Graduating Senior Madisun Richardson Pursuing Career in Strategic Communications
Graduating senior Madisun Richardson enjoys working on projects highlighting University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students.
Richardson works as a social media intern for the Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM) generating content for the university’s social media pages. She has been with the office since September 2022.
Working at OCM has been one of her favorite experiences at Rocky Top and she is grateful for everyone in that office who supports and encourages her.
“They make sure that whatever actual tasks I am doing in the internship role are applicable to what I want to do when I graduate,” Richardson said. “I love it very much. I go in there sometimes when I am not even working.”
Richardson said OCM staff have also helped her beyond the job by assisting her with researching and preparing for potential job opportunities after graduation.
Social Media Manager Carrie Mills said Richardson was the first intern she hired after coming to work at UT. Beyond helping create and execute content for UT social media channels, Mills said Richardson also gained experience in strategic planning, persuasive writing, graphic design, data and analytics, and public speaking while working for OCM.
‘When I first met her, I knew she was going to go far and accomplish everything she set her mind to,” Mills said. “Madisun has impressed me from the get-go with her enthusiasm, maturity, and leadership skills. She is smart and kind, always ready to learn something new, puts her best foot forward, and takes on any challenge we give her.”
Richardson aspires to work in strategic communications for a higher education institution or media company once she graduates in May.
From a young age she always had an interest in communications, but it was not until coming to Rocky Top that she was able to narrow down her area of interest in the field. With a goal of working in strategic communications, Richardson enrolled in the journalism and media program at UT to improve her writing skills.
She also pursued a minor in advertising and public relations to supplement her work in the journalism and media program, adding those courses provide more in-depth knowledge on the business side of marketing and strategic communications.
For more personal reasons, she also pursued a minor in Africana Studies. She loves English and wanted to read and explore more books by Black authors in a college setting.
She has also taken advantage of several experiential learning opportunities on campus, such as her internship with OCM and others outside of UT, to grow her skills and résumé ahead of graduation.
As a student, she also ran social media pages for the Department of Africana Studies, the Phoenix Literary Arts Magazine (a student-run campus publication dedicated to the artistic expression of students, faculty, and alumni), and Honey Magazine—now known as Ablaze today.
In addition, Richardson has completed marketing internships with tech companies such as Google and IBM—the latter of which offered her the opportunity to live and work in New York City for a summer.
Another experience Richardson enjoyed at UT was serving as a resident assistant.
She never imagined signing up to be an resident assistant but was inspired to do so based on her experience with her own resident assistant, Alyssa Woodard. She felt compelled to pass on the experience she had to other Vols, even if the role is outside of her comfort zone.
All these experiences helped shape her college experience and made her feel more connected to the campus and Volunteer community. Her freshman year was during the pandemic, so it was a little challenging getting involved, but once she did it has created lasting friendships, mentorships, and memorable experiences.
“Seeing her graduate is bittersweet, and while her graduation is a great loss for our team, it’s a tremendous win for the world,” Mills said. “I know Madisun is going to flourish and thrive wherever she ends up after leaving Rocky Top.”
Graduating Senior Madisun Richardson Pursuing Career in Strategic Communications written by Hillary Tune and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.