Every spring, the city of Austin is transformed as tens of thousands of visitors flock to South By Southwest (SXSW). While pop-ups, corporate installations, as well as major concerts and shows by top artists and entertainers grab the headlines, an equally big part of the conference focuses on education—SXSW EDU—showcasing cutting edge branding, innovation, technology, and innovation in the sector. This spring, four APU students from the School of Business and Management (SBM), accompanied by two faculty mentors, played a key role in the SXSW EDU conference, offering valuable assistance in a variety of areas.
The students—Halle Huxtable ’26, Addison Johnson-Paternoster ’26, Isabella Lopes ’27, and Rebecca Battles ’26—each took advantage of the experience to volunteer, network, and explore potential career opportunities. The group prepared for the conference with Wendi Dykes McGehee, PhD, interim dean of the SBM, and LaShan Epperson, DBA, assistant professor, through an Innovation and Creativity class. “We learn a lot of theory from our amazing professors, but this was a cool chance to see what it looks like in person,” Battles said. “I just switched my major to public relations, and I wanted to learn more about PR and marketing opportunities in the real world.”
After arriving in Austin and exploring the city, the group set expectations and goals for the week. During the conference, they assisted SXSW staff to help facilitate sessions. This came with excellent opportunities to listen to industry leaders talk about innovation in education. Thanks to McGehee’s connections, the students were able to meet with Bo Stjerne Thomsen, the head of Educational Impact for LEGO® Education, and participated in one of his LEGO® workshops. “That was awesome to learn how such a big brand was able to expand and go into the education world by providing students with hands-on learning models,” Lopes said. “Meeting him was the kind of opportunity that wouldn’t happen anywhere else.”
The students enjoyed touring Stanford University’s “Public House,” where they learned about education innovations in AI inside and outside the classroom. This was followed by a shift assisting keynote speakers in the conference’s green rooms, before leading them to their sessions and facilitating a question and answer segment on stage. The green rooms were a highlight for Battles, where she met Reagan Revord (Young Sheldon) and Paul Rudd (Ant Man). “That was pretty special,” she said. “I had no idea we would bump into them there.”
On the final day of the conference, the students checked attendees in and escorted speakers to and from their sessions. “It was a lot of behind the scenes work, but most people don’t realize how much goes on behind the scenes to make the conference happen,” Huxtable said. That night, Lopes and Battles went to a SXSW launch party where the festival transitioned from the education part of the conference to the entertainment portion. Battles decided to step out of her comfort zone and network with other professionals at the event.
Bella and I really challenged ourselves to make connections,” Battles said. “It was intimidating to go up to people we didn’t know at first, but we met so many great people and it gave me a lot of confidence to network that I know I’ll use in my career.
Challenging herself paid off, as the skills Battles developed at SXSW helped her land a coveted internship at Prodigy Public Relations this summer.
While the SXSW experience was filled with lots of valuable connections made during their volunteering hours, the students enjoyed touring Austin when each day was done. Some of their favorite memories included getting dinner and taking country dancing lessons with their professors at the historic Broken Spoke dance hall. For Lopes, these moments will stay with her long after returning to APU. “Getting to know my classmates and professors on a deeper level and building relationships with them was incredibly meaningful to me.” Johnson-Paternoster echoed these sentiments, sharing how much she grew from the faculty members' guidance as well. “They were the best mentors. I learned so much and their encouragement and support made the trip unforgettable,” she said. “They empowered us by equipping us with the confidence we needed to succeed at the conference.”
From the faculty’s perspective, it was just as rewarding to see the students excel at SXSW. “The event organizers noticed how our students showed up with a servant attitude, were reliable in everything they were tasked with, and engaged with speakers and attendees in a top notch manner. The SXSW organizers begged for us to come back next year because of how great the APU students were,” McGehee said.” Epperson also noted that the students were excellent representatives for APU. “Everyone saw their willingness to help out and do it with professionalism and maturity,” she said. “It was a pleasure to get to know them better, watch them grow, and know that they set a high bar for future students who will follow in their footsteps.”