Elon Communications Turns 21 #ElonComm21
All of us born in 2000 are turning 21 this year, and so is Elon Communications. On Saturday, November 6th the Communications School had a beautiful celebration of the last 21 years of excellence. The dinner reception was in the Snow Family Grand Atrium and the unveiling of the new Distinguishing Alumni Wall followed. The evening was sprinkled with stories about their beginnings as a school.
Dean of Communications Rochelle Ford spoke to us at The Edge about the future of Elon of Communications. Her main goal is for employers to seek out Elon students and that wherever a student goes after graduation there will be an Elon Alumni close by: “we won’t have to say who Elon is, people will know that Elon is excellent.”
“I knew when I started in the communication school we would be celebrating our 20th anniversary. There has got to be a way to celebrate.” She talked to the advisory board and they decided to pick turning 21 since the Truitt Center has been celebrating students turning 21 since 1998. The Truitt Center gives students an opportunity to celebrate when they turn 21 by inviting their mentors to a special dinner that ends with a toast, “the best is yet to come.”
The theme of the night was moments where the rest of your life started. Senior Maeve Ashbrook shares that her moment was when she chose to attend Elon, and her first day interning at KAKE News in Wichita, KS. "I was 19 and I was ready, and I took that newsroom by storm, all because of just one year of an Elon Comm education. I owe this school a lot for preparing me for that internship."
Elon Alumni Maity Interiano ‘07, Emmy Award-winning Journalist & On-Air Talent for Univision, was presented with the Alumna of the Year Award. “From day one, Elon supported 18-year-old Maity from Honduras, achieving her dream of being a journalist,” Interiano says. She was not able to attend the event in person but shares equally as impactful remarks about her journey as a student and post-graduate. ‘’I chose to come back to Elon because my experience here gave me the tools to become the professional I am today and I want others to have the same.’’ (See all her remarks here.)
The celebration isn’t over yet—keep a lookout here for more upcoming events.