A Trip to SXSW EDU with Alexa Potamianos ’24

October 2, 2023
Three students and the Director of the Harrington School attended SXSW EDU this spring. Pictured left to right: Jack Benevides, Dr. Ammina Kothari, Alexa Potamianos, and Gillian Jordan.
Three students and the Director of the Harrington School attended SXSW EDU this spring. Pictured left to right: Jack Benevides, Dr. Ammina Kothari, Alexa Potamianos, and Gillian Jordan.

Alexa Potamianos ’24, a film/media and communication studies major, attended SXSW EDU with the Harrington School director in March. The professional development opportunity was funded by the Harrington RhodyNow Fund.  During the conference, she attended workshops and lectures and networked with professionals and peers in Austin, Texas.

While the conference had many sessions, the workshop that stood out to Potamianios the most focused on how social media can be used as an educational tool in the classroom. During the session, she took part in an activity showing how TikTok can be used to plan lessons. Potamianos said that this was a really interesting and relevant session.

She was also inspired by the keynote speech from Kendra Scott, a fashion designer. “She was talking about how she was the only woman in her business classes, and the faculty and other students really didn’t think she was going to succeed and talked down to her,” Potamianios said. “But now, she has a successful fashion business.”

When she wasn’t at the festival, Potamianos explored Austin. On the first night of the trip, on the way back to their hotel, the three students who attended SXSW EDU got a tour of the capitol building from a state senator. “It was ridiculously cool,” she said. “On the first night we were there, there were all these people standing outside of the Texas Capitol for a private tour. We went up to the people who were organizing the tour, and then a senator came out and offered us a personal tour. We got to go all the way to the tippy top of the Capitol. It was very cool.”

Potamianos said that these kinds of opportunities are one of the things that sets Harrington apart from other communication and media schools and colleges.

“I was an orientation leader this summer, and I did a Harrington information session during all eight sessions in June,” she said. “I told all the students I talked to that the Harrington School really caught my eye when I was applying to schools because of opportunities like this. Being able to take advantage of these kinds of experiences and learn so much from them is something that you don’t get everywhere.”

After attending SXSW EDU, she stayed for another week in Austin to attend the SXSW Film Festival with other film/media majors.

The Harrington School was able to cover travel expenses for the three students who went to SXSW EDU, including airfare, hotels, food, and transportation, with funds from the Harrington RhodyNow Fund. This kind of financial assistance, according to Potamianos, gives students equal opportunity to access important hands-on learning opportunities like these. 

For her, opportunities like these have been integral to her professional growth.

“I think you can really learn so much in a classroom and listening to lectures,” Potamianos said. “But, I definitely do well with hands-on, getting out into a new place and seeing people who are professionals in the industry. This trip opened my eyes.”

Experiential learning and networking opportunities can be transformative experiences in a student’s college career. Through the support of our donors, the Harrington School provides financial assistance for internships, conferences, and networking events. Support our students with a donation to the Harrington RhodyNow Fund.