2012.
The year that Charlotte held the Democratic National Convention (also known as
the ‘DNC’). This was a great opportunity for a city [Charlotte] that is
blooming rapidly and with such momentum. Charlotte has a lot to offer and with the vast amounts of
people that are brought in by an event like the DNC, there was no better time
to show one’s Charlotte pride than during this extraordinary event.
The
faculty here at Queens University of Charlotte was quick to brainstorm
different ideas for the students to be involved with the DNC while
simultaneously learning more about communication in a hands-on environment. The
Knight School of Communication decided to put together a course to engage the
students with information about the convention and inform those who are out of
state ( like me!) a little bit about Charlotte history. This turned into a two
day seminar/discussion panel that would include many talented speakers from
entrepreneurs, environmentalists, artists, and media scholars. Then after days
of observing information about the queen city, we were asked to put all we
learned to use while volunteering for the DNC. This course was called COMM 360.
As a student that participated in the course, I
cannot say enough about how incredible this program was for me. I think that
the DNC alone had a big impact on the college students and young
professionals in this area, or anyone who was involved for that matter! But
what separates the DNC volunteer at Queens from any other volunteer is this
class, COMM360. Almost anyone can go online and fill out an application to work
at the DNC and while that may be fulfilling for some, Queens went above and
beyond that, they created the ultimate communication experience.
The
professors running this course demanded our attention, which in turn was
effortless with the shining speakers they brought in to educate us. Since I am not a Charlotte native, I
particularly enjoyed the sections of the panel that discussed the history of Charlotte. I also was very fond of the Charlotte Video Projects that showcased
all the corks and glories that makes charlotte so special and unique from any
other city.
After
all was said and done with the course, and we were pushed out of the Knight School
nest and into the high speed world that was the DNC I can confidently say that
I was not the only student on a Charlotte high! The course put the convention
into perspective for me. Not only was this a national convention for the
Democratic Party, but to its host it was a celebration- a celebration of
Charlotte.
-Adair Kennedy
This was a great summary of the Comm360 class. I hope your positive review leads to more opportunities like this in the communication school even though Charlotte won't be seeing an event the size of the DNC every year. I would be interested in reading more about your experience in what you did during the DNC. It sounds like it was a very fast-paced, fun environment. - Daniel
ReplyDeleteDaniel, the experience working at the DNC was very fast paced. It was like watching "live history" everyone had a camera in hand to document what was happening. Everywhere you looked there was something going on, like a protester making history or government official being interviewed. One of my peers said he was documenting the convention until midnight one night! The energy among everyone at the convention was lively and fun and with an event that only last a few days you have to have that mentality.
ReplyDelete-Adair