IMC Hawks Blog

Category: Graduation

  • Finding My Way to the Top

    Finding My Way to the Top

    My college career has consisted of four different schools. Carson Newman University, Sandhills Community College, Milligan University, and now UNCW. It’s a long story as to why this is a thing, so I won’t get into any details. But, I can say that a big reason for my scenic route through college was that I had trouble finding a school that felt like home to me. The past three schools were great schools, but I did not fall in love with them like I had planned. It wasn’t until I came to Wilmington that I finally was able to call a place “home” and truly mean it. I transferred here the second semester of my junior year and haven’t looked back.

    Newly-renovated entrance to the UNC Wilmington campus along South College Road. UNCW / Jamie Moncrief

    When I came to UNCW, I was a business major with an emphasis in marketing. Honestly, I was struggling. I had this idea that if I wanted to get into sales and the business field, I needed to be a business major and get a degree in business. This is where I was wrong, and I paid the price for it. I went through that one semester here at UNCW, and I’ll be honest with you, I was not a fan at all. I was struggling in all of my classes, I was stressing about how long it was going to take me to graduate, and I was beginning to tell myself that I was a failure. It wasn’t until the fall semester of my senior year that things started to turn around for me, and that was because of this little thing they call COM.

    I came to the conclusion that the road I was going down was not the road for me. I swallowed my pride and went to my advisor’s office in hopes of creating a plan for myself and my future at UNCW. After a small discussion, my advisor brought up communication studies and began to brag about the department here at the dub. After some consideration, pulling some strings, and a bit of prayer, I decided to change my major to COM. I understood that because of all the transferring that I had done in the past, I would have to spend an extra year in college to finish my degree if I switched. At times I had thought of myself as a failure because I did not complete what I had started in my business education. I even thought that I might not be able to have a business career because I was not getting my degree in it anymore. All of these thoughts were completely wrong and I found out very quickly that everything I was telling myself about my decision was completely wrong.

    Here I am, in my last semester as a COM major, about to graduate from the great University of North Carolina Wilmington. I currently hold a full time, “grown up” job at Cellular Sales, the number one Verizon retailer, a job that I thought would not be possible at first because I was not getting my degree in business anymore. That was another thing that I quickly learned – COM studies allows you have a wide range of careers to pick from. You can nearly choose whatever you want to do! After learning that COM broadens your horizons instead of minimalizing it, it was like a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders. Here I am, in a sales job, a goal of mine that I had written down for years, all because of COM. Could I have done something completely different to start off my career? Of course! That is the beauty of COM and everything it has to offer.

    In days, I’ll be graduating. Because of COM, I’ve improved my skill set more than I could have ever imagined. Because of COM I have new friends who I will be friends with for the rest of my life. Because of COM I have complete control over the rest of my life and the rest of my career. Because of COM, I found my new home in Wilmington and no matter where I go from here, the Dub will always me home to me.

    Brady Childers is a May 2021 graduate. His father inspired him to pursue a career in business. Brady loves meeting new people and solving their problems.

  • Find Your People

    Find Your People

    The road to graduation has been a rollercoaster. When I began the ride, I thought I would be graduating four years later in Spring 2020. Little did I know that my path through college would not be the straight line I imagined. That has been my biggest lesson in college; life is not going to go exactly the way you want it to. If all our desires were granted, we would have quite a few more billionaires walking around.

    I had to learn how to change my outlook on being successful and motivated, by failing. But now, as I sit here writing this post and reflecting on my past 5 years of school, I can share my lessons learned before I leave UNCW.

    Get Organized

    First and foremost, learn how to get yourself organized. I used to never plan out anything in regard to my classes but, I learned the hard way, personal organization is a key to success. Buy yourself a planner or a big desk calendar. Sit down for 5 minutes on Sunday night, before the week starts, and plan out the assignment due dates for your classes. I promise you, it will make a world of difference! Having a planner means you won’t be stressed about remembering due dates. You have a source you can refer to anytime you’re wondering when an assignment is due. Simple, effective, and CHEAP!

    Roll with the Punches

    I made some early mistakes and was academically dismissed from UNCW. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but college is going to throw a lot at you. Now this doesn’t mean you will instantly be forced into crazy life changes and decisions, but 4 years is a long time and those moments do come and come at you fast – trust me. In my first year in Wilmington, I did not have a solid direction to follow. I put more attention toward my social life than my course and those choices resulted in my dismissal from UNCW. I spent the following year attending Cape Fear Community College and was forced to take a long look at myself and the choices I had made. Assigning blame to outside influences is easy but being introspective and realizing that YOU are the root of the problem is extremely hard. I had to figure out what I needed to cut from my life and what I needed to work on to return to UNCW. That year at Cape Fear CC taught me more than my combined four years at UNCW. I started managing my time effectively and focusing all my attention on my grades. The hardest part of that process was holding on to my motivation to return to UNCW. I was still having hard moments and dealing with feelings of failure that made me want to just give up. Learning to push past those moments and reassure myself that I was doing the right thing made me a stronger person. Learn to not let the low moments get the better of you.

    Find Your People (Major)

    As cliche as this sounds, find the major you enjoy. In my first year at UNCW, I was initially a finance major but quickly realized it was not the path I wanted to take. After being readmitted, I considered going back to Cameron and majoring in marketing, but my advisor suggested an alternate path. Instead, I could major in communication studies and take courses in integrated marketing communication. I wasn’t sure at first because I didn’t know much about COM Studies. I took COM 301 with Dr. Weber and that was the catalyst that sparked my love for communication studies. The sense of community that was cultivated in his class, and each of my classes afterward, was a breath of fresh air. The faculty in the COM department have been incredibly supportive of me and I never felt as if they did not want me to succeed. Being a member of the COM Studies department allowed me to finish my education surrounded by brilliant professors who all work to prepare their students for success after college. So my advice, go out and experiment with your classes. Your first choice may not be your final choice. The college experience is 10x better when you find a major that interests you.

    Liam Abourezk is a May 2021 graduate and believes “failure is the stepping stone for success.”

  • Finding Opportunities by Exploring Your Passions

    Finding Opportunities by Exploring Your Passions

    College is where most students come to find their purpose, passions and or career paths. Most people look for these paths or passions in their major, part-time jobs, or internships chosen during their university experience. In my junior year, I found mine by exploring my passion for fitness. I have always had a passion for fitness and had entertained the thought of becoming a fitness instructor or trainer to satisfy my curiosity about the body and movement! During the Fall semester of my junior year, I enrolled in a Group Fitness training program with the goal of becoming a Group Fitness Instructor and teaching at the Student Recreation Center. At the time, the decision was risky because the program would require so much of my time and effort and could distract me from my academic work. Hoping the certification would make me happy, I took a leap of faith that I could manage both. Not only did I complete the program, eventually I was offered a job at the Rec Center that lasted until I graduated.

    MOlan fit expo

    Within the first semester of working as an instructor, I came to love my job so much so that I decided I wanted to pursue recreation, fitness and wellness as a full-time job. Since working at the Rec Center, I have looked at jobs within this industry and thought about going to graduate school for recreation or health programming. I would have never had the opportunity to explore these options if I had not chosen to look for opportunities to explore my passions. UNCW offers such a wide variety of classes, clubs, and activities that offer opportunities to discover a new interest, hobby or passion. My sophomore self thought I needed plenty of internships and small jobs to provide me with sufficient career experience for obtaining a job that I would be happy with post-grad. I could have easily skipped any opportunities to explore a hobby or side passion just to make time for something I felt obligated to do or to take an internship that I “thought” would help me succeed.

    College is a vulnerable time of your life and it is possible to be interested in so many things that it can feel overwhelming. But by opening yourself up to any small opportunity, even if it is slightly different from your already established plans, you might find a world of new experiences! From my time at UNCW, this was what I found to be the most important. Do not say no to any little opportunity that resonates with you even if it is not aligned with your plans and goals. Hindsight is 20/20 and we should never regret our experience and where they have landed us now but it is always important to give ourselves the space for exploring new interests and hobbies that will open new paths.

    I have treasured every moment of working at the Rec Center and teaching classes to different people about their bodies. As my senior year is coming to an end, I am so grateful to have had this job experience and for the doors it has opened for me and my future. Because I chose to take a job working at the Rec Center, I had the amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge and love for yoga by becoming a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher. I plan to take on yoga full-time at some point in my life and bring the benefits of this practice to anyone interested. Remember to take the leap of faith, as a college student, to explore new options and interests. I am glad that I took the risk and would not change a thing!

    Melissa Olan, UNCW COM Class of Spring 2020

    Melissa is a Communication Studies major with a minor in Recreation, Sports Leadership and Tourism Management. After graduation, she plans to take time off to explore her options and pursue yoga full-time before settling into a corporate job. When she’s not practicing or teaching yoga or studying, you will find her cooking, moving, or being outdoors soaking up the sun and fresh air.

  • Believe in Your Dreams & Allow them to Change

    Believe in Your Dreams & Allow them to Change

    I began my journey as a UNCW Seahawk in the Spring of 2017; it had been my dream ever since the eighth grade. Way back in middle school, I would spend hours looking at campus photos and taking the virtual tour too many times to count. This came as a bit of a shock to my parents considering we live all the way up in New Jersey. For years they thought my dream to go to UNCW was just a phase I would eventually grow out of. Thankfully, it wasn’t.

    Through my time at UNCW I have learned that your vision for the future doesn’t have to be set in stone. When I first moved to Wilmington for school, I had my heart set on being a Creative Writing major, moving to NYC after graduation and publishing books at Simon & Schuster. My path could not be more different now. I eventually realized that I had grown out of that dream but the idea of changing my path entirely was daunting. It was only when I was introduced to the COM department that my then daunting future became full of possibility.

    KSchissler_waterfront

    Through this department I have made lifelong friends, met professors I admire and created a whole new vision for my future. I cannot believe my time at UNCW is coming to an end, especially as I am separated from the individuals who made this experience unforgettable. My biggest regret when I think about graduating is that I didn’t take advantage of all the opportunities UNCW has offered me and that I took for granted the time I had with the people who’ve made these past four years so special.

    This degree has been the most challenging and rewarding feat of my life. As we near graduation and the momentous occasion that it is, I can’t help but be grateful for all the opportunities I have been given.

    It’s been a pleasure. Until next time Wilmy!

    Kaitlyn Schissler, UNCW COM Class of 2020

     

  • The People are the Best of COM

    The People are the Best of COM

    My UNCW experience has been interesting to say the least. I became a Seahawk during the Spring semester of 2017 as a First Year Spring Admit. This is a program that defers students to the Spring semester. I met all of my Freshman friends through this program – I loved it! The reason I choose UNCW is because I wanted to work at SeaWorld as a killer whale trainer and thought a marine biology degree would get me there. However, after one day of biology class, I remembered I wasn’t good at science and began my search for a new major. This was the best decision I would ever make. Not only because the Blackfish documentary opened my eyes to SeaWorld’s treatment of killer whales, but also, because it led me to the Department of Communication Studies.

    Photo by Trevor Kolman on Unsplash
    Photo by Trevor Kolman on Unsplash

    On the search for a new major, I enrolled in COM 105. On the first exam for COM 105, I made a 70 and went home and cried to my roommates. Throughout that semester, I tried harder than I ever had in a course and ended up with the 3rd highest grade in the class – out of 150 students. I realized it was the only course that I was passionate about. The next semester, I enrolled in COM 200 and joined the Communication Studies Society (CSS).

    Junior year began and I felt like I was finally finding my way through college. I was vice president of CSS and had made some awesome friends within the department. Shortly into the semester, Florence hit. It was a time filled with uncertainty. Luckily, we were able to return back home after a month of no school. I think we were all a little more appreciative that year.

    As senior year kicked off, I found myself as president of CSS. My goal for CSS was to help COM majors grow professionally and personally. During my time as president, I threw a networking event, held Make the Most Of your Major (MMOM), a holiday party, and many other professional development meetings. But most importantly, I got to bond with other COM majors and professors. I think the best part about the COM department is the people.

    Now as my final semester has been flipped upside down, I reminisce on the last few years. This semester, I was supposed to go on a study abroad trip to Italy, have my official last day of class, and say goodbye to my friends. This isn’t how I imagined this semester ending, but I’m trying to stay hopeful. I focus on our first core skill, confidence: Feeling able to do what you set out to do, mentally, emotionally, and physically. This semester, I set out to finish my college career on a high note and, using what I’ve learned in communication studies, I know that I will.

    Allison Phillips, UNCW COM class of Spring 2020

    Allison is a Communication Studies major with minors in Leadership Studies and Political Science. She plans to work in the marketing field after graduation.

  • #NoRegrets

    #NoRegrets

    I transferred to UNCW as a junior – leaving me with only two years to get the most out of my time here. My time at UNCW was not your traditional four semesters of schoolwork, hanging out at the beach, and spending time with friends. During the fall 2018 semester, Hurricane Florence happened, as most of you know, taking a month of our time away from UNCW. Then, the next fall semester, Hurricane Dorian came. Thankfully, this only took about a week of our time away. But, it still caused disruption in the semester. Now, we’re all dealing with COVID-19, perhaps the most detrimental situation of them all. The Coronavirus is the monster I never knew I feared. It caused the cancelation of my Italy study abroad trip, took a month and a half of our time at UNCW away from us, and took away graduation. Students across the world are suffering from the effects of this monster. Amidst these terrible and trying times, let’s reflect on the positive memories we’ve had. I, personally, have had a lot.

    My first semester, I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity that came my way and get involved in as much as I could (being that I only had two years at UNCW). I joined the UNCW Equestrian Club (even though I knew nothing about how to ride horses), Communication Studies Society (to get more involved in my major), Greek life, and more. Balancing all of my extracurriculars with my academics while still saving time to spend with friends was hard. But, it can be done. My advice: join all that you can, all that you’re interested in. UNCW offers many opportunities for us, as students, to take advantage of. I never thought that I would have the opportunity to learn how to ride horses but here I am! If UNCW doesn’t offer something that you’re interested in, take it upon yourself to create your own club. There are bound to be others who have the same interests as you. In doing so, you’ll make connections and relationships that will last a lifetime.

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    As we’re all separated from the campus that we love so dearly, our friends, Wilmington (for those of you who don’t live in the area), think about all the memories you made throughout your time at UNCW. Don’t let these current times that we are living in get you down. Keep contact with your friends. Take advantage of the efforts UNCW is making to keep our community strong. Just because we are disconnected, doesn’t mean we can’t continue to make memories.

    Moral of the story, time is short. You never know what could happen. Don’t take anything for granted. *Insert any other upchuck-inducing cliché here* We all hate them and think that they’re lame, but they’re all true. I was able to make these memories and lasting friendships because I put myself out there, did what I was scared of. Now, as I’m cooped up in my home in Upstate New York, I can look back at my time at college without any regrets. It ended much sooner than I thought, but I accomplished all that I could.

    Jenna Pugliese-McNamara, UNCW COM Class of 2020

    Majoring in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Integrated Marketing Communication and a minor in English. Jenna plans to pursue a career in publishing or marketing – or maybe both!

  • Imperfect Vision. C/O 2020

    Imperfect Vision. C/O 2020

    UNCW was my last choice for college. Of the seven universities that I applied to, I was denied from three, waitlisted for two, and accepted into two, UNCW and ECU. The deciding factor between the colleges was the film program offered here at The Dub. My entire life had been filled with film, entertainment, and the performing arts. It had only made sense that all I had ever dreamed of was seeing my name in lights.

    I was one of those kids that came to college claiming that I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and was I wrong. Despite the fact that I still do not have a perfect picture of the way that I want my life to look like, I feel more sure about anything that I’ve ever felt before. I like to tell people that I didn’t choose COM but that COM chose me. I became a Communication Studies major at the perfect moment in my college career. While I was still very unsure about a lot of things, I was excited to go into a major that would help me become a better writer, researcher, and most importantly, a better person.

    In these four years I have experienced racism, discrimination, grief, happiness, excitement, disappointment, exhaustion, and so much more. UNCW has helped me grow, evolve, and blossom into a woman that has proven to be ever better than my wildest dreams. During my time here I have written for the newspaper (#StaffWriterTurnedManagingEditor), raised over $20,000 for the university, been published into a UNCW textbook, participated in a number of research projects and proposals, and met some of the best people along the way.

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    Even though my final semester here has taken a turn that no one could have seen coming, I think that this is a perfect way to move on to the next chapter of my life. As a Christian, I believe that our stories have already been written, and no matter how much we try to avoid, some things are completely out of our control and that’s okay. Life isn’t about the moments that we had pictured in our head, it’s about the moments that we had outside of our daydreams. It’s about spontaneous trips, binge watching Netflix shows, learning dances on Tik Tok, and learning how to roll with the punches however they come. Four years, three hurricanes, and a pandemic later, I can say that I am prepared to take life head on during the good and the bad.

    Valerie Keys, UNCW COM Class of Spring 2020

    Valerie has accepted a fellowship with Lead for North Carolina – an organization that strives to strengthen NC local governments by creating future public service leaders. Valerie will be working with the Pembroke NC local government.