IUAA Student Fellow Kaitlin Scott sits down with Cordell Martin, BA ’08 and Board Member of the Groups Alumni Association.

Cordell was a leader during his time at IU, and he has continued to lead in professional organizations, political campaigns, and public education. Following his graduation, he sold vision therapy products in South Bend, Indiana. He then stumbled into politics and campaigned for candidates at the national and local levels prior to acquiring a master’s degree in advertising. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Cordell pivoted to a role with the South Bend Community School Corporation. “One thing about being an orientation leader and residential assistant: every day is not going to be the same. Those experiences prepared me to pivot during the pandemic,” Cordell said. He now works on national advertising campaigns for Burnell Communications.

Cordell decided to study communications because he wanted to acquire transferrable skills that could be applied to multiple industries, which demonstrated incredible foresight into his future career trajectory. Cordell emphasized how pivotal the Groups Scholars Program was in providing holistic student support to first-generation and underrepresented college students.