When the Going Gets Tough: Seahawk Edition

April 27, 2020

As a transfer student, I have not spent more than 2 years at UNCW. However, my time here has been wonderful and I am beyond proud to be a Seahawk. I believe it is where I am supposed to be, despite the trials and tribulations. Anyone at UNCW during the last two years knows what I am talking about. If not, here are a few highlights and different ways that I got through them (or am still getting through them).

The wrong department.

When I first transferred to UNCW from Cape Fear Community College, I started off in the Cameron Business School. I knew I was interested in marketing but was completely lost in all of my classes. Things like financial accounting, microeconomics, etc. just weren’t for me. I did not feel a sense of community and had a hard time overall. Then, I learned about IMC classes and the Communication Studies Department. I quickly made the switch and, ever since then, I’ve felt entirely at home with my COM friends and professors! My advice to anyone not 100% sure which path to take is to explore ALL options first (especially before wasting an entire semester in the wrong place, like I did). There is a place here for everyone. We just have to find it. I sure am glad I found mine along with the wonderful friends that came with it.

Hurricanes.

Ah, the lovely storms that love to threaten (and damage) our beautiful campus. During my time at this school, my fellow students and I, have experienced the infamous Hurricane Florence, Tropical Storm Michael, and Hurricane Dorian. While Michael and Dorian did not cause us too much trouble, Florence did. That was a scary time for the entire UNCW community with school being closed, no one allowed on campus, copious amounts of damage, and a struggling community. I got through it the best way I knew how…by pushing forward. I stayed in contacted with all professors and many of my peers, stayed up to date on information, and did not give up on our school. Soon, everything was (somewhat) back to normal. The best thing anyone can do in that situation is to stay open-minded and trust that everything will be okay.

A global pandemic.

Whoa. Who knew this was going to happen? It has raised all sorts of anxiety, hardship, and uncertainty for many students. The Coronavirus is scary and uncharted territory for us, but the UNCW faculty and staff have dealt with it gracefully and promptly. One reason why I love UNCW so much – we have some great people backing us! With all of our classes going online, there are many challenges. If you’re like me, you simply are not an online school kind of person – maybe focusing is hard, there’s a lot going on at home, etc. but giving up is not an option. Thankfully, most professors at UNCW are extremely understanding and willing to help (especially those in the COM department). By writing down due dates and checking them each day along with staying in contact with professors, I have been able to get by. It takes a lot of strength, energy, and self-motivation but we Seahawks are forces to be reckoned with. We can get through anything.

Amongst many other challenges that you may face while at UNCW, always remember this: you are never alone, and things won’t be tough forever. I am blessed to have shared experiences with my peers, whether they be good or bad, and I am sad to end this chapter of my life in a virtual platform. All in all, I’ll forever love The Dub. Through the good times and bad.

Tina King, UNCW COM Class of Fall 2020

#NoRegrets

April 27, 2020

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

April 27, 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.

The University of Never-ending Catastrophes in Wilmington

April 25, 2020

What we’re experiencing now is unexplainable. I am a senior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and have survived at least two disasters every year since starting in 2016. What is it like to choose a university that continuously experiences disaster after disaster? Beautiful Chaos.

From the first semester, the class of 2020 should’ve seen what was coming. After experiencing the 2016 election when multiple professors canceled classes for a week in disappointment, came hurricane Mathew, hurricane Maria, hurricane Michael, hurricane Florence, hurricane Dorian, and now the coronavirus. The Spring 2020 class will not walk across the stage commemorating their achievements in May; they will not have their last look at the campus after their final, final. The class of 2020 will look back and remember the time of their final semester at the university they chose and love, closing and sending them off two months early. But I wouldn’t change my university for anything.

In the words of Kourtney Kardashian “Kim, there are people dying;” trust me, we all know how selfish we sound right now. We get it people are dying and the world is going through a pandemic, but for one second can’t we just mourn the loss of our senior spring semester? I am now 21 years old, living at home, finishing class online with my two boomer parents who would like nothing more than for me to “walk the dog, vacuum the kitchen, and if you’ve got time could you empty the dishwasher?” I’m supposed to be at school. I was supposed to be going to beach bars every Thursday until I graduate and have to be an adult. Where are my friends and why does my dad keep spraying me with Lysol?!

What I can say about this experience so far is, it is terrible. If I wanted online classes I would’ve enrolled in online classes. Every professor is using a different form of communication. Why? Some are on Slack, some have their own website, some are on Zoom, and some are on Canvas. A bit of advice for the university, if this does happen again, make all professors use one outlet of communication because checking four different outlets is crazy and I’m tired. I want to be in my perfect building of Leutze laughing at something Dr. Olsen wrote in an email or how long Dr.Weber’s emails always are.

Online courses are death, and I mean that. Who on Earth wants to sit in the same room all day and do homework? Who’s idea was this? I want to walk to Leutze and sit in a class of students and complain about having to be there. Do you want to know why I want that? Because no one was actually mad they were there. Everyone was thrilled to leave their apartments and see their friends that they never saw outside class. The only part of the complaints I can actually say was true, was group projects and if you say you liked them then you were the slacker that made everyone hate them.

In the last two weeks, I have gone from spring break to quarantine spring break, moved out of my dorm, moved home, and started a semester online. During this very busy time I have had little time to think, but when I did, I thought of my time at UNCW. I know this will sound crazy, especially if you aren’t a senior, but I miss walking to class. I found a university that was so much my home that I dreaded graduation. I hated summer break when I had to leave and I miss it more than words can tell you. If given the chance right now I would start over at freshman year, and I wouldn’t change anything. I would genuinely retake chemistry just to fail so I could replace it with prehistoric life (yeah you can do that) if it meant I could have four more years.

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You know how everyone says “you’ll be ready when it’s here”? Well, that was never me. I faked every minute of pretending to be sick of studying, I loved it. Even when hurricane after hurricane hit I never regretted my choice of coming to UNCW. Now that it’s over, and I’m at home taking classes online, I realize my time there was the ‘good old days’.

If you’re a student at UNCW, take one bit of advice from me – DO EVERYTHING. Take too many core curriculum classes, change your major, add a minor, drop both and be undecided, take acting for non-majors with Mike (I promise it’s so worth it). If you’re a student at UNCW and you think your time isn’t going to go by too fast – you’re wrong. A cliche but true. UNCW is the place to make memories (some to remember and some you wish you could forget). This is the time and the place to do it all. Oh, and skip class at least once a year for the beach, you’re never going to regret that choice.

So what has it been like going to UNCW from 2016-2020 and now dealing with the coronavirus? It’s beautiful chaos and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

 

Zoe Coleman, UNCW COM Class of Spring 2020

Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. Zoe is a Senior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington graduating with a B.A. in Communication Studies focused on Integrated Marketing Communication. She is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority Theta Xi chapter. After graduation, Zoe will pursue a career in sales with the company Red Ventures in Charlotte, North Carolina. When Zoe is not working in the classroom she enjoys reading the latest novels available and exploring Wilmington.

 

This Is Home

April 25, 2020

A transfer student and only at UNCW for 2 years, I decided to take advantage of my time here and be as involved as much as I could. I got plugged in with a campus ministry where I met some of my best friends, and eventually become a student leader. I had the opportunity to work with a team that brought the Monster Energy Music Festival to Wilmington three times. I also managed one of the largest social media accounts in Wilmington. I can definitely say I have made the most of my time here and don’t regret a second.

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However, there have definitely been some stressful times for me at UNCW. Let’s start with how both fall semesters, in the 2 years I have been here, were put on pause for a period of time because of a hurricane. Or how about a global pandemic stealing my last 2 months of college and the cancelation of Graduation. If life at UNCW has taught me anything, it is to expect the unexpected and don’t let adversity stand in the way of your dreams. Just keep your head up and a smile on your face because tomorrow is going to be way better than today.

I decided to stay in Wilmington over the summer to take classes and I think it was one of the best decisions I could have made. The summer classes were not easy and they were very time consuming but I got through them. I got a job working in Wrightsville Beach at the largest boat dealership in the world. I made new friends that were local to the area. But, most of all, I fell in love with Wilmington.

To future UNCW students, I’d say to take any opportunity that presents itself. Your time here is short and believe it or not, it goes by very fast. So look for ways to make your time meaningful. Join a club, make new friends, skip class to go on day trips, go too cookout at 2am, hit up Islands after 5pm, serve your community. Just find something you love and stick with it!

             You have the opportunity to make an impact at UNCW, take it!

                                             Thrive! Don’t just survive.

 

Jay Carr, UNCW COM Class of Spring 2020

An open letter to UNCW…

April 25, 2020

I spent my whole life dreaming of going to NC State, I wanted to be a veterinarian. During my senior year of high school when it came time for decisions to go out, I got deferred from my dream school. At the moment I was extremely devastated, my plans were not going accordingly but at the same time, God had other plans for me. Shortly after receiving my deferred notification from NC State, I got my acceptance letter to UNCW and that’s where it all began.

UNCW was my second choice but looking back on it, it’s been the best choice. My time here at UNCW has been nothing short of interesting, from hurricanes and worldwide pandemics to becoming an RA on campus. My freshman year I knew I was where I was supposed to be because of the friends I met and the experiences I had gained. Sophomore year felt the exact opposite, my friends made new friends and I thought I was going to change my career path and have to transfer schools, it was a mess. However, junior year I applied and was given the offer as a Resident Assistant on campus which changed my life. The people I met, the lessons I learned, the life experience I gained, and the responsibility I held is something I will never forget.

I am a first generation student and the baby of the family, I had no clue what I was doing when I got to college. I just felt it was necessary to go with the motions and follow along with everyone else, but I began to discover that most people were like me – didn’t know what they wanted to do. My whole life I wanted to be a veterinarian, but as I went through my years of high school I realized how bad at science and math I was. So it was up to me to decide on what I wanted to do as a career, or so I thought. I thought I was alone. I started my journey in the Communication Studies department my freshman year with COM 101 – Public Speaking. The UNCW Communication Studies department has some of the most caring professors I have ever seen. I grew up in a small town and my high school teachers cared about our success, but college seemed so big to me that I thought we’d be treated like numbers. The COM professors have been nothing but awesome. They genuinely have cared about my success and have given me the tools necessary to do what I want to do. They have pushed me to be a better version of myself and to get out of my comfort zone. The advice they have given me and the questions they have helped me answer has been such a huge help for my personal and professional development.

Now going back to the idea that my four years here at UNCW have been nothing short of interesting. I remember my freshman year when hurricane Matthew rolled through and classes were canceled for a day or two. Then my sophomore year there was a “snowstorm” that caused us to miss a week of classes. Junior year was hurricane Florence and man that was quite the adventure. This was my first year as an RA and we had to do a campus wide evacuation to get the students out as quickly and safely as possible to beat the storm. The uncertainty of not knowing what was happening to campus or when we’d be allowed to return had all of us going crazy. I had a fairly smooth transition when coming back to campus after Florence, it wasn’t hard for me to get back into the swing of things besides all of the maintenance that was going on around campus. The devastation that struck people who had countless hours of research in Dobo Hall, the residents who lived in the University Apartments, the homes in Wilmington that got destroyed, it was just heartbreaking to see. But the comradery of the people of Wilmington was so overwhelming, everyone banded together to recover. Then senior year rolled around and Hurricane Dorian struck meaning another mandatory evacuation. This time around the University was a bit more prepared about updates and the “next steps” of what to do. But then the unexpected… Covid19, a worldwide pandemic. This is something that no one could have predicted and that no one is even sure how to handle, yet here we are at our own homes finishing out our year online. All I’m going to say about that is that there’s a reason that I didn’t sign up for 4-5 college courses online.

With Covid19, graduation has been postponed, classes are online, campus is closed, my hometown is in lockdown and I can’t  sneeze in public without getting a death stare. I have lost the opportunity to live out my last year of college, to get to the point we have worked so hard for the past three years. I won’t get my senior experiences. I had to leave my friends earlier than I had planned for. I was let go from my RA position because we were no longer needed. It’s just a whole lot of “new” in a very strange time.

Despite these challenges though, I will always be proud to be a Seahawk. The pros outweigh the cons in every aspect of all four years during my time at UNCW. If I could talk to myself as a senior in high school, I would’ve said not to worry about NC State, not to have been so closed minded because it was about to be some of the best four years of your life. I will always bleed teal and always have my wings up.

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Casey Buchanan, UNCW COM Class of Spring 2020

Tight Gripped Goodbyes

April 25, 2020

I’ve read dozens of pages of fellow students’ “goodbye blogs” and listened to countless stories of people reliving their glorious college days. At the end of every story, you’ll find little tidbits of advice and takeaways for those who still have time left in their college journey – some practical, some fun – and maybe even hear some college regrets. I’ve laughed with these seniors and empathized with them as they mourned the loss of their college experience. However, I realized that my “goodbye blog” sounds starkly different than everyone else’s before me. Currently a junior at UNCW, I’m not bidding goodbyes to this wonderful university quite yet. Instead, I’m saying goodbye to my traditional college experience. Moreover, no advice from any alumni could prepare me for this departure.

Nearing the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, my college experience has taken a drastic turn in the span of four weeks. I packed up my dorm and turned in my key – no inspection needed – in one hour on a Saturday morning. The move-out weather was much more bearable in March than it typically is in May. No sweat, no fuss, no smiles. As I drove off campus with my car stacked high with boxes and bins, I made sure to take in every building, every crosswalk, every pesky speedbump. As I passed Leutze Hall, I audibly said a goodbye and turned to my boyfriend to express my petty sadness that I wouldn’t get to carry out my end-of-year tradition – one large mocha shake from Port City Java. He swiftly took a right to the closest PCJ in a resound understanding that college just wouldn’t feel like college for the next few months – and there was nothing petty about those feelings that accompanied that fact after all. With a mocha shake in my hand and car heavy with uncertainty, I departed Wilmington and UNCW with no real assurance of when I would return.

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It’s been two weeks since that day, and the uncertainty remains heavy in the air. As the university transitioned to online classes for the remainder of the semester, I’ve found this new college life to be one that is much more difficult to manage, despite the convenience of attending class in my pajamas. The work is relatively the same, yet I’ve lost a real connection to the meaning behind it. Day in and day out, I reach a consensus that my enthusiasm and drive behind my work is directly related to the passion in the voices of my professors. Though I get to hear them via Zoom and other mediums, it’s simply not the same without the added jokes, pop-culture talk and Dr. Pullum asking me every Monday if I got married over the weekend. Maybe it’s not their passion alone after all that keeps me inspired, but rather these professors’ constant acknowledgment that the little things really are the biggest. They are the heart of the Department of Communication Studies and they hold us up well – and more than ever, I think they’re right about those little things.

My UNCW experience is entirely made up of a litany of little things. Beyond lectures, homework and exams, it’s walking in a torrential downpour to class, seeing the spring flowers bloom, airdropping funny pictures to random people in the library, having that extra shot of espresso and getting your whole class to beg Dr. Weber to give you those extra exam points via email at 2:00am (it worked). It’s the laughs, the cries, the stress and the joy – all with each other. I have to say goodbye to all of that for the foreseeable future. It’s a tight gripped, don’t-want-to-let-you-go goodbye, but with a hopeful “I’ll see you soon” on the other end.

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Keeley Brown, UNCW COM Class of 2021

Goodbye Friends Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash