Wright State communication students participate in Cox Media Group Ohio’s Career Day

Wright State communication studies students Bethany Althauser, left, Jena Schwierling and Greyson Howells learned about working in television and radio during Cox Media Group’s 2023 Career Day.

Three Wright State University communication studies students got an exclusive chance to watch a newsroom in action. They met industry professionals, including Wright State alumni, and learned how journalists find and write the news at the Cox Media Group’s 2023 Career Day.

Cox Media Group’s annual event gives college students who hope to work in media and communication a chance to see an award-winning newsroom in action. Students met company leaders, toured the building, and learned how news stories are discovered, written and produced for the public to read online, watch on television and hear on the radio.

Wright State students Greyson Howells, Jena Schwierling and Bethany Althauser were hand-picked for the opportunity by faculty and staff in the College of Liberal Arts.

Trey Back, a 2009 mass communication graduate who works as a promotions manager for Cox Media Group, invited Wright State’s Communication Program to choose a group of high-achieving students to attend.

Wayne Stark, a career consultant in the College of Liberal Arts, worked closely with Laura Luehrmann, Ph.D., chair of the School of Social Sciences and International Studies, and Jung-Soo Yi, Ph.D., professor of communication and associate chair of the School of Social Sciences and International Studies, to select the students.

“I was very pleased with the professionalism of our students,” Stark said. “They looked sharp, asked great questions, and were very involved with the hands-on aspects of the tour.”

Althauser, who operates her own photography business, said the event gave her a new outlook on a communication career. Before the event, she said, she had always wanted to work in social media, but the career day gave her more options.

“I’ve learned about a whole new area in communications that spiked my interest,” Althauser said. “I loved getting to interact with people who work in my field, it was nice to see what an actual day in the life would look like working in the media.”

Howells, who is a sophomore, has made a name for himself in the Wright State community as the assistant director of WWSU, the campus radio station. He also serves as a DJ and hosts “Indie Hour” on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Howells said the tour was eye-opening. He enjoyed learning about the television and radio offices working together.

“I learned the importance of the process that goes into creating both television and radio broadcasts,” Howells said.

He plans to work in radio or media production and is interested in a degree in communication studies because he enjoys working with people.

“I love working with people, diagnosing problems and creating solutions, a calling which communication does very well for me,” Howells said.

Luehrmann said she is grateful to Cox Media Group for hosting the event and is excited to see where the students go after they graduate from Wright State.

“This Cox Media Career Day is precisely the type of experiential learning opportunity that we hope to provide for our students,” Luehrmann said. “These events promote the connections between classroom and real-life learning that our students crave and need in order to be as prepared as possible for a rapidly changing career environment. We hope that Jena, Greyson and Bethany leave the day even more inspired in their work, and that they continue making connections between their solid liberal arts foundation and their career of choice.”

Stark said he hoped the students gained a deeper understanding of working in media and that they could use the connections they made at Cox Media for future internships and possibly a long career.

“I know the students received great information that will help them as they discern their career directions,” Stark said.