Fishing for
Experience

Experience can be a great way to expand a resume. Four Texas Tech University students found a way to gain experience while helping the Lubbock community.

Kidfish Lubbock took place at Maxey Park on April 26, 2014. The event was free and open to the public. American Business Clubs and Lubbock Lions Club sponsored the event.

Trevor Bell, a then College of Media & Communication graduate student, got involved with the kidfish event through his internship at BrightStar Healthcare. Bell said he was approached by the owner of BrightStar Healthcare to work with Lubbock Lions Club to help launch a nonprofit kids initiative.

Bell said he assembled a team of undergraduate students from the CoMC to help with publicity for the event. Bell recruited students from classes and through recommendations from professors.

“I took it as an opportunity to allow undergraduates to have the ability to apply the skills they’ve learned in the classroom in a professional environment,” Bell said. “I know from when I was an undergraduate, the biggest thing you can put on your resume is experience. I took this as an opportunity to give back to the college.”

Bell said more than 600 people showed up at the event. The event started at 7 a.m. and some people even showed up at 5:30 a.m. He said he was glad that he could help out and make the difference for a nonprofit event.

Clayton Errington (BA Electronic Media and Communications, 2014) was one of the recruited students. Errington was recommended to Bell by Todd Chambers, Ph.D., the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs. Errington said he designed the website, kidfishlubbock.com, for the event.

“Web design is something I have wanted to do for awhile,” Errington said. “Why not take opportunities when they come? It was nice to make a website and have that on my résumé.”

“Kidfish was an event for families to come out and get away from the television on a Saturday morning,” Errington said. “No one fishes anymore. It is sad that some of these traditions of a father taking his son out fishing have gone away. But, the turnout for the event was great. Some people were just driving down Quaker, saw the hoard of people, and decided to stop by.”

Hannah Westbrook, a sophomore electronic media and communications major from Arlington, Texas, was also recruited for the event by Bell after Bell taught Westbrook in a previous class. Westbrook handled graphic design projects for the event such as creating a logo and creating a thank-you graphic for the sponsors of the event. Westbrook said she has already been contacted to help with more events in the future.

“I was contacted by one of the event sponsors, AMBUCS, for some potential work in the future,” Westbrook said. “I’m only a sophomore and I have all of these opportunities.”

Westbrook said Bell was impressed by one of her class projects. She said this was one reason why Bell contacted her to help with the event.

“Our assignment was to come up with an app or a television show,” Westbrook said. “Most people just presented their project with a PowerPoint. For my visual aid, I wrote and directed a short trailer for my television show. I think that stuck in Trevor’s head that he could use me if he ever needed someone who knows how to do video.”

Kelsey Koym, a sophomore philosophy major from Canton, Texas, was also recruited by Bell to help with the event. Koym was assigned to interview the game warden, Mallory Mitchell, who assisted with the event, create a blog for the event website, and take photos of the event for social media.

“Trevor was the teaching assistant for my Professional Communication class,” Koym said. “He sent out an email to former students asking for help with the event. I volunteered because I really wanted experience and I knew Trevor was a really great person to work with.”

Bell said all of the undergraduates he recruited were happy to help and said it speaks to the quality of students from the college who are willing to go above and beyond.

“It helped me out,” Bell said. “But, I think the undergraduate students got the most out of it because they are setting themselves apart. I really saw the value in recruiting them.”

Koym also said she enjoyed working with Bell and having him act as a mentor to the team. She said she liked how she was afforded some creativity in her work but also had a supervisor who provided input and advice.

“I really enjoyed this event,” Koym said. “I think more undergraduates should be paired up with graduate students who have been there so undergraduates can get that experience and be involved with something that is contributing to the community. I think Texas Tech University and this event went hand in hand.”

Errington also said he appreciated the opportunity to gain experience.

During the event, Bell said he handled the Facebook for the event and talked with guests and answered any questions they had. Errington said he took photos of the event for the Kidfish website and Koym also worked with the Facebook page and took photos during the event.

"I know from when I was an undergraduate, the biggest thing you can put on your resume is experience. I took this as an opportunity to give back to the college."
- Trevor Bell

“Everyone seemed to have fun,” Bell said. “The lake was stocked with catfish and there were a lot of families out there. I was so surprised to see that many people. Seeing the kids catching their first fish was the best thing.”

“It was awesome,” Koym said. “There were so many kids there having fun. They were having the time of their lives and we were, too, just watching them.”

Bell said he was glad that the Lubbock community was so receptive to the event. He said he also thinks that the fact the event involved a leisure activity also helped people get involved.

“If you give the community a reason to get involved, they will,” Bell said. “That was a big thing about this event - trying to get the community involved with each other and their loved ones. Fishing is not a taxing event and it was free. This event showed that communities will become involved if they are given a reason.” mc

(Preston Redden graduated in 2015 with a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communications and in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. David Vaughn graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in University Studies.)