Rutgers alum inspire as '#BeCOMM Talk Show' debuts

Following the success of past events like "COMMchella", the School of Communication and Information's "#BeCOMM" campaign hosted this semester's talk-show formatted event on October 23.

While "COMMchella" centered around live music and a festival-like atmosphere, the "#BeCOMM Talk Show" allowed students to hear from and engage directly with a panel of working communications professionals, all of whom attended Rutgers.

Mark Beal, an assistant professor of professional practice in the School of Communication and Information and leader of the "#BeCOMM" campaign, spoke about the appeal of this year's event.

"We thought the talk show format could be something completely different than a music concert ... It would be a platform where ... alumni and even current students could take the stage and talk about their careers, and … what Rutgers or the communication major, how it helped them," Beal said.

When Professor Beal says "we," he refers to the collaborative team behind the campaign, as "#BeCOMM" relies on a class of Beal's own students every semester to organize and work the event.

Ella Perini, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, joined Beal's class after attending the previous year's celebrations. 

"It's a really good way to be involved in something that's actually a learning experience for my future career, because I want to do public relations," she said.

The talk show portion was led by Rutgers alum Grace Lewis, who, along with being a marketing account executive, is the host of the podcast "Tall Poppy Talk." Lewis was a natural fit for the job, as she credits her alma mater for igniting her passion for storytelling. 

"No matter if you study communication or not, the importance of going to Rutgers is finding that thing that fuels your fire. And so for me, it's being curious and talking to people and trying to get their stories," said Lewis.

Throughout the night, Lewis interviewed an array of Rutgers alumni about their time at the school and what they've taken away from it. She emphasized the importance of hearing others' stories to see the different paths communication majors may take.

"There's such a broad variety of what the communication major can give you," she said.

It's a sentiment that was echoed throughout the night by various panel speakers, one of which was Lindsay Laureano, a former Rutgers tennis player, now working at NBC as a director of Ad Sales and Marketing for the Olympics. Her career path seems like a natural progression, but it wasn't Laureano's first thought.

"When I was at Rutgers, I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do for a career, so I think these types of events are really helpful, just to help students understand what's out there, what potential opportunities could be," she said.

Her own experience resonates with Beal's idea behind the event, to help students see the different paths available to them.

"It's hard to know what you want to do if you're not aware of everything out there and all your different options. So I think it's a great tool for that," Laureano said.

With so many experienced alumni present, the event provided a space for students to communicate and build connections with a vast range of industry professionals. Fellow panel speaker Gloria Vanderham, chair of the Rutgers University Alumni Association and CEO of Bliss Bio, commented on the opportunity for relationship building.

"An opportunity like this affords you not only networking opportunities, but in person, interviewing and conversation that we're not necessarily as used to," she said. "Based on the talent that is currently in this yard, there's opportunities for people to not only make connections, but potentially (meet) future coworkers."

Since she graduated from Rutgers, Vanderham has consistently emphasized the importance of connecting with the school's other alumni. 

"There is a vast network of incredible communicators out there, and those who majored in communications and have gone into many different aspects of what the industry offers," she said. "So definitely, LinkedIn, reach out, don't be shy."

Even with its focus on career exploration, the event maintained previous years' festive feel through a combination of live music, Rutgers organizational involvement and school spirit resulting in what Beal claimed is the campaign's biggest turnout yet. 

As the "#BeCOMM" campaign expands and gains momentum each semester, Beal makes sure to stay focused on preserving what makes the program special, building a sense of connection among those at Rutgers.

"It's a community of Rutgers students, Rutgers alumni, Rutgers faculty, Rutgers staff, who are coming together to, again, celebrate the communication major," Beal said. "But it's the idea of being inclusive and feeling like you belong, I think, is really powerful."