Kickstarting her career

Why did you choose mass communication as your major?
I have always loved writing. In fact, when I began college, I was actually a dance and English double major. When I transferred to Towson University, I realized that I wanted to learn more about different kinds of writing. I took MCOM 101 on a whim and absolutely loved it. I realized that I found communications, public relations and marketing completely fascinating. Despite being a junior at the time, I added mass communication as a second major [along with dance,] and I finished in time for graduation, due largely to the support from the MCOM faculty and staff.

Can you describe your current job/post-graduate life?
I just moved to the D.C. area, and I was so excited to be working on a dance show called Veritas, commissioned by Joe’s Movement Emporium as part of the 2019-2020 performance season.

I never expected to have my choreography commissioned right out of college, and I'm so excited to begin working with a new cast of dancers, form my own professional dance company, and use the skills from my mass communication degree to market the show and myself as an artist.

I also just landed a job as communications manager for Eno Center for Transportation.

How has being a previous mass communication student helped you for life after graduation?
Being a mass communication student has been invaluable in my life both during college and after graduation. It has helped me learn how to market myself, my choreography, my communications work, and the skills I have to offer.

Are there any mass communication professors, classes and/or internships that you would like to highlight? 
In my senior year, I designed a MCOM independent study course and Honors College thesis with guidance from Hyang Sook-Kim, Ph.D. This independent study was a year-long project called ADDICT that involved researching addiction in media, creating a show, and raising money for Helping Up Mission, a Baltimore City nonprofit and addiction rehabilitation center. Throughout this project, I utilized all of the skills from my MCOM courses, including creating social media content, writing press releases, working with journalists, and creating advertisements to ensure the success of the show.

Do you have advice for current mass communication students?
My advice is to take advantage of internships, faculty office hours, and resources on campus. Learning how to write a press release is great but having the real-world experience of drafting one in a fast-paced office environment is even better. By exploring opportunities outside of class, you can learn more about what kind of organizations you would like to work for after graduation and what kind of work inspires you.

Have your career goals been met after graduation or is there more you would like to do?
There's definitely more that I want to do. I'm currently in the process of creating my own dance company and working full-time at a communications job. Eventually, I want to attend grad school for communications/marketing.

What year did you graduate? 
I graduated in May 2019 as a double major in dance and mass communication, and was selected to serve as the Commencement speaker for the College of Fine Arts & Communication. You can check out my Commencement speech on YouTube.