Does what you learn in the classroom translate to the real world? Dr. Nune Grigoryan, assistant communication professor, had this question in mind when she created Social Nexus in September 2021. The idea was to give her students an opportunity to transfer what they were learning to the professional world.
The concept of the project consists of four hubs, dialogue, research, content creation/curation, and news/information. A year into the continually evolving program, Grigoryan and her students agree that the program has been a success.
Although the original vision Grigoryan had for Social Nexus changed, it still seems to have come to fruition.
“The new direction came from seeing how the students worked [together], their dynamics, skills and experience,” Grigoryan said.
Grigoryan believes that her hands-on way of teaching has allowed her students to prosper in various ways.
“You learn some of the social media strategies and techniques in the class and then here [as part of the work] you can ask yourself ‘How do I work with a team or a client, how do I communicate with a client?,'” Gigoryan said.
Like Grigoryan, Amir Ings, senior digital communications major, agrees that there are obvious benefits to being a part of Social Nexus.
“Being in Social Nexus this past year has really taught me about leadership, time management, and what it means to work in the social media field,” Ings said.
“My role is executive team member in charge of TikToks and social media. I make sure the different types of media are up to quality and that we’re following trends. One of my milestones has been growing the Wolfington Center’s social media branding because it had been outsourced before,” Ings said.
“It’s an opportunity to add things to your portfolio if you’re thinking of working in social media or any kind of entertainment because it’s a great way to show people your creativity and how you read analytics because all of that’s important. It helps your resume, your portfolio, and it’s just a great organization to join if you’re a communications major because it really gives you a sense of community with the other team members,” Ings said.
Even though she has only been involved with Social Nexus for a semester, Erica Zebrowski, senior digital communications major, believes that the program provides important experience.
“Each of us take turns on posting for our social media pages. So, each week we rotate who writes a blog, who posts on Twitter or Instagram, and who creates content for Twitter. Each week we also have a topic of focus to curate our content around. This is a great way to keep our social media active so our followers are more engaged,” Zebrowski said.
Jahmeelah Reis, senior digital communications major, has seen great improvement within the Social Nexus club and is excited for its future.
“It’s been very exciting to see Social Nexus develop from its very beginnings to now so it’s really nice knowing that people within the school are knowledgeable about Social Nexus and the services we do provide to people who potentially want to start their own business,” Ries said.
Making the step from the classroom to the working world can sometimes be challenging, but Social Nexus provides concrete, hands-on learning experiences that can make the transition seamless.
