IMC Hawks Blog

Category: Communication Studies

  • Stuck in the Middle

    Here it is almost May and stores are packed with graduation gifts and decorations.  All the talk around school is about grad school, jobs, and graduation parties.  As much as I want to be a part of this, I am not.  Not because of grades, but because of credit hours.  You see, I will graduate in July.  I’m getting my four year degree in two and a half years.  This is a huge accomplishment for me.  However, I feel like I am at a disadvantage.  When I’m all done the only things I get from UNCW is a diploma, a goodbye, and an invitation to come walk at the December commencement ceremony.  This isn’t fair.  I worked just as hard as the May and December graduates.  Everyone who finishes in the summer deserves some recognition!

    After writing this I feel like I sound bitter, but I’m not!  I have received a great education.  UNCW, specifically the Communication Department, has given me the skills I need to excel in life.  I’m thankful for the opportunities I have taken advantage of such as studying abroad in Italy and Greece, planning the 10th Anniversary Party for Cape Fear Center for Inquiry, and last but not least, learning how to do all of the public relations and marketing for the George on the River Walk!

    When I leave Wilmington and UNCW I will be sad that a chapter of my life is ending, but I will be excited to see what the future has in store for me.

    Thank you to UNCW and the Communication Department for all you’ve done!

    Danielle Murray

  • What do you do with a Communication Studies degree?

    “What do you do with a Communication Studies degree?  What do you even learn at UNCW….like what’s 1 surfboard + 2 surfboards?”

    Moving to Wilmington… as a 17 year old freshman from Pennsylvania…those were the supportive words from many of my friends from home.  I am proud to say that over my last four years at UNCW, my educational experience has far exceeded the expectations of my jealous high school friends.  Not only have I spent amazing afternoons at Wrightsville Beach, but I have also learned so much about myself and the vast opportunities available to me as a Communication Studies major.

    The question is not what do you do with a Communication Studies degree…but rather what can you not do?  This major prepares you with such a wide range of skills it is really up to you where you want to go in this “real world”.  Personally, I enjoyed all of my COM classes but it wasn’t until I took Intro to IMC with Dr. Persuit that I really felt it “click”.  I absolutely loved this class because it was the first time I had really experienced a marketing side of communications and I loved this avenue.  Over the last two years I’ve taken various classes in the MKT department along with marketing and advertising focused classes in the COM department.

    Even though I’m a bit nostalgic about leaving my comfort zone of UNCW I feel extremely prepared to enter the business world.  I’m not sure exactly where I’ll end up after my lease ends on July 31st but in the mean time I will be working as a paid Marketing Intern at Coastal Surgery Specialists in Wilmington while actively pursuing a career in Marketing or Sales.  It’s really bitter sweet graduating in May but I’m looking forward to seeing what this real world has in store for me.

    So because everyone else seemed to through in their own motivational/ cheesy quotes here goes mine..

    “Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”  ~Anthony J. D’Angelo

    Best of luck class of 2010!

    –Taylor Diehl

  • Back to Undecided

    As Shannon said in her previous blog, I must also admit as well that I am not graduating in May. But, I am technically a senior and will graduate in December along with some of my fellow IMC-Hawks! My decision to graduate in December is based on saving money. Having 24 AP credits from high school has definitely been worth it, as I was only “undecided” for a semester!

    After taking a mass communication class and learning briefly about IMC, I immediately looked into graduate school programs. I absolutely fell in love with Emerson College’s program in Boston. I wanted to go to Emerson for undergrad, but there was no way I wanted to spend that much money, so when I found they had an IMC graduate program, it was like it was meant to be. I immediately requested materials (yes, as a sophomore) and plan to apply when the time is right. IMC has been a very influential subject in my academic career, and I cannot wait to apply it outside of the classroom and help others understand what IMC is about.

    Thus, though I am moving past the undergraduate level, I am going back to my “undecided” roots. After I graduate, I don’t really know what path I want to take. I plan to continue with IMC in some way, shape or form, whether it’s incorporating it in my job, or continuing my education through a graduate program. Hopefully next semester I’ll move away from “undecided” to something a little more focused! I think continuing education is important and keeps your mind sharp as you proceed past the “undergraduate” stages of your life.

    Rachel Kaylor

  • Looking Forward…Looking Back

    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

    “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

  • What is Communication Studies??

    “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

  • Impossible is Nothing

    I’ll always remember how I felt when I was about to graduate from highschool – excited, elated. I knew I was only a summer away from moving to the beach where I would be at UNC Wilmington for the next four years.

    Once I was here Wilmington soon became my community, UNCW became my home, and the people became my family. But I never expected the past four years to go by so fast. So now, with only weeks until graduation, and as I look back over my experiences, and forward to what comes next, I don’t know how I feel. There is a crazy mix of emotions. I’m excited  for the next step in my life, but sad to close the door on this chapter. I’m confident in my abilities and skills, but terrified of no longer having a safety net to catch me if I fall.

    It didn’t take me long to fall in love with UNCW, and especially the Wilmington community. The idea of staying in Wilmington after graduation was always something that I dreamed about. At the same time, I was always warned to not get my hopes up about that because there just aren’t that many jobs in the communication field in this town. But, there is something to be said about working hard, not giving up and never settling for anything other than what you really want. I am happy to say that I will be staying in Wilmington after graduation with a job in public relations.

    -Nicole Doherty