Photo Credits: Olivia Johnson
Pictured: (left to right) Miguel Green, Josiah Carter, Aiden Kennon, Will Aaron, Tyler Parker
While many students spent fall break catching up on rest or heading home, a group of Arkansas Tech University students and faculty took their learning on the road; straight to the home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
A total of eight students and three faculty members traveled to Oklahoma City to visit the Paycom Center, where they met with the Thunder’s professional media and marketing team. This unique opportunity offered students an inside look at how marketing, branding, and media operations work for a world-renowned sports organization.
Those attending included students Tyler Parker, Miguel Green, Will Aaron, Aiden Kennon, and Josiah Carter, accompanied by faculty members Dr. John Narcum, Katie Hook, and Olivia Johnson from the College of Business.
While on-site, the group toured the Paycom Center and heard from members of the Thunder’s media team, including James Price, Director of Social Media; Brianna Rhone, Social Media Content Producer; and Julia Cedron, Social Media Manager. These professionals offered students honest insights about the challenges and rewards of managing marketing for a major sports franchise.
The students stated they appreciated the team’s transparency about what it takes to succeed in the industry, particularly the advice that starting at the bottom is not a bad thing: it’s often how you get to the top. Others noted how impressive it was to see the complexity of large-scale marketing compared to the smaller campaigns they have studied in class.
The group also found time to build camaraderie, enjoying a visit to Top Golf and trying Dave’s Hot Chicken for the first time, which quickly became a favorite amongst the group.
Between professional development, hands-on learning, and team bonding, the trip offered an unforgettable experience that blended classroom lessons with real-world applications. Josiah Carter, a junior from Florida stated, “Getting to go behind the scenes of something you’ve looked up to and followed for a long time was incredible.”
