Martin Scholars Travel Support Fund Provides Trips of a Lifetime

For senior communication majors, the Martin Scholars Program opens a world of opportunities. But it also requires them to make both a time and financial commitment. Martin Scholars meet once a week to discuss case studies, participate in personal and professional development workshops, meet guest speakers and collaborate with peers.

Martin Scholars also commit to participating in fall- and spring-break trips to meet with industry experts and tour facilities in Atlanta (fall) and in New York City or Washington, D.C. (spring).

For some students interested in the Martin Scholars Program, the expense of the trips is overwhelming – discouraging them from applying or, in some cases, resulting in them turning down the opportunity.

“It was heartbreaking to hear students say they could not participate in the program because they couldn’t afford the mandatory fall- and spring-break trips,” says Beth Goodier, associate professor of communication and director of the Martin Center for Mentorship in Communication. “The trips are transformative for students. The connections they develop have proven invaluable when the students start their job search. When possible, I used unrestricted funds to help students, but those funds were limited, and I realized we needed a more formal structure to help students in financial need.”

Together with her husband Chris, Goodier created the Martin Scholars Travel Support Fund, providing the seed money to ensure students could attend the trips. Since then, others have joined the Goodiers, including members of the Department of Communication National Advisory Council: Steve Cody, Jim Hickey and Judy Wicks and her husband Alan.

Opening Up Opportunities

For Emma Potter, a communication major with a minor in marketing, the financial assistance made traveling to Atlanta possible.

“Thanks to the Martin Scholars Travel Support Fund, I had the opportunity to broaden my network and learn about internship opportunities,” says Potter, who also received the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Scholarship and the Kendall Soistman “Soaring Above the Clouds” Endowed Scholarship. “Before the trip to Atlanta, I was laser focused on working for a PR agency. The trip opened my eyes to new possibilities. I had no idea corporations had so many different communications positions and that PR agencies have such a broad scope.”

Potter currently interns with Chernoff Newman, a boutique PR agency in Charleston, where another Martin Scholar, Kaitlynn Weeks ’23, currently works. Because of Weeks, by the time Potter went to her internship interview, she already knew everyone on the panel.

A World of Possibilities

Potter loves the creative energy at Chernoff Newman and how employees get to be hands on with different clients. Still, until her trip to Atlanta, she hadn’t realized how different PR agencies could be. For example, visiting Jackson Spalding, a full-service PR and marketing agency with more than 150 team members, gave her a whole new perspective on PR agencies, from the culture to the different areas covered.

“I was amazed at the diversity of the people presenting,” says Potter. “We had people present who focus on broadcasting, reporting, public affairs and public relations – just to name a few. There were so many more opportunities than I realized.”

She also visited Arketi Group, a B2B agency, where she met young employees just starting out who shared how they got their start and advanced in their career. For Potter, who graduates this May, having people around her age offer advice was invaluable.

The trip also opened Potter’s eyes to the number of corporations headquartered in Atlanta, including Home Depot, Coca-Cola, UPS and Delta.

At Home Depot, Potter met Tayla Mungin ’25, who landed her Home Depot job after the Atlanta trip her senior year. For Potter, Mungin embodies the possibilities these trips offer.

“When I met Tayla, I thought, Wow, this could be me,” she says. “Her story opened my eyes to more opportunities.”

And, with more opportunities come more choices, reminding Potter of a key piece of advice she received: Plans should be written in pencil, not pen.

Now Potter is mapping her future in pencil, not pen. This spring, she’ll go to New York City with the Martin Scholars and will experience a whole new angle of the communication field.