Students Start Spring Semester Getting Hands-On Experiences in New York City
School of Journalism and Media students visited New York City as part of the school’s annual professional development trip in January 2025..
The first day of school for the spring semester looked a little different for 20 School of Journalism and Media students this year.
Instead of reporting for classes at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students were in New York City as part of the school’s annual professional development trip.
For more than 30 years, the School of Journalism and Media has organized the trip as a way to expose students to media professionals and College of Communication and Information alumni working in the industry.
“The running joke throughout the trip was that this was the best first week of class,” sophomore Kylie Atchison said.
Atchison learned about the School of Journalism and Media’s annual professional development trip to New York City from colleagues at The Volunteer Channel (TVC), a student-run television station within The Media Center at the College of Communication and Information.
They strongly encouraged her to go on the trip and, once she arrived in the Big Apple with the school, she understood why.
“Overall, it was very inspiring and eye-opening,” Atchison said. “By getting to visit the top industries in the country, I can visualize myself in a role in New York. It transformed my mindset coming back here.”
For junior Kate Barber, this year’s trip was also her first time traveling to New York City with the School of Journalism and Media. Barber said before the trip she could never have imagined living in the city. Now, she is reconsidering that stance.
“This is an example of something that I could not have learned in the classroom,” Barber said. “Getting out of my comfort zone and traveling to an unfamiliar city has now opened my door to many more possibilities.”
Assistant Professor Shannon Scovel, who accompanied the students along with Assistant Professor of Practice Michael Martinez to New York City, said the school had a phenomenal group of students participating this year.
She said experiences like the trip help students grow as journalists and really emphasize the school’s mission to provide as many experiential learning opportunities as possible beyond the classroom.
Scovel can recall how formative her internship in New York City as a college student was for her career. She feels this trip had a similar effect on the students as she observed them learning from industry professionals through tours, one-on-one conversations, and networking with College of Communication and Information alumni working in the type of industries they aspire to work in one day.
“Being there in the city is a different type of hands-on from day one,” Scovel said. “There was just such energy around journalism education that was happening on that trip that I think brought a lot of the things we talked about in class into real life.”
One of Atchison’s favorite memories from the trip was during the tour at Fox News. She said the tour guide allowed her to run the teleprompter. Even though it was for an old story, Atchison said what stood out to her was that the technology was almost identical to the equipment she works on at TVC.
However, she said “easily the best part” of the trip was connecting with fellow journalism and media students and alumni. She said it was inspiring to talk to several alumni working in the industry and how they started their media careers in the same spot she is in today. Atchison said her long-term goal is to be a sideline sports reporter but she is open to working in different positions in the industry.
Barber said touring CNBC was one of her favorite highlights of the trip because of the host, Steve Fastook. She added they listened to him talk for two hours and could have continued listening for two more because of how engaging he was with everyone.
While CNBC may be one of her favorites, Barber said each stop throughout the trip had something to teach her, whether it was about how to get ahead in the industry, tips to get over writer’s block, what to look for in a good boss, having the courage to network and meet others, and much more.
“It was an incredible experience because of the lessons I learned and the people I met,” Barber said. “Every place we visited taught me a different lesson. These lessons are ones that I will cherish forever and take with me into my career.”
Students Start Spring Semester Getting Hands-On Experiences in New York City written by Ernest Rollins and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.