By Henry Berry - Gaylord College Media Practicum
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.
Joy has been able to extend her passion through the walls of Gaylord College thanks to the Gaylord Student Experience Fund. Last fall, Joy and other students attended the “New York Agency Immersion Trip” where students from all Gaylord majors spent a week visiting media professionals and Gaylord alumni in New York City. Students met with companies such as TikTok, The New York Post, and Mother, making new connections and seeing what New York city had to offer. This opportunity was granted to Joy through a scholarship from the Gaylord Student Experience Fund.
“I have been able to really craft my professional and social skills thanks to the amazing opportunity this fund awarded me,” Akande said about the New York trip.
This April, Gaylord is providing Joy and other students the chance to visit Washington D.C., specifically to meet with professional public relations agencies. This is another opportunity that is being provided by the Gaylord Student Experience Fund that focuses on giving students more opportunities inside and outside the classroom to prepare them for their professional careers in the future.
Joy Akande and many other students have been able to make new connections, expand their knowledge of their media fields, and make lifelong memories thanks to the generous contributions made to the Gaylord Student Experience Fund.
“People should donate to the Student Experience Fund because it allows students like me to have amazing opportunities to grow within our field,” Akande said “These funds are such a blessing to students who want to reach their potential and make the most out of their college experience.”
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 his Gaylord College experience. His four years here have been shaped not only by the supportive community of peers and mentors but also the incredible opportunities that he took hold of. With the encouragement of others, Aniketh utilized the Student Experience Fund to elevate his 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.
