Nicholls State University Mass Communications ambassadors and faculty opened the doors of Talbot Hall to four high schools for their Meet & Greet event on Wednesday.

Talbot bustled with activity from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on March 26. More than 50 students from Ellender, Central Lafourche, St. James and South Terrebonne attended. Students participated in various activities introducing them to the logo design process and marketing using TikTok content.

Christon Singleton, the event coordinator, said he helped create the Meet & Greet out of a desire to show high school students opportunities within Nicholls’ MACO department.

“Mass communications is what you make of it. Unlike other majors or industries, you can get really creative about what you want to do,” Singleton said. “That is the best thing about it: You can follow your love.”

MACO ambassadors predominantly run the Meet & Greet event which occurs every semester.

One South Terrebonne student shared that after experiencing the activities and having a glimpse into the department, she began considering Nicholls’ MACO program for her future.

“It seems really fun,” she smiled.

James Stewart, the head of the MACO department, shared a brief overview of all the opportunities and possibilities Nicholls’ MACO department offers for their future before activities commenced.

Laughter spread across the students at the entrance of Talbot Hall as students danced to the rhythm of “Anxiety” by Doechii. The TikTok they created was entered into a competition between the schools, and the official winners will be announced next week.

The winning school will be rewarded by the MACO department this week with a prestigious trophy and pizzas.

A drone demonstration stole the show, leaving students amazed at the sight of the drone taking to the sky before their eyes. Lance Arnold, a mass communications professor, showed students what makes the drone tick and displayed its footage from a bird’s-eye view.

Students gathered around a computer during a logo-building activity as they developed a design that was representative of their school. Cheers filled the room as contributions were made to the logo, officially bringing it to completion. A healthy dose of competition fueled each design.

Kate Clement, a MACO ambassador, assisted in leading the logo-building activity. She emphasized the importance of developing design skill sets.

“Logos are so important to know how to do, and they will definitely help with their future careers. Anything from graphic design to t-shirts–literally anything,” Clement said.

Jaqueline Diaz, editor-in-chief of the Nicholls Worth, toured students through the Colonel Media Group office. Students flipped through the magazines and yearbooks Nicholls’ media groups have produced. They pointed to pictures and studied the texts together across each page.

The event concluded at 12:15 p.m. with the highly anticipated announcement of the logo design winner. South Terrebonne claimed first place and celebrated loudly. They gathered together and took a picture proudly displaying the trophy they earned.

“You can follow your dreams here. Nicholls’ mass communications is the perfect place for students to grow,” Singleton said.