Overall, the best thing that Jack has been able to do during this time of uncertainty is safely hang out with his friends while maintaining social distancing. Being able to interact and talk with his loved ones has made this bad situation more bearable.

Have you found yourself in a tough spot this summer with delayed, altered or cancelled internship and job opportunities? See below for resources for students to engage in career development:

Clemson’s Center for Career and Professional Development is offering virtual programming, workshops, and guest speakers throughout the summer. This is a great summer to fine tune marketable skills that employers are looking for and the career center is here to help. Below is a schedule of the upcoming events.

https://career.sites.clemson.edu/events.php

Author: Bridget Kane