Sixth Communication Day Highlights Student Work

Networking reception of the sixth annual Communication Day

(photo by Makenna Bentley)

By Makenna Bentley

At the sixth annual Communication Day on Friday, current Communication majors were put into the spotlight together with the alumni.

This year’s Communication Day, an event hosted by the Department of Communication celebrating the Communication major by inviting its alumni back to Trinity, added a new program: student work showcase.

On the fourth floor of the Richardson Communications Center, home to the department, about 30 projects done by Communication majors, ranging from short narrative films, video games, podcast, sitcom, documentaries, to multimedia journalism, were on display in the computer labs.

Jennifer Henderson: Journey of Following Passions

By Marina Schweitzer

People told her she would never work in Washington DC again, but Jennifer Henderson was determined. The determination helped her land another DC job that she thought might actually help people.

Henderson brought that same kind of determination to Trinity University in 2002, when she joined the faculty in the Department of Communication. Sixteen years later, she has become a full professor and the department chair, and has taught an array of classes including mass media, media law, media ethics, advertising, and communication capstone.

Communication Day Connects Students with Alumni

RCC320 was packed with students attending the panels
at the Communication Day. The panel pictured here features
graduates within the past five years.

By Marina Schweitzer and Sophia Scearce

The fifth annual Communication Day on Friday welcomed back to Trinity 15 graduates who majored in communication, along with hundreds of alumni, current students and faculty.

Room 320 in the Richardson Communication Center was completely packed. Additional chairs were added and lined up the side way, as students flocked into the room to hear what the alumni had to say about their career and life experiences.

Leni Kirkman (‘84), senior vice president of strategic communications and patient relations at University Health System in San Antonio, said she used to write down her goals for the future and knew she wanted to be a broadcast journalist, which she did for a while but later changed her career.

NBC News Producer and Trinity Alum Gives Keynote at Communication Day

John Bentley gives the keynote speech at the Communication Day
(Photo by Josie Liu)

By Lauren Bagg

John Bentley (‘95), NBC News producer and a Trinity graduate with a degree in communication, gave the keynote speech that kicked off the fifth annual Communication Day on Friday.

Bentley is an award-winning television journalist and has covered stories around the world, from the war in Afghanistan to the 2008 presidential election. He has worked at CBS, ABC and is currently a producer for NBC News.

In his talk, titled “Speaking Truth to Power: Covering Conflicts and Campaigns Around the World," Bentley said that the duty of a journalist “is to speak the truth for others, and to make the story not about the reporters but of the person that is being observed.”

Fourth Communication Day Brings Together Alumni and Current Students

By Andrea Acevedo

Panel featuring the youngest alumni at Communication Day
Photo by Josie Liu

Faculty, alumni, and both ​current and ​prospective communication majors came together on Friday for a packed day of alumni panels, networking, and a keynote speech during​ the fourth annual Communication Day organized by Trinity’s Department of Communication.

​​The alumni panels divided speakers into communication department graduates from the past five years, the past 20 years, and other classes. A total of 13 alumni formed the panels, representing varied professions such as journalism, public relations, practice of law, and teaching.

Trinity Alumnus Chris Helfrich Gives Memorable Speech

By Amy Drozdiak

Chris Helfrich ('03) gives keynote speech
at the Communication Day
Photo by Josie Liu

Chris Helfrich, the executive director of Nothing But Nets, a United Nations Foundation campaign, kicked off the third annual Communication Day at Trinity University with an inspirational keynote speech on Friday.

In his speech, Helfrich, who graduated from Trinity University in 2003, reflected on how the experiences and skills he acquired as a student at Trinity, and the profound influence from his Trinity mentors, have helped equip him to successfully progress his career into one with the power to make a difference in the world.

As the executive director of Nothing But Nets, a global, grassroots foundation, Helfrich works to raise awareness and funding to help fight malaria through providing mosquito nets and other materials to communities with high malaria death rates, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa.

Young Alumni Bring Inspirations and Advice Back to Trinity

Recent communication major graduates
speak at a panel at the Communication Day
Photo by Josie Liu

By Robert Smith

The classroom 320 in Trinity University’s Richardson Communication Center was fully occupied on Friday afternoon. Staff started to put extra chairs on the side, with many people still standing on the back and near the door.

Around 50 students, faculty and staff were here to see, and hear, five recent graduates of Communication major speaking at a panel at the third annual Communication Day, held by the Department of Communication.

Leading the discussion were Natalie Brown, Don Dimick, Lauren Wilks, Sarah Cooper and Leslie Green, all of whom graduated from Trinity within the past three years.