It’s that time of year. COM seniors are finishing up final papers, projects, and preparing for presentations. The COM 400 portfolio is finally finished, and everyone’s talking about job interviews, families coming into town, and how they need to get out of their apartment the day after graduation.
But wait a second… I’m not done yet. I’m a July graduate. And I’m totally cool with it!
I’m definitely not a fan of the notion that you have to finish school in four years. I’m finishing up my fifth year of college; the first three at my community college back home and the latter two here at UNCW. It doesn’t feel like five years—I wish I could stay longer! The reason why I don’t mind finishing a little later than most is because I want to ensure my college experience is the best it can possibly be.
My interest and career aspirations in media/video production are what brought me to take courses in advertising. I’ve always liked advertising. I love TV ads, and I’d love to make them for a living someday soon. Learning about advertising was the perfect complement to video production. This semester, my interest in the two fields opened me up to the rewarding experience of establishing Pier601 Creative, UNCW’s first student-run IMC firm. Be on the lookout for more exciting things to come from Pier601! If you plan to take Field Video Production courses with Dr. Bolduc, I would highly recommend signing up for IMC 1 or Advertising courses with Dr. Persuit as well. The skills you learn about advertising will greatly help you in communicating with video clients about their projects.
It’s so exciting seeing friends I’ve made in my time in the COM department prepare for graduation. I’ve met so many people in my two years here at UNCW, in both my media production and advertising classes. I’ve not only been pushed harder than I ever have before, but have been encouraged and motivated by my peers. I’ve seen them do some awesome work. One of my classmates and best friends won a car thanks to her work—how cool is that?
Whether you’re pre-COM, COM, or not, my charge to you is to take on those opportunities presented to you. Keep telling yourself it’ll be worth it… even if you graduate a little later than you thought.
IMC Hawks Blog 
Congratulations on your graduation and future success!
Susan Willetts
Nathan, this was a well written blog. I can relate to everything you explained about your experience here at UNCW. I’m also a Senior Transfer student here in the Communication Studies department here at UNCW. It’s going on my sixth year in college, spent two at another four-year university and took a year off, went to a community college for a year and I’ve been here for almost two years as well. It definitely feels like it’s been a lot longer than your journey but I’m thankful for the opportunities and awesome staff and people I’ve met here in Wilmington. I’ll be graduating in the Fall of 2016 and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to also study abroad and have a few accolades to put on my resume to prepare me for job interviews and career opportunities. Congratulations on the graduation and I’m sure UNCW has left you with valuable tools and skill sets to help you further your field video production career. I hope to intern for a sports marketing firm or sports branding position in the Chapel Hill area, sports are my passion and I’d love to have the ability to market sports teams as a living, it would be a great job to say the least! Great blog.