Everything Nac

A group of Stephen F. Austin State University mass communication students recently spent two weeks in Europe meeting with high-profile journalism and media agencies in London and Paris.

Participants were accompanied on the trip by Dr. John Hendricks, chair of the Department of Mass Communication, and Dr. Linda Bond, associate professor of mass communication.

“SFA’s Meet the Media class took eight mass communication students to London and Paris during Summer 1 from June 18 through July 2,” said Bond. “They had business meetings with the Guardian Newspaper, the BBC’s MediaCityUK, YCN Agency, Chartered Institute of Public Relations, NuSound Radio, Warner Brothers: The Making of Harry Potter, the Photographers’ Gallery and Political Lobbying and Media Relations Ltd.”

Students who attended include Abby Hendricks, Amanda Barker, Brittany Dorbin, Emma Gregerson, Evie Sweeten, Kacey Kerlick, Lyndsey Dickerson and Matt Ess. They represented the spectrum of mass communication majors, from radio and television to journalism, photojournalism and public relations/advertising.

“Each student was in charge of one segment of the trip,” Bond said, “and wrote about the organization both before and after the trip.”

A major event occurred while the group was abroad when Britain voted in favor of exiting the European Union. Students were able to discuss the effects of that vote with European citizens.

“Britain’s exit, or ‘Brexit,’ took many Londoners by surprise,” Hendricks recalled. “The historic vote was on the mind of many business people the class met. The day after the Brexit vote, the exchange rate of British pounds to American dollars plummeted from 1.58 to 1.15.”

As part of the course, students met with Matthew Hall, head of engagement for CIPR. He informed students every organization must have a crisis plan in place and acknowledged that CIPR’s crisis plan was already in place to manage changes brought about by the Brexit vote to members of the public relations organization.

The class also met with Kevin Craig, an elected politician in the London government and a candidate for Parliament in the 2005 national elections. He is now managing director of PLMR. He discussed balancing the vote of his political district with his own personal interests and, like many of the business people students met, said he was surprised that Britain had voted to pull out of the union.

In addition to business meetings, class members visited the British Museum, Kensington Palace, Fleet Street, the Museum of London, Buckingham Palace, the Louvre, Bateau Parisiens on the Seine River, Windsor Castle and the Eiffel Tower. The class worked with Ines Maxit, study abroad coordinator for the SFA Office of International Programs.

History books can fall short when describing the sights, sounds and thrills of standing on some of America’s earliest colonized lands.

Stephen F. Austin State University history undergraduate Hannah Russell of Houston had the opportunity to close her books and experience her favorite historical period firsthand this summer through an internship at Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation in Virginia.

“Receiving this internship is the beginning of my career in history, and I couldn’t be more thankful for this opportunity,” Russell said. “I love early American history, but never imagined I would actually be able to work where our country began. My job is only a half mile down the road from the original Jamestown fort and 20 minutes away from where Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown!

“It’s one thing to learn about history in a book, but it’s a totally different thing to be able to go where that history happened. To be able to live here and learn and talk about history every day is the opportunity of a lifetime for me.”

The experience is a dream come true for Russell who has had a passion for early American history since she was a young child.

“I knew that I wanted an internship somewhere to begin my career in history. At first, I was only looking in the Houston area, but then my mom suggested I also look in Virginia because my favorite area of history is early American history, and Virginia is the perfect place to study this era,” Russell said. “It also was an added bonus that I have family living here, and they would be able to provide me with housing. Through some searches, I came across several internships, applied and got an internship through the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia.”

One of a couple dozen foundation interns, Russell said she is working in the Jamestown Settlement portion of the foundation. The other two locations are the main offices and the Yorktown Victory Center.

“I am working as a docent at the Jamestown Settlement,” she added. “So far, I’ve mostly been working in our new special exhibit titled ‘Bartering for a Continent’ that details trade between the early Jamestown colonists and the Powhatan Indians. It also includes an interactive activity for kids, which is mainly what I am doing while I’m here. During the summer, however, I also will be working at various locations throughout the museum, such as our main gallery.”

The application process was simple, Russell said. She emailed the foundation intern coordinator in January. With the assistance of SFA Department of History Professor Dr. Elizabeth Deanne Malpass, she applied for the position and was granted a phone interview in early April.

“Hannah Russell is an exceptional student. Her dedication to her field, her sense of discipline and her integrity as an individual all are outstanding. In addition, these are tied intrinsically to a sense of compassion and responsibility,” Malpass said. “Her internship with the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation reflects not only Hannah’s instilled family values and her own achievements, but also the growth potential that others see in her future.

“Hannah’s internship with this foundation is unique and outstanding. It recognizes the investment and the trust that the government, private foundations and the academic community place on individual students as citizens and their role of leadership in the growth of the nation.”

Russell will return to SFA in the fall as a junior history major with a secondary education minor. She will continue working as a photographer for The Pine Log and also will begin working in the university’s Academic Assistance and Resource Center as a student instructor for introductory history courses.

Only a few days are left for silent bidding on artwork for this year’s 12X12 scholarship fundraiser of the Friends of the Visual Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The silent auction features 12-by-12-inch pieces created by approximately 70 artists from Nacogdoches, Lufkin and other areas of East Texas. The art is on display in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches. Anyone may silently bid on the pieces. Bidding will continue until Saturday evening, July 16.

At 6 p.m. that evening, pieces that have no silent auction bids (minimum $250) are available for purchase for $100. Unsold art will be awarded as raffle items, with tickets available at the event. Texas State Rep. Travis Clardy is scheduled to be the evening’s master of ceremonies and will announce the winners of the art pieces. The public is encouraged to attend this free event.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information about 12X12, call The Cole Art Center at (936) 468-6557.