Conner Gordon, a 21-year-old senior and journalism student from Mountain View, California, has a promising vision for the future of the media industry. Like many others, he noticed that the deficiency in jobs has led to desperate students eagerly working for free. What separates him from the others, though, is that he plans to do something about this.
“I want to establish an outlet for students to get paid for their hard work, which is often professional quality,” Gordon said. “What this platform actually looks like is yet to be decided, but I will tirelessly work to improve and enhance journalism opportunities for young professionals.”
There’s no doubt Gordon will do just that. His passion and dedication are evident through his success with nearly every campus group he has been involved with.
He is the editor-in-chief of Ethos Magazine, where he recently helped fundraise $6,000 for its multilingual anniversary issue; the publisher of Oregon Pit Crew Media, where he helped the group blossom into an entity with ties to Nike and other corporate sponsors; an executive chair of Envision Media’s board of directors, where he helped to raise $7,000 for an upcoming campus block party; and the founder, director and play-by-play commentator of Oregon Club Hockey’s Broadcast Department, where he fundraised $10,000 for equipment. He is also in charge of media operations at Lane United Football Club.
It’s no miracle that he has time for all this and is still able to play soccer and spend time with his girlfriend. He admitted that he tends to put school on the back burner, as he feels that real-world experience is more important.
After graduation, Gordon hopes to combine that entrepreneurial spirit with his knowledge of journalism, and share those skills with other young, aspiring journalists.
“College is an opportunity for discovery, passion and initiative,” Gordon said. “I want to ensure that the brightest students have the chance to pursue their wildest dreams, as these dreams may become the cornerstone of a fresh and diverse job market in the future.”
Gordon shows immense gratitude for the opportunities that have allowed him to bring some of his ideas and goals to life, as well as the people he has met along the way.
“I have made relationships that will transcend geographic separation after we part ways this summer, and I have had the honor of collaborating with some of the most brilliant young minds in this country,” he said.
Aside from his vision of an improved job market for future generations of media professionals, Gordon holds a couple personal and shorter-term goals for himself. In respect to a former dream he once had — to play soccer professionally — he hopes to executive produce live broadcasts in the sports industry, preferably focused on soccer.
The advice that Gordon would offer to incoming freshman interested in pursuing a career in media is to start early. He emphasizes that because he spent his first three years at UO figuring out his major. He said he wishes he was able to spend more of time at the journalism school; however, he wouldn’t change his experience here for the world.