Goals and Reflections

As a major in both communication studies and Public Relations I have taken quite a few courses in my time at Monmouth College that have given me a plethora of insight and information that will be beneficial to me when I turn my tassel from right to left as I graduate. These classes have taught me information not only in the books but also knowledge that has been passed onto me by my professors that will be easily transferred into my occupation in the real world. At Monmouth I have taken classes such as COMM-101: Fundamentals of Communication, COMM-261: Mass Media and Modern Society, COMM-260: Intro to Journalism, PUBR-241: Public Relations, COMM-110: Student Media Practicum 1, COMM-230: Intro to Communication Studies, COMM-235: Small Group Communication, COMM-361: Media Criticism-Superheroes, and PUBR-267: Layout and Design. After completing these classes, I have broadened my horizons into the world of communication and PR and I plan on using these classes lessons to reach my goals.

Through these courses I have noticed that there have been themes that connect from course to course that have been beneficial to me in my time at Monmouth. These takeaways have taught me valuable lessons that have helped me to grow as a student. The first takeaway that sticks out to me is that in a majority of the classes I have had with my Professor Chris Goble there has been one message that has been repeated over and over again, which is “you must suck at what you are doing before you can be good at it.” These classes in particular were Student Media Practicum 1, Intro to Journalism, and Layout and Design, and these classes all had one thing in common, which is I had to learn a skill that I have never done before. I learned that I have to be okay with failure because that is the only way that I am going to learn. These classes taught me that it is okay to fall down and that I just have to get back up, dust myself off and try again. One thing that I am grateful for is that Professor Goble knows that this is

going to happen and is okay with the fact that at first whatever I am learning is not going to be good right away, but he helped me along the way to be able to cross the finish line knowing what I am doing. When I first started journalism, I could not write a good article to save my life but at the end of the class I learned what I needed to know and now write articles for the Monmouth College newspaper. In my Layout and Design course I had never used programs like InDesign and Photoshop. Through that class I learned how to use those programs and become comfortable with them and by the end of the semester I was able to make full newsletters and make T-shirt designs on my own. Another key takeaway that I have found from these classes is that it is important to develop a network of people in whatever venture I am in. In classes such as Public Relations, Student Media Practicum 1, and Intro to Communication Studies I have been around the same people because we are majoring in the same thing. This has allowed us to create a connection and learn each other’s personalities and how we react to different things. This has allowed us to be able to lean on each other in different situations, for example in our Intro to Communication Studies class, when I did not quite understand a lesson, I was able to reach out to a member of the group for help so that I could understand the lesson. This atmosphere has allowed me to realize that it is so important to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures because they are able to take different things that they have used from where they are from and their background to give unique insight into situations that I would have never thought of otherwise. This group has had an impact on how I see different issues and situations because I have heard their perspectives and how different situations in their lives and how it has impacted them. In Public Relations class is where this group first got to know each other and, in the class, we talked about different political issues and cultural problems that let us open up and be vulnerable, which helped us all get to know each other. This since of community has made me realize that community is so important in the workplace, classroom, and life.

After reflecting on the skills that I have learned while attending Monmouth College, I believe that it is imperative that I also find goals that I can set so that I can use those assets I have learned already and create new ones for my senior year of college and beyond. A goal that I believe is the most important to my career is finding a competitive internship to work at for the summer. I believe that this is super important because with an internship that is well known and competitive, I can set myself up for a promising future and hopefully a job at whatever internship that may be. I am going to reach this goal by applying to a variety of competitive internships and using my experience and resume to hopefully secure one of these internships. Another goal that I have is to keep getting hands on experience in different forms of media such as InDesign and different editing software so that I have experience that will put me above the competition when it comes to graduating and needing a job. Fortunately, I have access to these programs through the school and can use them in the computer labs at the school. This will allow me to be able to play around with them and get more comfortable. My final goal that I have is to have all A’s in my remaining semesters at Monmouth College. This would be very important to show future employers that I have put in the correct amount of work in the classroom to learn the skills that are preparing me for my career. Being able to have these grades would help me to stand out to the competition and showcase my work ethic. I am going to do this by taking the correct amount of time needed to study and do work. I will also do it by listening and following instructions thoroughly in class and then applying it to my work. I believe that setting these goals will help set me apart from other people that are soon going to compete against me to get a job in the workforce.

After reflecting on the life lessons that the courses in Communication Studies and Public Relations have taught me so far, I am excited to experience what lies ahead for me in the time I have left at Monmouth College. These lessons have given me insight that I never knew I would learn, and it makes me excited to see what will happen as I chase the goals that I have set for myself to reach before I

graduate from Monmouth. Only time will tell what will happen I am ready for the journey that lies ahead.