IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Graduation

  • The Life & Lessons of Communication Studies Seniors

    After four years I am ready to graduate and take the next big step in my life.  When I first came to UNCW I thought I wanted to major in Biology.  I learned after my first two semesters that it wasn’t a good fit for me.  That summer I took some communication classes and found my match.  Since then I haven’t looked back.

    I have been very fortunate to have such wonderful friends and professors that made my college experience amazing.  I have found so much support here that it will be very hard to leave.  But thanks to their help, I am truly ready to join the professional world. Between my course work and campus involvement I know I can balance a heavy load and I welcome the challenge.  There have been many times in my four years that a week has gone by and I realize how much I accomplished.  I have pushed myself and learned that I will meet my goals.

    A big part of my accomplishments can be credited to my classes.  I have tried to take a variety as well as advance coursework.  I want to thank the professors that have designed these courses and taught me all that I have learned.  A special thanks to Dr. Persuit who I have taken for many classes.  She has brought her experience to the classroom and showed us how we would use our skills in the real world.  A thanks to Professor Bollinger who taught us to work hard and never underestimate ourselves.  And another thanks to Professor Pezzuolo for providing a creative outlet in the classroom.  There are many other members of the UNCW team that deserve thanks.  Without them, my experience would have been very different.

    – Carissa Niederkorn

    As the semester comes down to a close, it’s hard to imagine that this is the end. For some of us, the thought of finishing high school and going on to the promised land (a.k.a college) was all that filled our young, scholarly minds. Now that we have gotten through this institution dubbed as higher education, some of us begin to feel nervous, anxious, scared, and even lost as to what to expect after this fantastic journey.  I for one forgot to think about what life might be like after college. I was so busy just trying to get here that I never even thought about what my life might be like after all of this was said and done.

    All of my experiences so far have been wonderful. Through all of the ups and downs, I can say that I will be graduating with my head held high and my future wide open. Specifically speaking, my professors have taught me so many invaluable skills that even I may not yet know to what extent these skills will help me in my future. Classes concerning speech, personal finance, integrated marketing, research methods, and more classes that talked about theories than I could handle, I can safely say that I am truly grateful for the time that I have spent here at UNCW. I am looking forward to what the next few pages of my life will bring, but I will always remember my studies, professors, the memories that I created, and the friendships that I will never let go of.

    – Deji Adeleke

    As the semester comes to a close, I can only look back at the last four years and wonder how it went by so fast.  I entered into UNCW with no direction and am now leaving as a confident, knowledgeable young professional.  I want to use this post give a little “Senior Advice” to those of you who may still have a couple of years.

    Write EVERYTHING down.  If I’ve learned this lesson I’ve learned it a thousand times.  You really do have the best of intentions on remembering that homework assignment or that group meeting but trust me on this one, if you don’t write it down (in a place that you’ll look back at), you will slip up eventually.

    Stop PROCRASTINATING! Seriously.  Stop.  Have you ever finished something a few days early and had that overwhelming feeling of accomplishment?  Okay, I can’t say that it’s happened to me very often but when I do, my life seems to be in much better order and I can focus on the other things that I’ve thrown by the wayside.  (Like laundry. Just ask my roommate.)  So use those time management skills you like to refer to during a job interview! Get it done now and be ahead of the rest.  You’ll just feel better.

    Get to KNOW your classmates.  Most likely, you will see them again so sit somewhere different in the classroom, set up a small group study session, and after you’ve finished a big project together, go celebrate!  These are the people who have been through the same stressful papers and projects as you.  Take note of what they may have to offer because you never know, they may be your boss one day.

    Get INVOLVED!  Whether it’s an academic club, sports, Greek life, or the other hundreds of activities offered on campus, this is your opportunity to branch out and network.  You never know who may stop in as a guest speaker or have a parent in your field of interest.

    Same goes with INTERNSHIPS.  Internships, internships, internships.  Enough said.

    I hope that my experiences can help guide those of you who are still living the good life.  Make the best of it!  Good luck to my fellow Seniors!  The end is bittersweet but I am confident that my education at UNCW as a Communication Studies major has prepared me for what lies ahead.

    -Tiffany Evans

    I’m a big fan of lists. I like To Do Lists, lists of funny animals, lists of the top songs of the radio. Put anything in list form and, chances are, I will read it. So, to wrap up my time on the IMC-Hawks blog and at UNCW, I present the Top 4 Things I’ve Learned At UNCW.

    4.) There’s a reason that you’re required to take the core classes in COM Studies. When you’re sitting in COM 200 or Communication Theory, you might be tempted to zone out or phone it in. Resist! Facebook will still be there after an hour and a half, I promise! Our professors have debated and discussed and voted on why these courses are required for majors and its because they tie into every single class we take as COM Studies students. So take listen up, take good notes, and, most importantly, see how the theories and concepts that you’re learning fit into your other courses. It can actually be (not to sound nerdy) fun!

    3.) Take Your Time Figuring Out Your Path Whether you need to take your time figuring out if you want to pursue PR or TV Production, or if you want to be a COM major or a Creative Writing major (or both!): Take Your Time! So often in our lives we’re rushed to make decisions and it can feel like everyone’s pressuring you to just make up your mind. Here’s the thing, those people won’t be the ones in your classes or taking your exams or, eventually, looking for jobs in that area. I have a friend who’s switched from Marine Bio to Biology to Nursing to Biology (again) and she’s one of the happiest, most well-adjusted people I know. This is YOUR life and it’s okay to slow down, take a breath, and take your time figuring out your next step!

    2.) You have the rest of your life! As graduation was looming in front of me and I had no job in sight, I started, to put it lightly, freaking out. After spending numerous nights losing sleep over it and having it act as a dark cloud over my last few weeks at UNCW, I finally had a revelation. For the past 21 years and a handful of months, I’ve been trained to think in terms of “summer vacation”, as in “What will I do to occupy my time for the next 3 months?” And, after thinking about it, I realized that after I leave UNCW, I’ll have the next 80 years or so to fill with amazing adventures and life-changing decisions. So, when your time comes to leave this wonderful place, take a deep breath and know that it’s ok to do something completely unique to you for a few weeks, months, or years before finding your next step.

    1.) Your Professors Are People Too! When I was in elementary school, I always had this idea that my teachers lived at school. If I opened the closet, I would find that it was actually a door to a nice apartment set-up where my second grade teacher resided. As a matured, my ideas of my teachers did too. If you take nothing else from this list, please realize this: The people standing in front of you in your classes are people with thoughts and dreams and goals. And, because they’re wonderful, a lot of these dreams and goals are focused on the success of their students (that’s us!) So whether it’s taking the time to tell a professor that you really liked how they taught a particular theory in class or even just asking how they’re doing that week, do it! I can not thank the professors I’ve encountered enough, both in the COM department and outside, for the guidance they’ve provided during my four years. So, do me a favor, and say something nice to one of your professors before the year is out!

    – Anna Kate Babnik

  • Communication Studies Family

    The countdown for UNCW’s Communication Studies graduation is getting smaller and smaller. Now the graduating seniors can see the “real world” at a distance, and the reality of graduating and growing up is causing stomach pains filled with nervousness, but excitement for the future. Personally, I find it so hard to say goodbye to my Communication Studies family. I have developed such great relationships with not only the students, but with the professors as well.These are the people that helped me become the motivated woman that I am today.  I’ve learned so many aspects of communication, from interpersonal to integrated marketing communication to negotiation and conflict management. Therefore, I want to thank the members of the UNCW Communication Studies faculty that taught me so much.

    I want to thank David Bollinger from the start in Introduction to Communication Studies. It was great traveling with you on the class trip to Greece and Italy. Most of all, the Direct Individual Study of communicating with women in a public health setting is what really helped me focus my career goal of communicating in the public health field. I also want to thank Tammy Bulger, it was great to have you in Interpersonal Communication and I learned so much from you in 490. I am so thankful for learning about the job search process and informational interview from you. I’ll miss seeing you at the basketball games. Although I didn’t have many classes with them, I still want to thank Bill Bolduc, Lauren Frye, Jerry Bagnell,  Dr. Olsen, and Susan Lanier. You all taught such different parts of communication and I know I will use these skills in the future.

    Most of all, I want to thank my fellow Communication Studies classmates. You all are so supportive and make a great family. I’m going to miss seeing all of you everyday.

    -Megan Canny

    I have had a great four years here at UNCW, and have been through some ups and downs. Unfortunately, I will not be graduating in two weeks like the majority of the best class of Seahawks to ever grace UNCW with their presence, the Class of 2011.  Instead, I will be officially walking across the stage in December. Though I would much rather be graduating now, it is simply not an option.  I originally came to the university as a NC Teaching Fellow, with plans to teach high school history. Halfway through my junior year, it finally occurred to me that I had not desire to teach. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to completing this “victory lap” as “super-senior” and entering into the real world. Yes, I am a rarity, as I am so ready to be out of college and into the real world on my own!

    I am so glad that I made the switch to communication studies. It has presented a world of opportunities for me and I have loved every minute of it. My future plans are to either have a career in public relations or IMC, we shall see where I end up at once I receive my degree.

    I would like to thank a few professors, who are so lucky to have to put up with me for one more semester. Dr. Persuit for giving me the override for this class after my countless emails and office visits begging you to let me in. It has been a great experience and has really been one of my favorite classes.

    Jennifer Chin for letting me into Intro to PR this semester so that I could take Advanced PR in the fall, which would allow me to graduate in December. I am looking forward to it.

    Tammala Bulger for answering my email in the fall of 2009, and calling me out for not properly calling communication studies the right name. You helped put on the right track to graduate.

    I can’t leave out my amazing group mates in Com 200, Taren, Sam, & Heidi. We made it through that challenging class, which I have to say, was much harder than any history class I ever took, including my senior seminar class.

    Congrats to all of the graduates….now go out and find a job so you can hook me up with one for January 2012!

    -Scott Burgess

    With my graduation date drawing near, I am forced to evaluate my life; where it has been and where it is heading. My time at UNCW has taught me a lot about myself and what I want to do with my life as well as other plans for my future. The classes that I have taken in my path to a degree in communication studies have taught me many things about many subjects that I will use in my future no matter what communication studies related job I take. At first when I was told to blog about my time at UNCW, I wanted to boycott. I don’t want to reminisce about my four years at UNCW and how I am now a big girl and have to face the real world. The most important thing I have learned since moving to Wilmington and attending college is to be true to myself. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and didn’t know how to figure out what I wanted to do. So by taking the wide range of courses offered through the Comm Studies department I was able to try a little bit of everything. I think that the capstone course that is required before graduation is finally what forced me to choose.  I didn’t have a choice but to pick something and go with it. I decided that I want to be a wedding planner. There aren’t any classes in particular that made me choose this but a little of everything. I realized that it’s scary to choose a path and start down it but by staying true to myself  I know that I am making the right choice for me, not just because it’s time to be a grown up. It’s time to graduate and make a name for myself in the real world but my experience at UNCW has me fully prepared to jump off the deep end and straight into the pool of professionals. I want to thank every single professor that I have had the pleasure of taking classes from. Each one of them have made such an impact on my life and I am prepared because of their expertise and real world experiences. I am truly going to miss of them and miss this school, even though I will be very happy sleeping in before I get my real job!

    -Melissa Gagliardi

    This semester has given true meaning to the expression “time flies”, probably because I have been so busy with school and my internship. I want to thank Dr. Persuit, Dr. Fellows, and the Southern States Communication Association for letting us create an IMC Plan for them and guiding us along the way. I have enjoyed putting the lessons learned in the Advanced IMC class to actual use with clients. I also want to thank Lauren Frye, who taught me the joys of writing in Strategic Writing last semester. Honestly, I had no interest in writing before I took her class. Now, I write everyday in my internship using the skills Ms. Frye taught me in her course and I actually enjoy it! Lastly, another reason I have been so busy this semester is because I am the Community Outreach Chair of the Communication Studies Society. I want to thank Jennifer Chin for being a wonderful faculty adviser and for helping us make a difference in our Com Department and the community of Wilmington. I won’t be graduating this semester, so I look forward to new and exciting experiences this summer and next fall in Wilmington! Good luck seniors, I’ll miss you!

    -Allison Day

  • COM Studies Day is finally here!

    Today may be April Fools Day but this is no joke, it is finally here, Communication Studies Day at UNCW. Our Advanced Integrated Marketing Communication class will be covering the event minute by minute right here on our IMC-Hawks blog. The event starts at 10 a.m. where a panel presentation will be held in Leutze Hall featuring 5 alumni of UNCW informing students, faculty and guests of the different graduate programs and professional positions they have pursued post graduation, which will be followed by questions from the audience.

    This presentation will last till 11 a.m and will be followed with a 30 minute networking session for the panelists. Starting at 12:15 the Communication Studies Society is hosting a fashion show where the students will be strutting their stuff in business professional and business casual attire. This is a part of the event that can’t be missed, fashion tips are always a necessity. Following the fashion show will be an afternoon panelist presentation featuring 5 more alumni of UNCW from 2-3, with a follow up 30 minute networking session. This day is a perfect chance for faculty to see where their previous students have been since graduation and for undergraduates to know what to expect once they leave the doors of Leutze Hall. To follow up the day us Communication Studies students, faculty and guests get to have some fun while continuing to converse and network with Alumni and each other at Fox and the Hound from 4-6 for the reception and social gathering. April 1st is going to be a day of fun, networking and informative learning of what exactly it means to be a Communication Studies major and part of the Communication Studies family. Stay tuned all day for up to date blogging by Dr. Persuits Advanced IMC class….
    Com Studies Day Live Blog

    -Lindsey Baggett, Drew Mayer, Micaela Fouhy, Will Cosden, Brianna Golden

  • IMC and You: How to Increase Your Chances of Getting a Job After Graduation

    For many of us in Advanced IMC, graduation is looming on the horizon. With the end of our college careers approaching, we are beginning to hunt for jobs in a less than promising market. We’ll be competing with thousands of other new graduates for a limited number of positions, and since we don’t want to be asking “Do you want fries with that” in six months we’ve got to get creative; IMC, or Integrated Marketing Communications, can help!

    Typically, IMC combines practices from public relations, marketing, and advertising to coordinate all forms of communication delivered by an organization or product. IMC campaigns require a lot of work and effort, however, the differences between a regular marketing campaign and an IMC campaign are vast. If done properly IMC creates a competitive advantage that boosts sales and profits, while saving time and stress. Just what we need as we look for our first “big kid” jobs!

    Once upon a time, marketing’s 4 Ps (product, price, place, and promotion) could be applied by new graduates seeking employment. You, the product, would promote yourself by sending out your resume to the places you wished to work. Following that, you would be called in for an interview and (hopefully) be offered a job; from there you could negotiate your price. This is a simplified version, but you get the idea. In today’s competitive job market this isn’t enough.

    The practice of IMC has shifted us away from the 4 Ps and has adopted the 4 Cs: consumer, cost, convenience, and communication. What does this have to do with finding a job in the less than stellar market? Everything!

    No longer can you focus on selling yourself, the product. Today one has to think about what they can offer the consumer, your potential employer. What are their wants and needs and do you match up to something they would want to invest in? In today’s economy, their choice to invest in you may be dependent on cost. Cost doesn’t just involve your wage; it also includes any time spent training or covering moving expenses, etc. This brings me to the next C: convenience. You have to make yourself easily accessible to potential employers; whether it be physically or virtually. The final of the four Cs is communication. Your resume isn’t enough to land you a job. Do you have any connections that could help you out? Word of mouth can do wonders when searching for a job. If a potential employer Google’s you, are they going to find anything interesting that you’ve written or participated in? There are a myriad of ways for you to communicate who you are beyond your resume.

    -Eliza Wadson

  • Eleven Days

    I can’t believe my time here at UNCW is coming to an end. In eleven days I will be walking across that stage and receiving my diploma.  In just eleven days I will be entering the “real world.” Only eleven days until my opportunities are limitless.

    These past four years at UNCW have been an absolute blast and most definitely a learning experience. From staying out too late freshman year, to studying abroad in the Netherlands, to finishing my capstone courses, I have truly had the time of my life. It’s hard to imagine myself when I first arrived on campus. I thought I had the whole world figured out; Little did I know that this adventure was just beginning.

    As a double major in Business Administration and Communication Studies, I feel that I have experienced the best of both worlds. I have had the more structured classes with direct answers in business and the more personable ones with ambiguous theories in communication. With the help of notable professors, these courses have taught me priceless information and have helped mold me into the person I am today.

    I’ve decided that I’m not going to write about individual experiences in college or how emotional it is to be leaving, because believe me, it is. Instead, I want to leave you with a video.


    I am a strong believer that life is what we make it. It is up to people like you and me, people who are graduating and moving out into the world, to be the change they want to see and to make a difference. From childhood, we are told to follow our dreams and I feel that that’s exactly what I’ve done. I hope I never lose that. We are the face of the future and these years in college have been the stepping stones for achievement and success. Randy Pausch and the video above has been an inspiration to me in my college career and I hope that it does the same for you. I hope that I continue to be inspired to make a difference and can inspire someone else, just the same.

    I can’t believe my time here at UNCW is coming to an end. Eleven days until it’s my turn to change the world.

    Breanna Alexander

    The full lecture can be viewed below:

  • A Final Goodbye

    “You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You’ll never remember class time, but you’ll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don’t have. Drink till sunrise. The work never ends, but college does…” – Tom Petty

    Ok, so perhaps this is a little misconstrued for the overall college experience, but the point Tom Petty was making is still true. College is the last chance you have to live your life the way you want and enjoy the superficial things in life before it is time to grow up and enter the real “world”.  While the whole academic educational experience has been invaluable and rewarding for my future the social aspect of college has been almost as educational in its own way. You learn self credibility and responsibility; like when you stay out all night and still drag yourself to your 9am class. Just kidding, but seriously college is an experience I wouldn’t change for anything and my time here at UNCW I’ll always remember.

    Now that it is time to say farewell to UNCW, I would like to share some of the observations I have made about our teachers here at UNCW from my experience as a communication studies and Spanish major.

    Communications Studies – After spending the past few years in this department I am convinced this major is the most underrated. This department offers so many different areas of studies that are all valuable and imperative in their own respect. Though some may think that Communication Studies is like “Business light”, it is only because they are ignorant to what Communication Studies is all about. I can say this because I had no idea what it was all about before becoming a Pre-Com and later a Com major. This department also offers some of the most intriguing and intelligent Professors I have had.  I would like to thank a few specific teachers for making my time at UNCW enjoyable and being truly great influences and teachers. A special thanks to the following: David Bollinger, Dr. Weber, Dr. Kelly Fellows, Kelly Dixon, Dr. Deborah Brunson, Dr Olsen, and Dr. Persuit for making my experience in the Communications department memorable and truly enjoyable.

    Spanish – Though the Spanish Foreign Language department here at UNCW doesn’t exactly turn out a ton of majors, it has impacted me in a big way. For anyone considering this as a minor that is awesome, but don’t stop there; go for the major. It is truly an amazing department with the best teachers I’ve ever had. I can honestly say I have not had one teacher that wasn’t amazing. So, go for it. Take the few extra classes needed and Major in Spanish. I loved my Spanish classes and truly enjoyed coming to class and engaging with my teachers and the material. All of the teachers in this department truly care about their students. They want you to learn and they show enthusiasm and encouragement in their teacher styles. Learning a foreign language isn’t easy and they do the best they can to help you accomplish your goal; and it is a great feeling when you do. Like I said, I have loved all of my teachers in this department but a few have really made a difference in my education and I would like to thank them especially. Jess Boersma: for teaching me grammar very thoroughly whether I wanted to learn it or not and helping me enjoy and learn Spanish literature.  Amanda Boomershine: for being one of the nicest teachers I’ve ever met. Emmanuel Harris: the fact I took four of his classes should speak for itself. He is Awesome. He cares about his student not just in an academic setting but them as people. He is a great teacher and if you have the opportunity to take his class; do it. Joann Mount: Thank you for making my all of my classes from the 200’s through the 400’s a great experience and for being a great teacher. Thank you for always taking the time to help me when I needed it and going above and beyond with the extra advising help even though you weren’t my advisor. Thank you. And, Valerie Rider: I had for one class and never forgot it; by far one of the most entertaining and nicest teachers. THANK YOU to all of you, seriously, you made my experience unforgettable and I would encourage anyone to become a Spanish Major at UNCW.

    Lauren Smith

  • 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