For senior communication majors, the Martin Scholars Program opens a world of opportunities, but it requires them to make both a time and financial commitment. As a Martin Scholar, students meet once a week to discuss case studies, participate in personal and professional development workshops, meet guest speakers and collaborate with peers. Martin Scholars also commit to participating in fall and spring break trips to meet with industry experts and tour facilities.
Each fall, the Martin Scholars visit Atlanta and each spring, they visit New York City and Washington, D.C. For some students with an interest in the Martin Scholars Program, the expense of the trips can prove overwhelming. Students sometimes wouldn’t apply for the program or would turn down the opportunity because of the financial commitment.
“It was heartbreaking to hear students say they could not participate in the program because they couldn’t afford the mandatory fall and spring break trips,” says Beth Goodier, associate professor of communication and director of the Martin Center. “The trips are transformative for students. The connections they develop have proven invaluable when the students start their job search. When possible, I used unrestricted funds to help students, but those funds were limited, and I realized we needed a more formal structure to help students in financial need.”
Together with her husband Chris, Goodier created the Martin Scholars Travel Support Fund and provided the seed money to ensure students could attend the trips. For one student, Emma Potter ’26, a communication major and marketing minor, the financial assistance made traveling to Atlanta possible.
“Thanks to the Martin Scholars Travel Support Fund, I had the opportunity to broaden my network and learn about internship opportunities,” says Potter, who has also received the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Scholarship and the Kendall Soistman “Soaring Above the Clouds” Endowed Scholarship.
Adds Potter, “Before the trip to Atlanta, I was laser focused on working for a PR agency. The trip opened my eyes to new possibilities. I had no idea corporations had so many different communications positions and that PR agencies have such a broad scope.”
Potter currently interns with Chernoff Newman, a boutique PR agency in Charleston. She attributes her landing the internship to the Martin Scholars network. Communication alumna Kaitlynn Weeks ’23 was a Martin Scholar and currently works at Chernoff Newman. Because of Weeks, by the time Potter went for her interview for an internship, she already knew everyone on the panel.
Potter loves the creative energy at Chernoff Newman and how employees get to be hands on with different clients, but until Atlanta, she hadn’t realized how different PR agencies could be. Visiting Jackson Spalding, a full-service PR and marketing agency with more than 150 team members, gave Potter a whole new perspective on PR agencies, from the culture to the different areas covered.
“I was amazed at the diversity of the people presenting,” says Potter. “We had people present who focus on broadcasting, reporting, public affairs and public relations — just to name a few. There were so many more opportunities than I realized.”
Potter also visited Arketi Group, a B2B agency. There she met young employees just starting out who shared how they got their start and advanced in their career. For Potter who graduates in May 2026, having people around her age offer advice was invaluable.
The trip opened Potter’s eyes to the number of corporations headquartered in Atlanta, including Home Depot, Coca-Cola, UPS and Delta.
At Home Depot, Potter met Talya Mungin ’25, who landed a job with the company after the Martin Scholars trip to Atlanta her senior year. For Potter, Mungin embodies the possibilities these trips offer.
“When I met Talya, I thought ‘wow, this could be me,’” says Potter. “Her story opened my eyes to more opportunities.”
Discovering so many career possibilities made a key piece of advice from Malcolm Berkley, global media relations and reputation management, stick out for Potter. He said that plans should be written in pencil, not pen.
Now Potter is mapping her future in pencil, not pen. In the spring, she will be going to New York City with the Martin Scholars and will experience a whole new angle on the communication field.
Thanks to the Goodiers setting up the Martin Scholars Travel Support Fund, Potter and other students are having experiences that they thought were out of reach. After learning about these students’ transformative experiences, more people are joining the Goodiers including National Advisory Council Members Judy Wicks and her husband Alan, Steve Cody and Jim Hickey.