Meet Some Communication Students & Alumni

Yeah! Chivomengro was started in 2012 as a Core project, and it publishes the work of students. We get a lot of rants, essays, music reviews, video game reviews, sports journals, basically anything that students can't find a niche for. We are that niche. It's grown a lot since it was created, and it went from being a blog to being a focused publication with an editorial calendar and a review in Seven Days, which is really cool.

I interned with Dealer.com in Burlington as a copywriting intern the summer before my senior year. I wrote about cars and edited other people's writing, and I got to audit a lot of websites. Because of that internship, I got an email in the spring of my senior year saying, "Hey, Jess. In May, you graduate. In May, we hire. We want to have you back on our team." They even kept my ID from when I had interned. 

I'm in the improv comedy troupe called Los Dormant Volcanoes. We hold auditions every year and practice 15–20 hours per week. We focus on the basics of comedy and how to make stuff up, not just about being funny and owning the stage on your own. It's a collaborative team effort; you have to be really close with the people in the troupe. We've gotten to perform at the Vermont Comedy Club a few times with other college improv troupes, which is really fun.

As the Membership & Marketing Coordinator at Stowe Area Association/Go Stowe, the destination tourism marketing organization for Stowe, Vermont, my Champlain College education has been invaluable in not only my current success but also for creating the opportunities to get me here. My PR degree, marketing specialization, and event management minor from Champlain was the perfect storm of educational skills and knowledge to enter the professional world. 

Throughout my time at Champlain, I was fortunate enough to have real-life experience with local clients, a variety of internships, and opportunities to learn technical and professional development skills. This has been extremely helpful in my role. I execute PR campaigns, create and evaluate marketing content, and plan member events for the four-season destination of Stowe. Especially in these uncertain times, my experience and education have been imperative to help navigate our new world and pivot to continue to create impactful marketing and PR opportunities in tourism. 

One of my most valuable learning experiences that prepared me to enter the professional world was the Public Relations Campaign Development class. We worked with an actual client, Shelburne Museum, to prepare all the aspects of a full PR campaign as well as develop the skills to work with clients. Experiences like these at Champlain are what made my higher education experience invaluable.

I studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which was a life-changing experience. As a Communication major, it was fascinating to live 5,000 miles away from a familiar face and realize that my knowledge of how to communicate effectively is only based on my experiences as a U.S. citizen. When it comes to intercultural communication, I have so much more to learn!

I wanted a major that would allow me to experiment. I didn't know what field I wanted to go into, but I knew I wanted to work with people and hone my interpersonal skills. As a Communication major, I've taken all sorts of classes—Marketing, Audio Production, Public Relations. It's so nice to test the waters and think about what I might want to do, and what I definitely don't want to do.

I feel so grateful to be a part of this community. The faculty's support has given me the confidence I need to not only be successful in my career, but to really reflect on and stay true to who I am. It sounds heavy, I know, but the support I've received from my professors has warmed my heart. I have learned to celebrate myself, but also what I still need to work on. Class projects have set me up to have a killer portfolio, and my internships have helped give me insight as to where I could see myself in the workforce. You probably won't realize as it's happening, but Champlain changes your life for the better.

Champlain College's Communication program set the stage for me to immediately jump into a fast and fruitful career in public relations, and then to pivot when both the industry and my own aspirations changed years later. No matter what title I hold—from public relations to marketing to event management and crisis communication—I've seen that there is no lack of demand for great communicators out there. People who can speak, write, and create for an audience are needed in every industry, in every department. Champlain's Communication program opens doors by creating communicators who not only fit the needs of today but also prepares them to evolve as the world shifts—an invaluable asset for every graduate.

My Communications degree in the business world has proven to be a flexible and sought-after combination: I'm often the fixer in situations because my education and experience taught me how to thoroughly evaluate the challenge from multiple perspectives and communicate cleanly, clearly, and, most importantly, with people in mind.

I graduated in ’09 with a Public Relations degree. Soon after, I accepted the role of Marketing Coordinator at Stowe Area Association. What helped me get the gig? Champlain College! The most noteworthy items being: 

• Coming to the interview with a full marketing plan for Stowe Area Association that had been completed in a course earlier that year 
• A recommendation from a Champlain College employee who had worked for Stowe Area Association   
• Coming to the interview with a portfolio of published writing samples that had been completed for internships
• A recommendation from a partner of People Making Good, where I had interned (as they had been an association member in another life & still connected to that network)   

Today, I'm the Advertising Operations Manager at Dealer.com. While I’m not actively “practicing” public relations, I continue to utilize the skills I acquired because of the Public Relations degree.  

My experience at Champlain in the classroom and through required internships made me very versatile. 

My primary job role is video editing and post-production, but working on a small team at Burton we all do a little bit of everything. On shoots, I can be a second shooter, run audio, help light sets, and then afterward log, edit, color, and version out all video assets. During the process, you’re working with project managers to ensure deadlines are met and almost become your own project manager. Your value depends on your ability to collaborate with others and contribute to any situation or willingness to dive in and try. 

Working in the classroom at Champlain and getting real-world experience through internships helped build my confidence. I can be thrown into any situation and succeed.  

I currently work at a Software Development and UX Design Bootcamp based here in Burlington, Vermont. My job title is Community Coordinator, but that is just part of what I do! In this role, I use the skills I gained through my education at Champlain College every day. My bosses are constantly surprised by the breadth of my knowledge. I do not consider myself to be remarkably wise, as I am still new to the workforce, but I do recognize that the Communication program at Champlain gave me experience in every aspect of my job. 

A degree in Communication opens up a world of possibilities for you as you make your move from student to professional.

The curriculum at Champlain College equips students with the tools needed to communicate and resonate in today’s expansive world of communication. The lessons I have taken from Dr. Kerr and the curriculum she built have allowed me to thrive in sales. 

When Covid hit, I had the tools I needed to change gears and use alternate channels of communication to provide my customers with the support they needed. By understanding all of my channels of communication and how to utilize them most effectively, I was well-prepared for an unprecedented time. 

My PR degree gave me the confidence in my skills that allowed me to push myself in other ways, because I knew I could rely on my career, and myself. It gave me the opportunity to move across the country and start my adventure in California! I still am facing new tasks in my career that aren't ‘new’ to me, thanks to the foundation in PR I received at Champlain.