The College of Media & Communication offers numerous Day One Opportunities, allowing students to get hands-on, practical experience in the many fields of media and communication. From RaiderComm to The Daily Toreador, education takes place far beyond the classrooms. For Jenna Cain, a senior creative media industries major from Wylie, Texas, her Day One Opportunities eventually led her back to her hometown – and she brought CoMC with her.
Cain has worked as a student assistant since joining the college in 2019. She works in the Dean's Suite under Business Coordinator Stephanie West. In this role, Cain maintains consistent relationships with administrative faculty such as Todd Chambers, Ph.D., an associate professor & associate dean for undergraduate affairs.
When Cain saw Chambers and other faculty had recently made a trip to Harlingen, Texas, for a recruiting event, she grew curious about the process.
“[Chambers] will tell a different story of how it happened because he thinks it's a better story, but after I saw the Harlingen story, I told him to make a trip to Wylie,” says Cain. “Well, he looked at me and said, ‘Make it happen.'”
So, Cain made it happen.
She reached out to her former principal, Birdie Montgomery, on Facebook and asked
how she could curate a CoMC trip to Wylie. Montgomery, who happens to be the former
tennis coach of Chambers, directed Cain to Wylie ISD Superintendent David Vinson,
Ph.D.
“I have been working with deans and professors for the last three years, but I have never been more intimidated to write an email than to the superintendent of a high school I graduated from in 2017,” says Cain. “I don't know why I was so nervous, but I sent it and five minutes later [Vinson] responded and said ‘Yes, we would absolutely love to.'”
The CoMC caravan made its way to Wylie on Wednesday, March 2 with the help of Cain's connections and creativity. There, Cain was met with many familiar smiles and cozy memories.
“I didn't even think I would go on the trip,” says Cain. “I thought it would be the higher-ups only, but I loved getting to see my school like that. My brother is a current student – hopefully we'll get him to Tech – but he didn't even know I was there until he saw me at the reception. It was just a great experience.”
Although Cain and Chambers may tell different stories of how the trip came to be, there is no question about Cain's desire to spread her appreciation of the Texas Tech community.
“Tech has always had my back,” says Cain. “They've always pushed me to do more hands-on activities, to get involved in the Day One Opportunities. You need to be plugged in. You need to get your foot in the door. This college will let you do that.”
The trip to Wylie comes as the latest stop of “CoMC On The Road,” a college-wide recruiting initiative taking administration across Texas as they meet and connect with potential students. Next, CoMC will make their way to Canadian, Texas.
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