From Campus to Career: C Spire Builds Talent Pipeline at UM

C Spire's Oxford hub at Insight Park has created a talent pipeline for Ole Miss students interested in the tech industry. Through a partnership with the Office of Economic Development, the telecommunications and technology services firm offers part-time jobs to students in a variety of fields to help them build job skills while going to school.

"Back in 2018, we were constantly hiring software developers, and we were having a lot of luck hiring them straight out of Ole Miss and Mississippi State," said Cole Cochran, the company's senior manager of talent acquisition. "We thought, 'What if we could build a relationship with those students prior to graduating and give them work experience?'

"They benefit from that, and we benefit from that because we're getting phenomenal hires."

The program has helped 20 students land jobs at the company, six of whom have gone on to full-time positions with the company after graduation

One of those early hires was J.D. Morton, manager of ecommerce at C Spire and a 2021 graduate of the School of Business Administration.

"I was a part-timer in Oxford before we even had the space (at Insight Park)," Morton said. "I interned here during my freshman year at Ole Miss and saw that what we were doing was real work.

"I ended up changing my major because I met the team and realized that this was really cool. I would have never pictured myself doing this."

That 'real work' students are doing runs the gamut from front-end and back-end software development and data analysis to competitor research, cybersecurity and marketing. And, they're doing it all in Mississippi.

"When I came to college, I was gung-ho about leaving Mississippi," said Danasia Collins, a 2024 graduate of the marketing and communications strategy program and C Spire junior data analyst. "But I really like it here, and I plan to stick around.

"Having the opportunity to know that there are unique positions here in Mississippi and people that want to coach you and help you grow; that changed my direction."

Collins grew up in Tupelo, and Morton was raised in Clinton. Hiring students who have a connection to Mississippi was intentional, Cochran said.

"We are really focused on identifying top talent in Mississippi and doing everything we can to get them to stay here," Cochran said. "If they've got some sort of tie to Mississippi, we want to do everything we can to build a relationship with them, give them an opportunity to learn and gain some hands-on, real-world experience that's relevant to their field of study. And they don't even have to leave campus.

"If we do everything right, hopefully, we can bring them on full-time when they graduate."

Alongside the job experience, Collins and Morton said they found mentorship and guidance at the C Spire hub.

"Being able to have this job while being in school bridged the gap between what I was learning in the classroom and what that looks like in the real world," Collins said. "And the people – they really want to help.

"Not just with work; there have been times where I have practiced my presentations, and they'd give me pointers. They just really do want to help."

C Spire is just one of many businesses that provide student opportunities in the Innovation Hub, said William Nicholas, UM director of economic development and Insight Park.

"Insight Park's greatest strength lies in the partnerships it enables — aligning the university with regional economic growth, connecting talented students with forward-thinking employers, and linking Mississippi to national and global opportunities," he said.

For more information on Insight Park and the Innovation Hub contact William Nicholas or J.R. Love at jrlove@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2526. Students interested in applying with C Spire should check the company's careers page.

Top: Danasia Collins (left) and J.D. Morton are two Ole Miss alumni working with C Spire at the hub at Insight Park. Collins and Morton worked with C Spire as undergraduate students as a part of the tech company’s ongoing talent pipeline on campus. Photo by Clara Turnage/University Marketing and Communications