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Upon graduation, Austin Roth-Eagle is moving back to Palo Alto – the epicenter of the information technology universe – to accept a full-time position in Executive Communications at VMware. He spent his second co-op there in 2018, strategizing how to promote the company and its data visualization and cloud infrastructure products as part of their public relations team.

During co-op, most of his days went to covering logistics for VMworld US and Europe, VMware’s premiere annual conferences. In addition to owning the creation of the online press kit for VMworld US, Austin handled scheduling, topic mapping, and on-site coordination for nearly 400 in-person media interviews with VMware executives.

Post-conference, Austin conducted research to identify key trends vital in driving VMware’s PR strategy. He used Adobe Analytics and performed survey analysis, measuring the extent to which influencers enjoyed VMworld programming, then presented his findings to the team to consider for VMworld 2019.

“All in all, the most valuable thing I learned during my co-op experience was that successful communication strategies rely on a perfect mix of data analysis and writing/presentation ability,” Austin said. “My degree in Communication Studies has helped me to hone two of the most important methods of expression in business: writing and public speaking. These skills proved vital in the workplace. When operating at the breakneck pace of a technology company, there is nothing more important than efficient communication… It is the writing and speaking skills from Communication Studies that empowered me to meaningfully and effectively translate numbers for a wider audience.”