Communication Program to Host Expatriate Symposium

The Master of Arts in Integrated Global Communication (MAIGC) is hosting a Marcom Expatriate Symposium in the Student Center, Room 205, on Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m.

The symposium will provide students with an intimate, behind-the-scenes perspective of what it means to work and culturally function as an expatriate in a foreign country, or someone who is working here in the United States, while still being a legal resident of another country. It will feature three panelists: Scott Jacobson of The Coca-Cola Company, Orange and St. John’s Ambulance; Yemille Castejon of CNN Español, Venevisión and Radio Caracas Televisión; and Adrienne Ware of Hewlett-Packard.

“Our speakers have worked internationally and will be speaking about their experiences working with different cultures and industries around the world,” said Patricia Chourio, a current MAIGC graduate student.

“Additionally, they will be able to give advice to students about working in the marketing and communication field.”

Meghan Meier, also a current MAIGC graduate student, cites the symposium as a great opportunity for students of all grade levels and majors to attend.

“Whether they are communication majors or studying a different field, this will give students the opportunity to ask experienced professionals questions that could help them better prepare academically and professionally,” Meier said.

Chourio speaks to the real-life preparation and opportunities that the MAIGC program has provided her with thus far. She has completed an internship with a nonprofit in Cambodia and secured an internship this semester with the Atlanta Bicycle coalition, as well as focusing her research on something she is passionate about—helping nonprofits develop strategic communication plans to help create awareness and raise funds for their organizations.

“Students who are interested in working abroad can learn what some of the skills needed to shine in this competitive field are,” she said. “Also, this is a great opportunity to network, especially for those interested in working for some of these companies in the future.”

Students will also be given time at the end of the symposium to network with each panelist, and Chourio strongly encourages that students come prepared to ask questions.

The MAIGC program is a professional-oriented, 33-hour, four-semester graduate program and the only global communication Master’s program in the Southeast. It strives to prepare a new generation of leaders in globally integrated organizations and to help these future communication professionals appreciate how economically interdependent and socially interconnected today’s world is.

Students of the program get access to one of the nation’s most vibrant global business and media centers, an innovative curriculum offering a balance of theory and skills, a cohort model that encourages cooperation and leadership, a summer international experience that immerses students in foreign cultures and a capstone experience featuring a professional project or an individual research thesis project.

For more information about the program, students should contact Dr. Charles Mayo at cmayo5@kennesaw.edu or stop by his office in the Social Sciences Building, Room 402. Students can also keep up with the upcoming symposium and future MAIGC events by visiting the program’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

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