Immersed in Innovation: Davidson College Students Bring Liberal Arts Thinking to Truist Event

They were joined by students from Appalachian State University, Johnson C. Smith University, UNC Charlotte, Queens University and Wingate University, as well as representatives from clients and supporting companies.

The team at the college’s Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation & Entrepreneurship worked closely with the students — many of whom are involved in Hurt Hub programs year-round — to make this opportunity possible.

While each group was assigned a different project, the Davidson crew was tasked with reimagining and recommending improvements to the fan experience at the Truist Championship, a PGA Tour event hosted in Charlotte. Their many ideas, ranging from the way attendees check in and find food to how they find and track their favorite golfers throughout the day, grew from post-it notes to presentations before the two-day experience wrapped. The process challenged students to think broadly about design, accessibility and engagement — skills that are central to their Davidson education.

For many students, the experience also reinforced the value of a liberal arts education in real-world settings. Maria Fajardo ’27, a junior from Colombia, said the experience was a perfect example of the liberal arts in action, a concept she was largely unfamiliar with before deciding on Davidson. 

This experience brought the learning to life. 

“I’m hoping to pursue a career path that allows me to combine psychology, creativity and technology, and this event had it all,” she said. “One minute, we were thinking about reimagining an experience for golf enthusiasts and their families, and the next minute, we wondered if we should focus more on people who don’t know much about golf and how we can make their days better. It was a human-centered design process that had space for psychology, creativity and technology.”

Using rapid prototyping, the Davidson team dug in quickly, sparking fresh ideas for how Truist can connect with sports fans in smarter, more meaningful ways, said Sherry Graziano, head of digital, client experience and marketing for Truist. 

While all participants were tackling real-world challenges, the Davidson team’s charge was slightly different from that of their peers. Others had clear problems to solve and were developing working prototypes, while the Wildcats were tasked with envisioning an experience with supporting technology, in partnership with team members from Cisco. They initially participated in “need finding” exercises to confirm how their time was best spent.

“Our team represented many different majors, and we came to this experience with a Davidson education, which uniquely prepares you to apply your skills to any field and any problem,” Fajardo said. “You can think about art and solve your problem with math — things like that. So our task wasn’t really about golf; it was about working as a team to solve a problem. The liberal arts way of thinking really shone through.”

Participants also networked with company representatives, visited the Truist Innovation Center, learned about company values and explored spaces dedicated to innovation.

“The experience gave me hope for my future,” Farjado said. “My interests can sometimes feel specific, and I’ve wondered where they could lead me. This was the perfect way for me to imagine applying what I’m learning now and how I’ll be able to make a difference in a professional setting.”