Higgins, an
organizational communication major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and fellow
ORCO major Lupe Garcia, a junior from Shelbyville, Tennessee, listened intently
inside the James Union Building ballroom Friday, March 27, as presenter Sam
Davidson shared advice on how students could identify their passions and turn
them into a career.
“I’m talking about
taking what it is they care about and turn it into an entrepreneurial venture —
if they want create their own company or their own nonprofit,” said Davidson, a
social entrepreneur and founder of Nashville-based nonprofit Cool People Care.
“Students are coming to
college being passionate about something, having volunteered and being more
socially aware than generations before them. … If they can identify something
they really care about, then they can shape their educational career around
that.”
Higgins said Davidson’s
presentation helped her begin to “put two and two together” regarding her plans
for the future and a career.
“It made me realize
that I need to start planning and getting things done,” said Higgins, who hopes
to pursue a career in event planning or something in the publishing field.
Friday’s half-day
summit wrapped up a series of events for the second annual Nonprofit and Social
Innovation Week. The cross-disciplinary week of events, which drew some 350
students, was hosted by the Departments of Management and Marketing and
Business Communication and Entrepreneurship in the Jones College of Business
and the Department of Communication Studies and Organizational Communication in
the College of Liberal Arts.
Friday’s guest speakers
conducted sessions on: funding; social innovation; career-focused volunteering;
passion to purpose; beyond ordinary marketing; cool people care; and new
nonprofits.
Davidson’s organization,
Cool People Care, launched nine years ago and leverages its brand power to
create products such as T-shirts and posters and then donates the proceeds to
various causes.
Added Garcia on
Davidson’s presentation: “Now I have a really good vision of how to plan out
some of my future.” Garcia, who also wants to launch a career in event
planning, added that she also looked forward to finding an internship
opportunity during the internship fair next door.
Second Harvest Food
Bank of Middle Tennessee was among the nonprofits with a booth set up in the
Tennessee Room for the volunteer/internships fair. Taylor Loyal, Second
Harvest’s development manager for Rutherford County, said his agency was
signing up student volunteers and sharing information about the 40 or so mobile
pantries that operate in the county.
“There’s always
opportunity for students to volunteer at one of those,” Loyal said. “This
(event) gives us a great opportunity to meet with students and explain what we
do.”
Dr. Janet McCormick, an
associate professor of organizational communication in MTSU’s Department of
Speech and Theatre, said making such connections is among the key goals of the
event.
“The idea is to bring
the nonprofit professionals to the students on campus. It’s a networking
opportunity; it’s a connection for internships and project opportunities as
well,” McCormick said, adding that the morning’s keynote speaker Daryl Mackin
of local nonprofit A Soldier’s Child collected information following his
remarks for students interested in interning with his organization.
Meanwhile, students majoring
in organizational communication were getting hands-on training by working the
sign-in tables as attendees entered the James Union Building.
“They’re involved in
every aspect of this,” McCormick said.
For more information
about the Nonprofit & Social Innovation Week, contact Dr. Leigh Anne Clark
at la.clark@mtsu.edu.
TAGS: “Nonprofit & Social Innovation Student Summit”,
Jones College of Business, nonprofits, College of Liberal Arts, MTSU, Middle
Tennessee State University
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