The School of Communication Studies recently held its annual Career Day on April 8. Career Day gave undergraduate students the opportunity to network with professionals in the field who graduated from the Communication Studies program.
This year’s Career Day featured a discussion session with a panel comprised of recent graduates, and “senior alumni,” alumni who are seasoned professionals. Panel members told their career stories, gave advice to students about job searching, and shared how the Communication Studies major has served them in their personal and professional lives. Many students said that hearing the alumni’s success stories reaffirmed their belief in the strong training the school provides.
In addition to panel sessions, seniors from the School of Communication Studies presented academic portfolios at Career Day. This was helpful for freshmen and sophomores. Following the presentation, students expressed their appreciation for the scope of achievement possible with this major.
Robyn Parker, Undergraduate Program Coordinator for the school, said that Career Day benefits communication studies majors in many ways. “Networking at any function is so important to building contacts,” she said. “We encourage our undergraduates to seek real-world information from our alumni, and career day provides a forum to do just that. Career Day helps many majors decide where they are going after graduation.”
This year’s program was a bit different from those of the past. Parker said the last hour of the program was very informal. “This year’s program consisted more of informal networking,” she said. “It was a ‘grab a snack, talk with an alumnus’ type of thing.” More formal programs have been offered in past years, Parker said.
Career Day, which is held each spring, is also beneficial to alumni. It not only keeps them in contact with the university, it also gives them continued confidence in the program and the professionals it creates. After speaking with students, alumni are reassured that graduates of the School of Communication Studies continue to have the knowledge and skills it takes to be successful.
--by Bryan Connell, Comm Studies ‘04
with Renee Freismuth, Public Relations
