I did not become a Communication and Media Studies student officially until my sophomore year. During my first year in college, I was still exploring and switching around many different majors and minors, trying to find a degree that would satisfy my interests and passions as well as lead me to meaningful work. Spring semester of my first year in college, I began to look more at the communication major offered and the different types of classes I would take. I took my first communication courses in the fall of my sophomore year and quickly knew that a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Studies is the diploma I wanted to have on my desk in an office someday.
Those first classes, though introductory courses to the major, were the spark I needed to verify that communication was what I wanted to study. A lot of it came from constantly being enlightened in class to how much I did not know about how people in both intimate and large settings communicate and respond to each other. It was fascinating to me to learn about the different concepts and theories. As I went further into the major, especially in my Nonverbal communication, I began to experiment and analyze communication in real time, observing people at a local coffee shop to understand the appealing dynamic. I also read large amounts of articles for other communication classes, such as Crisis Communication and Political Communication, to give meaningful analysis to public responses, political rhetoric and crises and fully understand how theories are put into practice today. The theories and experiences I have had in class have prepared me for the implementation of them in a public setting, for instance working for the communications department at a college or for a local nonprofit.
Through my experience at St. Norbert, especially within the Communication discipline, I have learned to think critically, take in other perspectives, promote and lead group learning and brainstorming, and implementing theory into practice. These skills were only further enhanced through my minors. For example, in my fine art classes I became accustomed to receiving and giving criticism and critical instruction which corresponded to my success in Business and Professional speaking as I worked on improving my presentation skills and needed to be open to improvements. Another example is that through my history minor I have been able to contextualize and understand a lot more about how to incorporate many perspectives, which I used in many of my communication research papers to make my analysis well rounded. It seems that the correlation between my many courses of study only further diversifies my experience with communication and my understanding of the many aspects communication plays in our lives.
My concentration is in Media Studies, where most of my courses have focused on mass communication theories. I got my experience in implementing these theories through my various internships. I was a curation intern at the Neville Public Museum where I contextualized information for targeted audiences in blog posts and posters as well as assisted in exhibit set up. During my time at Definitely De Pere, I updated the website daily with new events, edited press releases, consulted with businesses for events, and posted on Instagram and Facebook constantly. For those opportunities, I utilized a lot of mass communication theories, but for my work as an Admission tour guide, resident assistant, and organization leader on campus, there were many more interpersonal theories I used throughout my experiences.
All of these instances built upon my skills in communication and prepared me for my next steps after graduation. In the fall of 2020, I will be attending Marquette University for a Masters of Education in Student Affairs in Higher Education. Communication studies is a broad field and continuously expanding as people work to communicate with each other more effectively. I am extremely satisfied with the large amount of knowledge I have been able to accumulate in my three years of studying communication and grateful to the professors who have helped me every step of the way. As I work to become a higher education professional and engage with students to help them through their college process, I plan to utilize all of the experiences and practices I have learned in the field of communication throughout my future career.
