The Hood College Communication Arts program honored the alum of the year at its sixth annual alumni networking event on April 13.
The department named Doug Raftery ’12, executive business officer of Loudoun United FC, as the alum of the year.
The event was held on the third floor of Rosenstock Hall, which allowed the communications faculty and students to show off the new multimedia suite, which was installed just last year, to the alumni.
The alumni were amazed by the newly renovated studio spaces, because they didn’t have so much equipment and space to work with while they were at Hood.
Nine communications students attended the event to connect with alumni and learn what it’s like to work in the communications, journalism and videography fields, among others.
Professor Elizabeth Atwood opened the event with a brief introduction and introduced Katherine Orloff, chair of the communication arts department.
“We now have advanced courses in videography, and we have even added a podcasting class,” Orloff said. “We have got, I think, everything to give the students who will go out and hit the ground running in professional work.”
Orloff then awarded Raftery with a plaque and he stepped behind the podium to say a few words.
“This is…unbelievable,” Raftery said, looking around the new multimedia suite. “Jeff and I had to borrow equipment in order to broadcast for Hood while I was here. This is a great opportunity for the current students.”
After Raftery finished speaking, the students and alumni split into networking groups. The students rotated every 10 minutes to talk to different alumni individually. Students asked the alumni questions related to their job fields and some even brought their resumes to ask for expertise on what does or doesn’t belong on resumes.
This is the first time the communications department has been able to hold the event since 2019, and it was a good opportunity for the alumni to see how the department has changed since they graduated.
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