Foundational Collaboration: Meet the 2026/2027 GCCI Student Staff!
How do you promote cross-disciplinary collaboration? By putting students at the center of the operation.
At the Graham Center for Collaborative Innovation (GCCI), student workers serve as the foundation of our mission, ensuring that YCP students have a front-row seat to the future of collaboration on and off campus. With roles including marketing specialists, event coordinators, and media specialists, the GCCI is working to break down academic barriers and bring together students from all across campus to collaborate.
So why do students work at the GCCI? For students like Mass Communications major Geoff Daniels ‘29, working at the GCCI offers a chance to put classroom learning into practice in the field they enjoy. “I mainly work on the GCCI's podcast, At the Center, by editing the recordings,” Geoff explained. "It's always satisfying to spend a lot of time on a certain project, listening to it at the end, and enjoying how clean it sounds.”
Working in their area of expertise allows students to use their knowledge in a real, dynamic environment. For Geoff, that means his time developing At the Center will serve as a great opportunity to build his resume and expand his portfolio. “I’m looking forward to building my skills and becoming a lot more accustomed to the field the GCCI is involved in. It gives me a lot more experience for when I eventually move on from college.”
For Film and Media Arts major Marcos Vazquez ‘29, working at the GCCI allows him the opportunity to produce real social media content. “I wanted to work on something that made me develop my editing and filmmaking skills. At the GCCI, I shoot and edit all the videos we post on our social media,” Marcos said. “I enjoy going out and shooting content because it’s always an adventure, you never know who or what you’re going to end up recording.”
To support student learning and professional development, the GCCI connects staff members with professionals, such as Haley Ross, a digital marketing strategist, to serve as mentors, providing feedback, technical support, and strategies for creating high-quality content. “This is my first experience mentoring students, and I had no idea how much I would enjoy it,” Ross explained. “Seeing them take that guidance and run with it has made me feel like I’m serving a bigger purpose, and it’s something I hope I get to continue doing throughout my career!”
The GCCI also offers opportunities for student workers to develop leadership skills and take on higher-level responsibilities, such as managing the GCCI’s monthly newsletter, The GCCI Connect. Lead editor Thomas Morehead ‘28 started as a student writer and is celebrating his fourth semester with the GCCI. “This will be my second semester as editor, and I’m looking forward to continuing to provide useful information for students, staff, and faculty,” he explained. “I’m constantly trying to do new things and adapt to feedback to make our articles and newsletter the best they can be. I’m very proud of the work we do.”
Meet the 2026/2027 student staff:
Graphic Designer: Ally Garner ‘28, Fine Art and Graphic Design
Event Coordinator: Alexander Sones ‘27, Civil Engineering
Social Media/Marketing Specialist: Jayna Ober ‘27, Marketing
Media Specialists: Dennis Moore ‘30, Business Administration, and Marcos Vazquez, Film and Media Arts
Podcast Sound Engineer: Geoff Daniels, Mass Communications
Lead Editor & Writer: Thomas Morehead, Writing
By supporting and challenging students to take on important work today, the GCCI is helping to build the leaders of tomorrow.