Speak Out
Jennifer Davidson
Outstanding Visual Communications Senior

Professor Van Kornegay on Jen's strengths and skills:

It’s usually easy to pick out the work of visual communication students by the way they handle type, or color, or space, or the way they illustrate, or how they compose an image in the view finder. Their styles are as unique as their signatures.

If I had to characterize Jennifer Davidson’s work I would say that it’s smart, articulate, and very strategic... and that’s appropriate for someone with her background.

Jen is one of the first vis com majors who has distinguished herself in the area of public relations. As a vis com student her list of PR internships and experience is already impressive: She has interned for the Tom Sawyer Company, where she worked on the Department of Homeland Security account, and by her reckoning she has put in 1300 hours during her internship for the South Carolina Republican Party.

Jen was selected to be on the Bateman Public Public Relations team in 2006, and she was one of the key people involved in the design work for the campaign book and presentation materials. Her team, called The Merlin Group, went on to beat out 82 other collegiate programs to take top honors in the nation at the Bateman competition. See Book (pdf)

Others have already recognized that Jen has the unique ability to create persuasive messages in a variety of mediums. She already has a job as a marketing coordinator for LS3P associates, one of the top 50 interior design/ architecture firms nationally and one of the largest architecture firms in the southeast.

Check out Jen' s online portfolio >>

Jen Speaks Out:

Why did you choose USC?

I didn’t originally move to South Carolina from Kansas City to be a Gamecock, but after eight months of training horses six days a week in Blythewood trying to get to the Olympics, I began to like the idea of a 40-hour work week, steady income, and health insurance. It was a hard decision, but USC was 20 minutes away and had a top PR/ Ad program. I sold my horse, moved downtown, and enrolled the following semester.

Why visual communications?

Originally, I was a Public Relations major. Then Professor Kornegay came and talked to my Intro to Journalism Class (that somehow made it into the Engineering Building) about the glory of Visual Communications and later, my working friends in Public Relations would complain about how hard it was to learn design programs on the fly. It was an easy decision.

Favorite/most beneficial class?

International Relations Theory with Professor Miner – we had terrific reading and lectures, and sometimes we would just sit in class and fight. It was awesome. In the Journalism school, doing the Bateman Competition changed the way I think about Vis Com as it applies to the working world. Corporate America doesn’t know they need us in-house yet. That will change. Read about the winning campaign.

What will you miss most about college?

Getting to wear jeans and invade my professors’ offices whenever I wanted. Once you get out into the real world, it’s much harder to find talented people who care about your work as much as they do.

And you won't miss?

Going into the Journalism labs at 7a.m. and leaving the next morning. I love this place, but I belong in bed at 11 p.m.

What are you really passionate about?

Taking something average and making it extraordinary- I tend to be a better editor of other people’s work than fixing my own. I also get tremendous enjoyment out of playing with textures and patterns in any medium. I love my small herd of debate students, cycling, daschunds (my family has four of them), road trips, and the color orange. The University of Kansas football and basketball teams gave me a good excuse to be an absolutely maniacal fan this year, and on top of that….shoes.

Has there been a "defining moment" or significant event  in your college experience?

Somewhere along the way Jesus made it very clear that He loved me. I didn’t expect to become a Christian, and I still have days where I am completely unable to wrap my mind around the idea.

What do you hope to do after graduation?

I told my best friend James, that I want to be a hillilly when I grow up. I want to live in the mountains, play a banjo, and keep horses in the backyard. Until that happens, I will pursue a career that focuses on developing consistent communications strategies that incorporate effective (and hopefully clever) use of copy, public relations,and design, for businesses and non-profit organizations. I'd also like to keep teaching high school debate just because it's fun and it keeps me sharp.

Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for other students in your major?

Don’t bank on graphic design as your only skill set. You’d better be able to communicate across platforms and be professional while you do it.

Any parting words or something you'd like to say to your SJMC family, or anyone else, before you head out the door?

I’d like to personally thank the following faculty and staff:

Pierre d’Autel and Patty Kornegay- for saving our Bateman book from near disaster on several occasions, and for asking me “why are you still here?” every time they saw me. It gave me motivation to keep plugging though difficult class loads.

Professor Farrand- for giving me bad grades, and also for letting me invade his office to pester him about working life, etc. He pushed me to do things right the first time.

Debbie Garris- for sharing the “horsey-gene” with me and getting me a press pass every year to the Carolina and Colonial Cup. Some of the photos I got there will be in my portfolio forever.

Professor Kornegay- for shepherding me through 564 and absolutely forcing me to learn new technology quickly. I was annoyed then, but I’m thankful now.

Professor Ranta- for taking a risk and letting an ambitious sophomore on the Bateman Team.

Shawn Rourk- for being my sounding board and helping me when he didn’t have to.

Read the other Outstanding Senior comments: