Taking a trip down Memory Lane...

I have had so many classes at WC that have influenced me and what I want to do with my life. It's very, very hard to pick just two.

I would have to say that the broadcast-related class that influenced me the most was Sports Broadcasting with Joe Onderko. Naturally, the class was dominated by males, but I realized during that time that women can work in the sports field, too. Taking the class made me realize where my heart really is. Plus, I always showed up the guys by getting the best grades on the quizzes (haha). Seriously, though, Joe was a great instructor, and he was just as supportive of me and Sky as he was the guys in the class. I know that he was a great help to Todd, Jennifer, and Burt when they were in college, and he is a big reason that they are where they are today. I just loved going to class each day and discussing all kinds of sports, and we did a lot of writing, which I also loved.

All of the BC classes had a positive influence on me, really. Radio and TV Announcing, for instance, was a great experience, and I learned so much in that class. I had the opportunity to do several interviews and packages, and I got really involved with radio news as well - which led me to my job at WKST. I also learned that anchoring on TV was not my thing. Plus, cutting my hair...I can't do it. Ever.

Outside of broadcasting, the class that influenced me the most was Non-Fiction Writing with Mrs. Garrison. I've always loved creative writing, and I thought this class would be a piece of cake. Boy, was I wrong. I struggled at the beginning, and it was especially hard because I was the only broadcasting major in a room full of English majors. But in the second half of the semester, I really found my niche in that class and my creative writing skills improved immensely. I was so used to writing research papers and news articles throughout college, and this class gave me the chance to express myself creatively. I grew to love the class and gain even more appreciation for writing.

My Journalism I class with Mrs. Natale was great, too. I just decided to pick up a writing minor last year, and I was eager to begin writing for newspapers again. I was the editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper in my senior year, and I missed print journalism. Taking that class helped me to realize that I still have a passion for it.

As far as the professors go, there have been many who have influenced me throughout my 3 years of college. I would probably say the most influential, outside of the two I'm not allowed to mention, was Mrs. Natale. I had her last year for both Journalism I and my film studies course, Journalists in Film and Literature. She always gave me great feedback (positive and negative) on my articles and my papers, and she encouraged me to continue writing. Her classes were fun, but challenging, and they further cemented my stance on declaring a writing minor.

Wow. Now that I just wrote a short novel, I think I'll stop. I'm so glad that I've had the opportunity to take all of these classes (plus more) at WC. I really don't think that I would have had these chances anywhere else.