Communication Major

The Upside-Down Curriculum is the idea that you don't have to wait to get real world experience, and that when you come into Champlain you're not just going to be taking a bunch of generalized classes or credit. You're going to start getting that real world experience right as you come into Champlain. I actually was undeclared Communication for a while. But then when I chose my specialization in my sophomore year, I still felt like I had good classes and credits under my belt, and I was able to get different internships through my program that taught me a lot about what it's actually like to be in the real world. I think Champlain does it in such a way that it's not scary, and you feel very supported. Your professors are really looking out for you to make sure that you're getting effective internship experiences that apply to your program and what you're interested in.

I've had two internships here at Champlain College. They were actually both working with nonprofit organizations. I had one summer internship, which was with the Intervale Center. I was the 'Music Intern' for their Summervale event. So I would help the booking agent, Joe Adler, coordinate all the bands and the musical acts for that summer event that happened weekly. I would create social media content for that event and write blog posts about the artists that were performing. Not only was I involved in the whole setup and event management kind of part of putting on that weekly event, but I was also creating content and utilizing those skills that I've learned from my classes to advertise the event and get people to come out.

The second internship I've had was with Lund Family Center. I was a Communication and Development Intern. My main focus was on creating messaging material that would successfully broadcast the message of what Lund does, and create sort of a larger sense of community awareness around what they were doing and the services they were offering. I would do press releases and research about donors. I created a tour video of one of their facilities. It was like a really kind of holistic experience, and I got to practice a lot of those different skills as well.

I think the first skill, which I'm coming to realize is going to be really important moving forward, is digital marketing. And within digital marketing, inbound marketing. I think there's a big drive to move to connecting to a consumer on like a genuine, personal level before you ask them for something. I think that's an interesting way to think about it. I'm starting to realize that being able to analyze all of that marketing data about consumer traffic and what consumers are actually looking for is something that I've appreciated learning more about. I got an inbound marketing certification through my program. Being able to feel comfortable with inbound marketing is a really good addition to what I can bring to the professional world.