Students interested in careers in communication, public relations, advertising and other types of marketing will have an opportunity to learn how to become involved in the industry both now and beyond college.

The first Careers in Communication Symposium will be held on Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Brown-Lupton University Union Ballroom.

The event was planned last fall when the newly formed School of Strategic Communication partnered with the TCU Center for Career and Professional Development. The groups also received help from ROXO, a student-run PR firm, said Kim Satz, associate director of employer relations with the career center.

The event will host 11 panelists from various backgrounds at every level in communications in the professional world. Panelists are coming from notable companies, such as AT&T, the American Heart Association and Franchise Sports and Entertainment.

“I think we have a great mix of corporate, nonprofit, small and local to national agency representation here, and I think that’s really exciting for our students,” Satz said.

Helen Vollmer will be the keynote speaker at the symposium, speaking during the luncheon portion of the event. Vollmer is president of Edelman Southwest, a subsection of the world’s largest publicly owned public relations firm, according to their website.

The symposium will begin at 9:30 a.m. with speaker Vinny Minchillo. The event will then proceed into the first session of panelists from corporate, agency and nonprofit/public sector communications, Satz said.

The second panelist session will feature the “finding your niche” and “survive and thrive” sections. They will feature panelists who will help students find their specific areas of expertise in communications and show them how to smoothly transition from the college world to the professional one.

After the keynote luncheon, students will be able to network with companies represented by table hosts. Companies such as Brunswick, Glass House Strategy, W2O Group and others will be attending.

Panelists were chosen with collaboration between the TCU Career Center, the Bob Schieffer College of Communication and several different members of varying student organizations, Satz said.

“Students are going to be able to meet these industry guests, expand their network and ask questions about what it’s like to work in that particular field,” Satz said.

Satz said diversity in topics and areas of communication is what will benefit students the most.

“We developed an agenda that provides students with different tracks depending upon what their interests are to help expose them to the various opportunities that are there,” Satz said.

Satz said 150 to 200 total attendees are expected for the symposium, most of them students.