New CJC graduate proves that learning is a lifelong journey
Next month, Joseph Watkins will walk across the stage at the O’Connell Center and accept a degree in Advertising from the College of Journalism and Communications. He will graduate summa cum laude and was nominated for the 2026 CJC Advertising Department award. However, unlike many of his peers, this will not be a first for him.
Watkins originally graduated from Santa Fe College in 2009 with a degree in Business Administration and had no plans to go back to school. Instead, he worked in the tech world and launched a global music discovery app in 2017 under the Trihelix name. Two years later, he pivoted Trihelix toward intelligence work, partnering with the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) as their exclusive advertising curation partner. The role introduced him to the geospatial industry and shaped the trajectory of Trihelix as a defense and aerospace-focused intelligence company.
Watkins has since grown the client roster to include companies such as GDIT, BAE Systems and SOSi, among others. The company is pioneering a new category Watkins calls Account Signal Intelligence, powered by its proprietary platform Refraction, which operates on Trihelix’s database of more than 129 million U.S. buildings to measure how advertising influences buying decisions inside the offices, hangars, and labs where those decisions actually happen.
Although he had made a name for himself in his field and started a successful business, `Watkins felt that he still had room to learn how to market Trihelix and how to take advantage of artificial intelligence. So, at the age of 38, he decided to go back to school, enrolling in classes through UF Online so he could continue to run Trihelix. The thought of going back to school after almost 20 years was intimidating at first, but Watkins fit right in.
“My department chair, Professor Huan Chen, was a huge help when I started, making me feel more welcome and helping me find courses,” he explained. “Her emails informing students of new opportunities, courses, trips abroad and general college updates have been something I’ve looked forward to each week.”
Going back to school while running his business also gave him the unique opportunity to practice what he was taught in real-time. He attributes one of his most valuable lessons to Media Planning, a course taught by Adjunct Instructor Kevin VanValkenburgh that covers media strategy design and audience reach and engagement. It was through this class that Watkins was introduced to MRI Simmons, a psychographic and behavioral data tool, and the limitations of surveys. Watkins used this new knowledge to develop a new model, the Trihelix Intelligence Index, that addressed the downsides of surveys, instead leveraging historical location data to analyze consumer behaviors.
“If there’s one thing that I hope other people can learn from my experience, it’s that it’s never too late to rethink your career,” Watkins said. “And even if you think you’re past your prime, you can still do this.”
Category: College News, Profiles
Tagged: Advertising Graduation
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