Creating experiences that bring people together
When you first met Carly Turner, she was already exploring how her communications education could lead to a career in events, hospitality, or tourism, including through her internship with Longwood’s Institutional Advancement team. Over the past year, that interest has become an increasingly clear sense of purpose.
“I like how events bring people together,” Carly says. Whether an event reconnects people who rarely see one another or helps familiar faces discover something new about each other, she is drawn to the feeling of welcome and connection that a thoughtful experience can create.
At Longwood, Carly has found many opportunities to develop those skills. She has served as a co-leader of the Student Philanthropy Council, completed a summer internship with University Events, and will work with the Alumni Office this fall. In that role, she will help with Homecoming, Alumni Weekend, and other programs while building relationships with alumni and donors.
“Alumni, you’ll see me around!” she says.
Carly will also serve as a co-event chair for the senior class council, helping plan experiences that make her classmates’ final year at Longwood especially meaningful. For someone who loves both planning and participating, the role is a natural fit.
Her professors have helped her build confidence along the way. Carly points to Dr. Katrina Marks and Dr. Halliday as mentors who have taken the time to know her personally and push her to become the best version of herself within the communications major.
After graduation, Carly is considering graduate programs in hospitality and tourism management, business administration, and higher education. Whatever direction she chooses, her Longwood experiences have helped her understand what she wants her work to accomplish: helping people feel welcomed, connected, and glad they came.