Daily Archives: April 21, 2010

Looking Forward…Looking Back

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A professor here at UNCW told me on the first day of COM. 490 that we as students are a lot like the Sankofa bird. ”The Sankofa” teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is, we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward.” This resinates even more now that graduation is practically upon us. I am reminded of the student I came here as during orientation and the professional I will be exiting as during graduation. Moving 12 hours away from my family, friends and everything I knew was hard; it was the most difficult thing I had ever done. I knew no absolutely no one. Would I fit in? Would I be happy with my choice to up root my life half way down the east coast? The answer to these questions are YES. As graduation is rapidly approaching I find it only appropriate to looking back at the university that made me who I am today in order to be secure in where I may go in the future.

Entering as a freshman I was undecided on my major. A friend I met in the dorms told me she was a Communication Studies major so I looked into it and decided to try it out. It ended up being one of the best decisions of my life. I finally found where I was supposed to be. As I got deeper into the major I found to love what I learned even more, I feel that earning a degree in Communication Studies will not only help me professionally, but personally as well. I have learned to take a look at all the relationships in my life, both personal and work related and be aware of the communication among them. How can I be more supportive? How can I be more effective in presenting my ideas? I have learned life lessons which I will carry with me wherever I chose to go in the future.

IMC has opened my eyes to the fact that I don’t have to settle on just one aspect communicating in the marketplace. I can focus in on my attention to detail through event planning, while still using my creativity and research skills for marketing and advertising. It has made me more aware of the close relationship that now exists among pr, marketing and advertising, which some people in the work force now are not even aware of. I feel lucky to have been given training in IMC prior to entering the workforce.

As the days countdown to May 8th a rush of emotions come along with it. Like most of my fellow graduates I am nervous to leave the home  I have known for the past few years, but  excited to see where life takes me. Each of us is confident in our ability and knowledge of what this major has to offer each and every one of us. I will be taking a paid internship this summer in Wilmington  while job searching in multiple locations as I am open to wherever a job may be. Where ever I end up may it be California, New York or North Carolina, I will always remember the impact UNCW, the Communication Studies Department and the students had on my life.

Jess Smith

Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick

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“But meanwhile it is flying, irretrievable time is flying.”    -Virgil

That’s exactly how I’ve felt over the past few weeks as a graduating senior. ’Where has the time gone?’ Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not a poetry buff nor have I read anything from Virgil since high school AP courses. However, it always feels like time is just flying away. But while time is irretrievable as Virgil puts it, the memories of past times certainly are not.

And yes, the title of this blog is the open verse of ‘Time after Time’ by Cydni Lauper…Don’t hate

This post is chance for me to look back at the time I have had as Communication Studies major. I have learned so many things and gained a better understanding of who I am through this major.

It is through Communication Studies that I’ve come to find a home. What makes this major and department so great is the fact that the students and teacher in it can almost be considered as family. Just think of all the group projects you have worked on, what type of friendships have come from those groups. There are professors in this major that I consider to be my mentors. In the Communication Studies everyone is allowed to express themself, or that’s what I’ve learned in my Adv. IMC class (I think we scared some of the Intro to IMC students at the TED event). But that is the wonder of Communication Studies, it is a major about effective and professional expression.

The Communication Studies major has allowed me to combine two of my professional interests. Public relations has always drawn me to the profession due to its emphasis on creating relationships. I also have an interest in marketing. However I thought it was impossible to combine these two, and I would just have to choose one or the other. In Communication Studies that is not the case. Integrated Marketing Communications emphasizes the strengths of both professions into one. I have greatly enjoyed learning about brand marketing, and how you relate that brand with publics from Dr. Persuit (I am one of the lucky few to be her first class at UNCW).

I must thank Communication Studies for not only providing me a home of learning, but also providing me opportunities to advance my life. I will be attending the NCSU Communication Graduate School in the fall. I look forward to continue my education about the subject to better myself and the major.

Finally, remember that little section about group work and creating long lasting relationships. Well I am the success story. I met my fiance, Holly Souther, my freshman year in COM 110 Public Speaking. We then were COM 200 group mates. While it’s true that happened two years ago in my sophomore year, I believe that created a foundation for what Communication Studies is mostly about, relationships.

So thank you Communication Studies, but remember this is not a good-bye…it’s simply a see you later.

-Jesse Bazemore

My own personal brand

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I have never had to “look” for a job…

Of course, I have been in places, filled out applications and have gone through the interview process multiple times; however, I have yet to be turned down.

So, when I say I have never had to “look” for a job that means I have never really had to look.

Until now, when it really counts…

I am roughly two weeks away from graduation.

Ironically, today I went on a third interview for a “big girl” job that I really want.  My mother has always said if I could just get the interview, I would get the job.  Thus far, she has been right and tomorrow morning, I will find out if her philosophy still holds true.

I am finishing out my last week of classes as an undergrad, trying to figure out where I am going to move when my lease runs up in a month, waiting to hear back about this job, all the meanwhile neglecting to take my graduation gown out of the bag and put it on a hanger because a part of me is still not ready to close this chapter of my life.

However, we cannot delay the inevitable.

So, what has IMC taught me?

IMC has allowed me to recognize and perfect my own personal brand.

In my mind, college isn’t all about your major, the classes you are taking, your GPA, your fraternity or sorority, all of the other organizations you are involved in on and off-campus, the number of cords you get to wear the day you graduate—it is about taking EVERYTHING that you experience—and somehow incorporating that into yourself…your own personal brand.

You aren’t selling your degree when you go on a job interview.  You aren’t selling your GPA, your honors or awards.  You aren’t selling the number of community service hours you have completed over the past four years.  On a job interview, you are selling you…your own personal brand.

So, to wrap this up…the reason I haven’t ever really had to “look” for a job is because I have been perfecting my own personal brand over the past four years and I am very confident in the brand I have made for myself.

I remember names and faces.

I will always shake your hand.

I remember useless factoids that sound impressive.

I mock the sayings of anyone who has something intriguing to say (especially my mother).

I know how to be charming.

Even though I may talk a lot, I am always interested in what someone else has to say and when I listen, I really listen.

I am honest.

I will always look you in the eyes.

I know where I want to go and by the time you get done talking to me you know I will make it happen eventually.

You cannot learn these traits out of a textbook.  They are far more impressive than a GPA.  These traits make me unique.  They are mine and they are what make me memorable.

This is my own personal brand…

What’s yours?

Laura Ann Klinedinst

What is Communication Studies??

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“What is Communication Studies?” is the question I asked my best friend, Lindsey, when I first moved to UNCW as a transfer, mathematics major in the fall of 2007.  Like some other unaware individuals, I assumed the discipline dealt with mere public speaking and presentations.  Lindsey, a graduating senior in the COM Dept, didn’t verbalize her interpretation of COM Studies; instead she showed me the beginnings of her COM 490 portfolio.  As she flipped through her artifacts that highlighted her successes in the department, she was so excited to tell me just what COM Studies was to her and what her department did.  With her enthusiasm and zeal in demonstrating her COM history, I began to question my craze for my then major of math.

Several weeks later I was out running errands with Lindsey when we realized we lost track of time, and she needed to be in class in ten minutes.  Somehow Linds convinced me to go to class with her, and now looking back I have no idea how she did because who really does this??  Running into Randall Library Auditorium, I found myself halfway embarrassed, but trying to go with the flow sitting in on Tammy Bulger’s Interpersonal Communication class.  She opened with a quiz and then began to lecture about romantic relationships and the dynamism that occurs within various contexts and associations.  I can remember thinking to myself, “People really study this junk?!”  After the fifty minutes ended, I was fascinated by Tammy’s lecture and envious of Lindsey’s ability to call herself a COM major.  I know you’re wondering why I am telling you all of this, but this particular day changed my college career and life forever.  Lindsey influenced me to pursue communication further the next semester by enrolling in COM 105, the introductory course to the major, and COM 220, Interpersonal Communication, with none other than Tammy Bulger.

Tammy’s glory doesn’t stop with the above reference.  As a converted Pre-COM major, Tammy was my advisor and knew I was interested in Public Relations.  As we all know, you cannot enroll in PR at UNCW until after meeting the prereqs to be a full COM major.  She suggested taking a new course to the department, Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC).  Without having a clue what that was, I agreed because she said it related to PR.  So in the fall of 2008 I remember sitting in on the first day of then Mrs. Persuit’s IMC class, still wondering what in the world I got myself into.   The whole semester involved her persuasion of my class to realize IMC wasn’t a foreign or absurd idea, but it truly connected to all of us and our society ubiquitously.  By the end of the semester, her hard work paid off because I became an advocate for the sub-discipline.

After completing Intro to IMC, Dr. Persuit asked me to participate in a DIS with her to explore the IMC world further.  Over the course of next year, I researched, planned, promoted and executed an event titled the IMC Workout in the fall of 2009 provided to student organizations who wanted to learn more about marketing strategies to enhance their organization in various areas.  In addition to the event, Dr. Persuit asked me to present a project from my intro class in the fall of 2008 at the Carolina’s Communication Association Conference.  Toward the end of last semester, I was also asked to present my IMC Workout experience at the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium.  All of these memorable experiences expanded my appreciation for the field and ignited a passion for IMC.

Looking back on my time at UNCW in the Department of Communication Studies, I ask myself again, “What is Communication Studies?”  I don’t have my portfolio to show you on this blog, however Tammy might croak as we did do an electronic version in 490, but I can tell you this:  Communication Studies is more than an academic discipline and public speaking; it is all around us, all the time; it is ever-changing research with newfound and old discoveries waiting to be explored; it is the means to the rest of the world’s intricacies; it is a love of mine that no math problem ever gave.

My experience at UNCW is priceless and something I will treasure for a long time.  Because of the opportunities given to me in the department, I am certain that this field is one that I want to stay in forever.  I have been inspired by so many of our professors that I want to seek higher education and return to academia.  I am proud to say that my aspirations are on their way of coming true.  I will be graduating on May 8th as a Seahawk, and I will be leaving for Milwaukee, WI, in August to be a Golden Eagle at Marquette University to pursue a master’s degree in Communication.  I am even more proud to soon call myself an alumni of the Department of Communication Studies at UNCW, and hopefully one day I will answer other undergraduates wondering, “What is Communication Studies?”

-Allyson Corbin