Major Changes: Broadening Horizons with Classes and Careers
The structure of the Digital Corps, a collaboration of five interdisciplinary teams, is key to how we function. Every employee uses their special skill set to make our projects the best they can be. But, the Corps isn’t the only thing that makes students stand out. Each student at the Corps has unique interests, talents, and backgrounds that help them stand out.
The beauty of all this individuality is that it introduces diversity into the office, giving us the opportunity to learn every time we come into the office.
Although the Digital Corps is divided by teams, students constantly work with others outside their own disciplines. Designers can learn about accessibility from the User Experience Team, and Communication Team members can get photography tips from Video Team members. Beyond projects, however, students at the Digital Corps are never discouraged from learning something new using their time and resources here.
Acquiring Exceptionality
Megan Barry, an Apprentice on the Communication Team, was eager to learn all she could from the Corps. Megan’s public relations major has helped her become comfortable with social media management, a valuable skill to have as a member of the Communication Team, where she creates content for and manages the Corps Twitter account.
But as for her minor in telecommunications, she felt she could benefit from practice outside what she was learning in her classes. While TCOMM majors become versed in production processes, the primary purpose of the minor is to learn about the industry. Megan stressed the fact that, in this minor, she didn’t take any productions classes where she would hands-on learn the actual process of creating video content. “I know all about telecommunications,” Megan said, “but I don’t have any production experience.”
So, Megan took matters into her own hands. “My workload got light, and I decided to start the Video Team training.” She didn’t intend to actually become a member of the Video Team; rather, she knew she could be a stronger Communication Team member with the help of some training outside the discipline. In short, Megan saw an opportunity for learning and personal growth, and took it.
“I wanted to diversify my skill set so that I could have a better understanding of the Video Team and so that I could be more collaborative on projects” said Megan.
Intersections of Storytelling
Bailey Shelton, an apprentice on the Design Team, had a more organic but equally valuable road to expanding her knowledge. Bailey found a variety of insights and experiences offered by her journalism major, as well as her role at the Corps. “I’ve always had something going that’s a little artsy or design-oriented” Bailey said. “There’s probably an alternate universe me somewhere that is a full-blown designer, and not just a journalist who uses [design] for other means.” She reflected that she had once been sure she would study graphic design in college, until she found that she wanted something more (at least in this universe).
For Bailey, being a designer and being a journalist intersect at their shared end goal: telling a story — and these two roles don’t have to be separate. This, she said, is part of what made journalism appeal to her in the first place.
“Design and communication really go well together, because a lot of the messages that we send when we tell stories is not outwardly spoken, it’s more visual and silent,” Bailey said.
Megan and Bailey are just two examples of how we are always learning and growing in new ways as members of the Digital Corps. Our teams are a major part of who we are and what we do, but even within these, there is endless variety in what we know, and how we use this knowledge to drive us.
