Why did you choose to pursue your major(s) in communication?

Throughout my time at WSU, I have found what I value most: Education. For me, that’s what communication, especially risk and crisis communication, is about. You’re providing people with valuable information that’s going to help them make the best decisions for them. Being able to combine my love for education and passion for helping those around me was largely why I chose to become a communication major.

I chose to double major in risk and crisis communication and public relations because they overlap in a variety of ways. By pursuing a degree in both, I am working to set myself, and any team I work on in the future, up for success, by learning best practices in both areas. My decision to continue working towards my degree, despite the challenges I have faced throughout my time at WSU, has been greatly motivated by the Murrow College faculty and staff. I have felt supported by every professor I have had. I have always felt welcome to approach my professors, TAs, and other Murrow staff members, whether it be to work through a course concept one more time before an exam, or to get advice about traveling abroad, or even choosing graduate programs. It is easy to tell that Murrow faculty members are passionate about what they teach and truly love what they do. Every staff member within Murrow has pushed me to be the best I can be and is a large part of my decision to major in communication at WSU. I am incredibly grateful for the support I have received and am thankful for the opportunities that have been made available to me because I am a Murrow student.

What do you hope to achieve after graduation?

After graduating from WSU this coming spring, I am planning on attending graduate school. Throughout my time at WSU, I have had some truly incredible opportunities, including the chance to study abroad in Seoul, South Korea, and Maastricht, Netherlands. Through these programs, and the support from Global Learning and my professors, I have also been able to embrace my curiosity about the world around me and work towards a minor in global studies and a certificate in global leadership. Because of these experiences and opportunities, I have decided that the next step for me is to attend graduate school abroad.

I am currently applying to programs and speaking to advisors at schools in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, and the Czech Republic. I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge, which is why I would like to pursue not one, but two master’s degrees. My plan is to first complete a two-year program in disaster and emergency management, which will allow me to apply my knowledge of risk and crisis communication and follow my love of science communication and education. After graduating with that first master’s degree, inspired by my international experiences, I would then like to complete a one-year program in international affairs.

My ultimate goal is to be able to combine my skills and use them to help others experiencing crisis throughout the world. My dream job? I would love to work in crisis communications for an international institution such as the World Health Organization, the Red Cross, or another organization providing aid to those who need it most.

How does receiving a scholarship support you in your college experience?

Receiving this scholarship means the world to me. With the support of this scholarship, I will be able to continue supporting the on-campus organizations that I have been a part of throughout the past 4 years, and to help build their presence on campus. Throughout my time at WSU, I have been fortunate enough to find a family within housing and residence life. Starting with my involvement in hall government my sophomore year, I quickly found a group of like-minded individuals who wanted to improve on-campus living experiences and encourage others to get involved. Through hall government, I was able to meet members of the National Residence Hall Honorary and the Residence Hall Association. These people were some of the brightest, most ambitious individuals I had ever met, and they encouraged me to work hard and join them.

Because of my involvement with NRHH and RHA, I was able to present to student leaders at NACURH, which is a national leadership conference in Baton Rouge on the issue of sexual assault on college campuses and what we can do as students to support our peers and mitigate the issue. Through my involvement with NACURH, I was offered the positions of communications and programming chair when WSU’s RHA and NRHH were granted a bid to host a regional leadership conference in November of 2020. Unfortunately, despite our collective successes and efforts, RHA and NRHH have struggled greatly in the wake of COVID-19. We, meaning my fellow members and I, understand the importance of our organizations on WSU’s campus, however, and we are working to build up our organizations to their full potential. By receiving this scholarship, I will be able to reduce my work hours, and I will be able to dedicate more time to these organizations, which, in turn, will allow me to help provide a safe and fun environment for new students and those returning to our residence halls and on-campus housing, and help them feel at home at WSU.