“Everyone is a walking front-page story. You just have to ask them the right questions.” Honors College sophomore Jack Bartlett ’23 has big plans. He dreams of telling the untold stories, because he believes that those of some groups of people are being swept under the rug. Jack plans to do his part in changing this after he graduates in 2023 with his double major in communication and economics.
For now, he splits his free time between Charleston 40, the Student Government Association (SGA), and a paid internship. Jack loves both College of Charleston (CofC, or the College) student organizations because of their opportunities to connect with a diverse range of people, and to practice efficiently relaying information. As a Charleston 40 tour guide, he enjoys talking about the campus he loves and sharing the beauty of the College with prospective students and their families. Jack also serves as the Communication Director for SGA. He explains, “I am responsible for disseminating all the information from upper [SGA] administration and condensing it into an easily digestible form for the student body”, which is approximately 10,000 undergraduates. Jack is in charge of making most of the graphics SGA posts and manages the organization’s Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. Recently he was also charged with maintenance of the SGA webpages. Lastly, Jack also works as a paid intern for the Center for Entrepreneurship. He is responsible for much of the Center’s social media and digital marketing. “Communication is all about selling your message and entrepreneurship is about selling yourself and a project, so they go hand in hand.”
A recent project of Jack’s was the Halloween “Think First” Instagram campaign for SGA. (You can view this Instagram campaign on the @cofc.sga account.) “I was responsible for creating all of the graphics for that campaign as well as posting them and getting them out into the student body.” The next major project he will be tackling is improving the ImpactX webpage for the Center for Entrepreneurship. This project requires Jack to collect interviews from past students, who have worked with the Center, and condense them into an attractive web format for prospective students. Jack is very passionate about his responsibilities and prioritizes quality work products.
Even with all this going on Jack makes plenty of time for his studies, including his favorite communication class (COMM 280: Introduction to Communication Messages) taught by #cofccomm Dr. Kelly Jakes. Since Jack has a lot going on, it is very important he knows how to best prepare for his schoolwork and de-stress from all of his other commitments. He told us he likes to take a solo walk around campus to get in a good mindset to learn, make a to-do list, get some snacks and, lastly, take a shower. Yes, you read that right – take a shower! Jack insists it is the best way to relax, unwind, and ready himself to get lots of work done.
Jack attributes his active involvement with the College to his ability to ask for opportunities. He is a huge advocate for putting yourself out there and reaching for what you want. He told us, “We [College of Charleston] aren’t huge, yet it seems to be easy to get lost. But the College makes it so easy to ask for help!” Take Jack’s advice, and get out there to find your own opportunities! And, if you happen to see Jack around campus in one of his many roles, make sure to say hi!