Editor's note: This story has been changed from its original version. The panel will take place in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Ballroom, not Pruis Hall.
Publishing content for national media organizations is something that most journalists dream about, but some Ball State students were able to do that this summer from England.
Brandon Pope was one of these students, and he said he will never forget the experience.
"I probably in my lifetime never imagined I would travel to the Olympics, let alone be in the city of London," said Pope, a junior telecommunications and journalism news major. "It really was living the dream."
Pope is one of four other students who will speak to his peers today for a panel discussion on their experiences in London. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Ballroom and is part of the Professional-in-Residence series.
Lori Byers, associate dean of the College of Communications, Information, and Media, will moderate the discussion, asking questions about the students' experience and showing videos they created.
Pope was one of 40 Ball State students and faculty who went to London, which was part of an immersive learning experience called BSU at the Games.
Kaitlin Buck, a senior public relations major, planned today's panel.
"We're hoping to inspire students to get involved with programs like this," Buck said.
From London, students posted content to bsuatthegames.com. They also were published in The Huffington Post, the Chicago Tribune and USA Today College. Their videos could be seen on WTHR-TV and will be shown on Fox Sports Nation soon, Buck said.
Buck added the best part of the experience was it being almost entirely student-run.
"It was important because we were able to make our own mistakes and correct them ourselves," she said.
Pope said the career experience helped him learn.
"I think it's going to make me a better journalist overall," he said.
The students were overseas for three and a half weeks, and it was a rewarding experience, said Chelsea Kardokus, a senior journalism graphics major and former graphics editor for the Ball State Daily News.
"We were extremely busy," she said. "We were taking everything that was going on and showing it in a visual way."
Kardokus said the time change made deadlines difficult, and they would sometimes be working until 5 a.m. Even though communication to the Chicago Tribune was challenging as well, that didn't stop the team from being published 14 times.
Kardokus said she felt Ball State has prepared them for the demands of designing for a large publication.
"Being able to apply what we've learned at Ball State from our graphics classes and being able to apply that in a real world scenario ... it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she said. "It was a huge encouragement for me to be able to see what I'm learning is actually going to be used in real life."
In addition to Buck, Kardokus and Pope, students on the panel include senior journalism graphics major Valerie Carnevale and senior magazine journalism major Emily Thompson.
Buck said the wide variety of majors should appeal to everyone interested in hearing about the students' experiences.
"The reason I think students should come to this is it's students talking to students," Buck said. "It's applicable to everyone."
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