Where are you from and what were you doing before enrolling in graduate school?

I was born and raised in San Jose, California, so I have spent the majority of my life in the Bay Area. Apart from living in the Bay, I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and graduated in 2022 with my undergraduate degree in psychology and communications. During my undergraduate, my interest particularly lay in job affect and additional organizational communication, which I was able to explore through Senior Theses supervised by faculty and serving as a teaching assistant for two ORG CMN courses. During this time, I also supported energy ecosystem mapping projects and external communication efforts for the American Energy Society as a communications intern. 

After graduating, I decided to gain some experience within the job market and served as a Broadband Analyst at CTC Technology & Energy, where I assisted in both federal and statewide proposal writing. After some time working I decided to return to school and pursue my interests in exploring facets of organizational communication and job affect through research and higher studies. 

How did you learn of the degree program and why did you choose USC Annenberg?

I had known about the communication management program throughout my undergraduate career from how highly respected it was by numerous individuals within the communications field. When I had been inquiring about top graduate communication programs, Communication Management at USC Annenberg was one of the most commonly cited programs. I was delighted to find out that the program offered an expansive array of specializations that I have been wanting to foray into (from entertainment to marketing to media studies). Though I have been primarily focused on organizational communications since my undergraduate, I also wanted to learn more about the other fields that fall under the nebulous “communications” umbrella. I was very excited to learn that this program offered a wealth of opportunities to gain knowledge in other specializations I may not be as familiar with. 

What have you enjoyed the most about the degree program?

 What I enjoy most about communication management is the variety of experiences, passions, and specializations that not only the faculty but also the students bring to the program. It has been valuable to work with so many passionate faculty members and students who have such diverse interests and knowledge and I believe that it has helped me grow both as a student and a professional. I also believe that though the courses range in immersion into different parts of the communication field, the curriculum stressed career readiness, which is something that has benefited me greatly. 

I also believe that the program is highlighted by the faculty’s willingness to support students. The communication management faculty is always ready to connect with students and provide them with guidance not only into her coursework and overall understanding of it but also to advise them of what may lay ahead in the future. Since joining the program and speaking with the USC Annenberg faculty, I have gained immense insight and direction into my future goals and have been able to develop concrete plans I can follow to achieve them.