The Road Goes On Forever, but the Buff Pride Never Ends

My journey at WT has been one I have cherished more than this article will be able to articulate but I hope to share some of the highlights and growth that I have experienced so far. I ventured out of the STEM program, took a free fall into the communication world, and found something I was truly passionate about. I have learned the value and significance of communication, media literacy, building community, and how to create work that I am genuinely proud of.

Written Communication

Writing has always been my favorite subject, and WT has nurtured and kindled that love. One of my favorite papers that I have written was for MCOM 2376. I got to connect harmful relationship patterns to how Disney portrays romance. This was a great way for me to take a closer look at the movies and storylines that I grew up on. It was beneficial for me to hold onto the nostalgia while communicating that all that glitters is not always gold. The things that we blindly love as children can have darker sides to their beauty. Writing out this paper helped me understand that we can enjoy fairytales and fiction without naively believing that this will be how our lives are supposed to play out.

Leadership/Management

Currently, I am serving as the Account Executive for the 1910 PR client team. This position has stretched my comfort zone and led me to grow in so many ways. When you are a student under the leadership of someone else you can see the creativity and uniqueness of your classmates, but you don't have to find ways to connect them. Serving as a leader for 1910 PR has challenged me to not only see the different things my teammates bring to the table, but it has challenged me to find a way to create an environment where all those skills can flow together and build off of each other. The most beneficial way that I have been able to organize and cultivate all the creative minds in my team was to create a joint Google Document where we could all type our ideas, give each other feedback, and keep track of the ideas we wanted to run with and the ones that needed a little more time on the runway.

Presentation/Visual Communication

Throughout my time at WT, I have done numerous presentations. There have been so many that I would love to display, but the one I think I benefitted the most from was MCOM 3304. Every week we would have to choose a brand to represent and strategize ways to implement better technological methods in their company. We had to create a visual representation of the product without using too many words. This strengthened my ability to visually communicate the point I am trying to get across. This also gave me the ability to do extensive research on a company and effortlessly talk about its brand without having to read excessive amounts of text off of a screen. Debany Arciniega-Saenz and I collaborated on this presentation to raise awareness about Lush perfumes through the use of a VR showroom. The text on the presentation is very limited, but the pictures help keep the audience engaged and we were able to talk about the TDA strategy we chose in a professional effortless way.

Interpersonal Communication

The project that I decided to choose for this section was one of the hardest, but most rewarding projects that I have worked on at WT. For COMM 4310 we had to construct a training manual for a real-world company. I immediately thought of one of my former places of employment. This project allowed me to connect with the manager of my company, listen to the problems that needed to be addressed, construct a game plan to train and inform on those issues, and create a training that kept the employees engaged while also aiding them in adopting the new methods their supervisor wanted to implement. I also got to do some non-verbal interpersonal communication by creating training manuals, icebreaker games, and a logo and mock business name.

Communication & Culture

"Just learning to think in another language allows you to see your own culture in a better viewpoint." -Gates McFadden. Taking ASL in college was one of the best decisions I have made. I was able to learn a language that I am passionate about and that will be useful to me regardless of the field that I choose. In SGNL 1302 we were immersed into the world of American Sign Language and Deaf culture. I was able to read books about the history of Gallaudet University, watch movies in Sign Language, and go to a gala that raised awareness about a Deaf school in Uganda. I have a huge heart for communicating with people. I want everyone to be understood, heard, and valued regardless of what cultural background they come from. I signed up for ASL in 5th grade because I had a Deaf art teacher and I wanted to be able to communicate with him in a way that came naturally to him. Getting to communicate with him in ASL was so special to me and it encouraged me to continue pursuing ASL on a collegiate level. The project that I chose for this section was a video I created of me cooking and going through the process of cooking in ASL. This is a project I cherish because I was able to see the growth that I have made in this language and it is a sweet reminder of how when we take the time to learn something for others we are taking steps towards inclusivity.

Group Communication

Being able to communicate is an integral part of studying communication. Being able to communicate with a group is another skill that builds and strengthens the ability to communicate in general. When I started at WT I was a wallflower. I sat at the back of my classes, never introduced myself to anyone in class, and never asked for help. I dreaded doing group projects. The idea that someone else had the power to determine my grade based on their performance and dedication to the work was something that caused me many sleepless nights and anxiety attacks. However, throughout my time at WT, I have come to love group projects. What I saw as a hindrance turned out to be a way to develop personal traits that I wouldn't have known I had if I hadn't done a group project. I have learned that I love encouraging others, creating solutions amid adversity and differing opinions, looking at assignments from different viewpoints, and learning that it is okay to depend on someone else to accomplish something. MCOM 3304 allowed me to do extensive group work to create a well-designed and professionally executed advertising strategy for an athletic band company. Rachael Draper , Debany Arciniega-Saenz , and I had to rely on each other to get our work done, collaborate to make it all flow together, and then create a strong presentation to present to our professor and classmates. I am extremely proud of this project because this would be a proposal I would give to someone at WHOOP to consider adjusting their current TDA strategy.

Theoretical Perspectives/Ethics

Relational Communication was life-changing for me. In fact, in the ending evaluation for COMM 3350, I suggested that this be a basic class that everyone is required to take. It taught me about communication styles, how to handle conflict, and common theories that play into the way we behave/react. This was helpful to my major because it gave me tools to use for different types of people, situations, and environments. It has allowed me to have grace in every situation, and approach each situation from a place of curiosity and care instead of immediate reactivity and ignorance. It had me question my morals and take a different approach to what I believed was or was not ethical. I am quicker to listen and slower to speak. I listen for the sake of listening and not to respond. This has played a huge role in my job and my classes. I value the time I spend in each place and see each challenge as an opportunity to apply the theories and the new ethical way of thinking I learned in Relational Comm to become a more well-rounded student and colleague. In this essay, I wrote about the dramaturgical perspective theory and how the messages we receive from society work together to impact our ethical compass.

Internship/Professional Experiences

During this semester at WT, I have been blessed with the opportunity to work in Human Resources on campus. Every day is a new way for me to apply the things I have learned in my classes to a real-world job. The environment is refreshing. Each time I clock in it feels like I am going to my second home. Warren Pitt SHRM-SCP, PSHRA-SCP, CPP (and my other co-workers) have done a commendable job making HR feel like a family. It is a highly professional environment with a touch of home. The community that HR has is unmatched by any other place I have worked. I have never walked into Old Main Suite 308 and questioned whether or not I was a valued member of the team. I was worried when I first started that I would be looked down on because I was "just" a student worker. However, I have been treated and supported so well in this position. Recently, I had the opportunity to apply some of my design skills to a project for an upcoming event that HR put together. It was something simple, but rewarding because it is being used for a real event.

Challenges

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33. This verse may seem dramatic for attending college, but it has been quite the ride the last four years. However, there has not been a single obstacle that I was not graced with the strength to overcome. At the beginning of my tenure at WT, I was a horrible student. I wouldn't show up for class and if I did make it I was late, I never took notes competent enough for me to use for tests, and I believed I was not smart enough to be in college. My personal life was falling apart. I was in and out of hospitals, questioning my identity, attending funerals, and praying that I would wake up with the desire to keep living. At one point it became so bad that I was put on academic suspension. This was a blessing in disguise. I had time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I decided that I wanted to fight for my education and my life. I discovered I had severe ADHD, depression, and anxiety. I got the medication I needed and started attending counseling services. I made a complete 180. I was able to wake up grateful that I had breath in my lungs. I was able to go to class without having anxiety attacks. I connected with my classmates and made friends. I applied myself in my classes, asked questions, and poured my heart into the assignments I had. I learned how to balance my personal, work, and academic life. I started to excel in my classes. I went from an embarrassingly low GPA to a GPA businesses look for on resumes. Last semester I had a 4.0 GPA which got me on the President's List for the first time in my collegiate career.

Reflection

As I reflect on the courses that I have taken in my major, I can see how intricately designed this program is. Every class I have taken has either built onto previous classes I have had or laid the groundwork for a class I would have in the future. Each project that I have done has contributed to my personal development and the skill set that I have been able to add to my resume. Currently, some of the courses I am taking are Basic Audio, Sports Broadcast, and KWTS. In Basic Audio I am learning things that help me create better content in Sports Broadcast. In Sports Broadcast, I am learning and doing things that make me a better student in the KWTS practicum. This has been the pattern for all of the courses I have had at WT. In addition, every project is built on each other as well. For example, taking Media Law & Ethics gave me the foundation to understand what is and is not ethical in our field and then apply that knowledge to the paper I referenced from Relational Comm. The introductory speech courses that I took helped me develop my communication skills and apply them to group projects. They all weave together to create a web of security and confidence in my major and my future endeavors as a whole.

Career Goals

My dream job is to be a flight attendant and travel agent. I will need to be a well-rounded communicator for this position. I will need written communication for tests, creating detailed packets for clients, and documenting logs that will be shared with others. I will use the leadership skills that I have obtained at WT and apply them to be a strong team leader as a flight attendant. Visual communication will be important for giving the safety demonstration at the beginning of each flight and communicating across the cabin with my co-workers. I will need strong interpersonal skills to communicate with clients, passengers, co-workers, and superiors. The cultural exposure that I have had will make it easier for me to communicate with culturally diverse individuals, adapt to each destination I fly to, and create an open and inclusive environment. I have been equipped with immense knowledge by professors who have taken the time to pour their expertise into me and nurture me into who I am today. Because I have been blessed with such a great education through WT, I know that I will be well-prepared to confidently pursue and turn my dream job into a reality.