As a child, I hungered for knowledge. I logged thousands of books I read in the years of my youth. I kept records until I reached high school, and stopped at around 3,500. I then sought to fill my cavernous mind with minute details, abstract ideas and critical theories. I abandoned the fantasies and fictions of my youth and began to educate myself in a more worldly fashion.

Alas, as I aged, I found that my mind, being so porous as it is, would never be satisfied. So I chose a profession in which my learning would never end. I am addicted to hunting for the ever-elusive facts that bolster great journalism. I enjoy its creativity, admire its power to effect change and respect its adaptability. Our world has experienced more fundamental changes in the way we communicate in the past fifty or so years than it has perhaps since the development of hieroglyphs and the scrawls on papyrus that first constituted writing. Journalism must evolve, and the stoic journalists that maintain loyalty strictly to print will be left behind with the advent of continuous connectivity.

And so, while I, too, am somewhat uncomfortable with this new direction, I shall diversify my skills and temper my resolve to not only survive but to thrive.

With a double majors in Journalism and Communication, I graduated with Bachelor’s of Arts from Oakland University in April 2013. My final semester, I interned as Multimedia Coordinator with the American Power Boat Association.

I have taken classes in News Writing, Media Editing, Digital News Photography, Feature Writing, Public Relations, Media Ethics, Media Law, Digital Convergence Journalism, Media and Social Identity, Communication Theory, Group Dynamics, Interpersonal Communication, Multicultural Communication.

To prepare myself for a competitive climate in journalism, I took News Bureau class, which required that students brainstorm, research, write and provide multimedia for stories with local focus. The stories were then published online through the class website.

For my communication degree I completed a Community Field Experience which stipulated that I complete at least 90 hours of community service and report and reflect upon how my contributions to society define my own citizenship.

I believe that part of the burden journalists bear is an obligation to our fellow citizens. We are trained professionals that use our writing to inform, entertain and educate. We research facts and use sources and attributions to support the conclusions we come to, not arbitrarily, but through a careful culmination of dedication and objectivity. I believe that by combining a journalism degree with a communication degree, I have expanded my horizon to include how to communicate effectively as well as why it works.

I returned to Oakland University in September 2013 to begin a Master of Arts in Communication with a Critical Culture concentration. I would like to continue researching communication, as well as practicing it, for with research, I feel I can reach an even greater understanding of a world I love.