It was a typical, sticky April in rural Arkansas back in 2004. I had traveled 300 miles from home once with my parents on vacation all the way to Graceland. Now, I was in a car bound for DFW. The drive into the airport alone was enough to trigger the early stages of a panic attack as a four lane divided highway still made me sweat, but 8 lanes?! I was practically taking a bath. I certainly didn’t want to think about getting on an airplane.
My senses were on high alert as I observed my peers at the security checkpoint. Where do my shoes go? How to I stack my bag on the conveyer belt? On the plane I watched intently as the crew demonstrated the emergency procedures, though to my surprise most people didn’t seem to be paying attention, which certainly wasn’t helping to calm my nerves. My friends from school were laughing and joking while I was clinging to the arm rest, mapping my route to the emergency exit and digging for the barf bag. All hope seemed lost. There was nowhere to run, and then it happened – acceleration. The G-forces were awesome! The view immediately gave me a perspective that I could have hardly imagined minutes before. I felt inspired. I looked around and suddenly realized, this was fun!
We were on our way to the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas. It was quite the destination for an untraveled young man from a dry county in Texas. For the Wisconsinites who have never heard of a dry county, that means that no alcohol sales are allowed. I relate this personal story because I believe it is a common experience in many ways for a lot of our students especially at the more rural campuses. I believe, as educators, we have a unique opportunity to teach skills that reach far beyond the classroom.
While we were in Vegas I admit I didn’t care much about the convention, or all or the shiny new gadgets and technology. Yeah cameras were cool, but I was suddenly interested in the experience of seeing and doing something new. Most importantly, it was on this trip that my professor took the time to encourage me to attend graduate school and started the process of landing a job teaching in higher education. It was on this trip that I realized I want to do what “you” do and suddenly had the confidence to pursue it. A whole new world of possibilities had just been unwrapped.
It’s been 13 years. I have attended my fifth straight BEA/NAB convention, traveled internationally for academic and leisurely purposes, live more than 1,000 miles from “home,” and in August I will officially check off a major career goal when I become an Associate Professor of Media Studies. It all started because of an opportunity to travel with my campus’ student television organization and someone willing to take a moment to be a mentor. I hope to encourage you as educators and industry professionals to support student travel whether it be by leading a trip, encouraging students to seek avenues for university funding, or to even sponsor travel through scholarships.
Yes, the classroom is important. Yes, getting practical media experience is important, but let us not overlook the impact of getting out of the classroom and simply getting students out of their comfort zones.
Chris Shofner
Assistant Professor of Communication
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
