By Allie Schwartz, Gaylord College Class of FA 2024
Will Cornelius, Gaylord graduate of 2018, eagerly embraced every opportunity during his undergraduate years.
Cornelius’s journey to Gaylord was unconventional. He secured a spot in the highly competitive Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Scholarship program, which fully funded his college education. The application process required eight essays. This proved an opportunity to tap into his newfound writing and creative skills. Starting as a Price College of Business student, Cornelius realized he wanted to pursue a career that better fit his skills and passions. Encouraged by a fraternity brother in Gaylord College, he decided to look into broadcast journalism.
Recapping his thought process during this transition, Cornelius remarked, "I'm really good at writing. I got my full college funding because of my writing. And I ended up figuring out I like journalism way better, just through my experiences.”
Cornelius found plenty of opportunities to fully immerse himself in the Gaylord College experience. Cornelius started at OU Nightly and quickly fell in love with the process. He still enjoys watching reruns of broadcasts featuring himself and his friends during get-togethers. To this day, Cornelius still enjoys tuning in to current Nightly episodes. “There's so much more support and all the students, they're just so hungry, and it's just so fun to watch everybody be so passionate and really enjoy that,” said Cornelius.
Cornelius adds, “They can't do any of that without donors, without the funds to be able to do that. So, I just love watching some of the recent episodes whenever I have a chance to tune in and just see the production value is just so much higher.”
Cornelius led the Gaylord College’s partnership with Griffin Media called [UNFILTERED], a segment where they covered the 2018 Oklahoma teachers strike. In the spring, Cornelius was able to get coverage all around the Capitol and able to explore the world of journalism. Following that experience, Cornelius found his first job from his close relationship with Griffin Media.
Of all the experiences Cornelius was able to partake in as a Gaylord student, he describes his internship in Salt Lake City Utah with KSL 5 as “an incredibly impactful experience for me because I got to see so much of the news world, the TV industry, local TV, how it goes.” [WS1] These experiences have honed his storytelling and content creation skills. He uses these skills every day in his current role as a Senior Marketing Specialist at Paycom.
“I wouldn't have gotten to learn anything without the donation from Catherine and Steve Hickman. They were essential in that program. They donate to enable students to be able to go and travel, go do this internship, and not have to worry about their finances.”
Cornelius directly benefited from scholarship funds, as do many Gaylord students today. He understands first-hand the value of real-world experiences for emerging journalists and storytellers. Because of this, he continues to give back to Gaylord College. Cornelius hopes his donation impacts Gaylord students, just as the scholarship he received impacted him.
These experiences have honed his storytelling and content creation skills. He uses these skills everyday in his current role as a Senior Marketing Specialist at Paycom. [WS1]
Joy Akande, like many other Gaylord College students, has taken initiative during her time so far at the University of Oklahoma. Joy is a current senior studying advertising and is a current co-team lead for Gaylord College Media’s marketing team. She also is a creative lead in Gaylord’s Lindsey + Asp, a student-led advertisement and public relations team that focuses on youth culture. Joy utilizes these organizations to express her love for creating content and showing others what it’s like to be a student at OU.
For many students, the path to higher education is linear. For others, it is winding. For Artra Nelson, a soon-to-be graduate of Gaylord College, this path included a stint in the Navy, a degree in political science, and a growing passion for public relations.
As graduation approaches, Aniketh Koneru, a senior Public Relations major, reflects on her Gaylord College experience. Her four years here have been shaped not only by the supportive community of peers and mentors but also the incredible opportunities that she took hold of. With the encouragement of others, Aniketh utilized the Student Experience Fund to elevate her voice to a national level.
Renteria is a junior majoring in public relations and minoring in Spanish and human relations, and is very involved on campus– she’s a resident advisor, a Henderson Scholar, in the President’s Community Scholars, in Crimson Club and will be a Gaylord ambassador this upcoming year. She has also received a slew of awards during her time at OU so far, including the Regents Award for Outstanding Juniors.
