Alumni Gifts Create New Career Programming for CCI Students
Alumni Gifts Create New Career Programming for CCI Students
By Gerhard Schneibel (’19)
An Office for Career Development exists for the first time now in the College of Communication and Information thanks to the generous support of CCI alumna Suzanne Sackleh (’89). Led by Devan Lane, the newly endowed office works with the university’s Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration to develop partnerships and career pipelines for students through employer spotlights, industry networking nights, a career fair, and curated student programming.
When Lane joined the college, one of her first orders of business was to assess what steps should be taken so that CCI students would be able to demonstrate industry-relevant skills.
“It has been great getting to know the Knoxville market and how students can engage,” she says. “Creating opportunities for students to make their dreams reality is where the fun is for me.”
“This is just very special work. It’s exciting to see how students make their dreams a reality, and I enjoy encouraging them to craft a path forward so they can make the most of their careers.”
Devan Lane
One of those students is Ellie Warchus-Simms (’24) who interned at Yee-Haw Brewing Company, as well as LEO Events, where she received mentorship and guidance from CCI alumna Cindy Brewer (’91). Warchus-Simms, a second-generation UT student, followed her mother’s footsteps to Rocky Top after an all-Vol upbringing in San Diego, California, and was determined to make the most of her experience. That initiative has paid off, and she credits much of her success to networking and career events at CCI.
“This office has given me so much confidence,” she says. “It built up my courage and taught me how to present my skills and value and to be proactive. Things like informational interviews, where I learned to answer questions in a professional manner, have helped me grow, and overall it has been an amazing experience that resulted in new opportunities.”
Warchus-Simms participated in one of the annual CCI trips to Washington, DC, where students network with alumni, tour top employers, and learn more about a variety of career paths.
“It was an amazing trip, and I look forward to helping people as well when I have my career situated,” Warchus-Simms says. “I plan to stay connected with Devan and become a great alumna by helping other students get internships and job opportunities.”
This center has given me so much confidence. It built up my courage and taught me how to present my skills and value, and to be proactive.
Ellie Warchus-Simms (’24)
This center has given me so much confidence. It built up my courage and taught me how to present my skills and value, and to be proactive.
Ellie Warchus-Simms (’24)
For Lane, students like Warchus-Simms demonstrate meaningful impact and motivate her to advance CCI’s career outreach intiatives. One such effort helped students present their skills and abilities through online portfolios. Led by Senior Career Coach Bukky Abdul, a workshop with the website-building platform Wix invited industry partners to advise students on how to structure their portfolios and reels for a specific discipline such as video production, journalism, or user experience design.
The college is one of the first on campus to launch an alumni mentorship program using Connect UT, an exclusive systemwide networking, mentoring, and connection platform for alumni, faculty, and staff.
“Our alumni are wonderful in that we can just send them an email and they are willing to help.”
Devan Lane
“In partnership with Sarah Barclay, CCI’s associate director of advancement, we piloted a new program with seniors, making 39 successful partnerships between alumni and students,” Lane says. “Our alumni are wonderful in that we can just send them an email and they are willing to help. As part of the program, we ask the pair—the student and alumnus—to complete three meetings and track the outcomes through the Connect UT platform.”
That spirit of collaboration, coupled with the enthusiasm and optimism of students like Warchus-Simms, energizes Lane to connect students, alumni, and employers in a constellation that yields opportunity.
“This is just very special work,” Lane says. “It’s exciting to see how students make their dreams a reality, and I enjoy encouraging them to craft a path forward so they can make the most of their careers.”
