Elizabeth Suarez, Undergraduate Student
What is your communication focus area?
Journalism
Where are you from?
I am from Cleveland, Ohio.
Why did you choose communication as your major?
I chose journalism as my major because my goal is to be able to tell the stories of the people that are sometimes overlooked, but have equally important and beautiful stories and cultures. By doing this I hope to achieve one of my main goals, which is moving towards equality in the media. As a minority in the broadcast field, I acknowledge the fact that representation matters and those we see on TV, whether it is on the news or on TV shows, should represent the makeup of the U.S. population.
What is something people might not know about you?
During my internship with PBS NewsHour I worked with the late Gwen Ifill. As a minority woman studying journalism, she has always been a great role model for me. She imparted a great deal of wisdom on me that I can’t sum up, but one of the greatest lessons I learned from her is to hold my head high.
What are your future career plans?
After graduation, I plan to take a position as an MMJ in a smaller market. My ultimate goal is to be a foreign correspondent who specializes in Latin America and the Latino community in the U.S.
Selina Dunbar, Undergraduate Student
What is your communication focus area?
My communication focus area is Strategic Communication.
Where are you from?
I am from Atlanta, Georgia.
Why did you choose communication as your major?
I chose Strategic Communication as my major because I think it builds on some traditional marketing concepts and emphasizes how all aspects of communication work together which is especially important to know in business. Thus, my major affords me the opportunity to bring an integrated marketing communications perspective to any functional role that I may have. Also, Strategic Communication is a flexible major in that the knowledge learned in courses are applicable to various industries and functional roles. Lastly, I’ll be able to market myself as a valuable asset to any future employer as the information learned in this major is very timely and relevant especially in this age of new media.
What is something people might not know about you?
I had the pleasure of interning with Colgate-Palmolive as a Commercial Development Intern. During this internship, I applied many of the Strategic Communication concepts I learned at OSU.
What are your future career plans?
Upon graduation, I will be working at Colgate-Palmolive as a Commercial Development Associate. I also plan to pursue a masters degree in the near future.
Kwesi Christian, Undergraduate Student
What is your communication focus area?
My area of focus is in new media and technology.
Where are you from?
I am from Columbus, Ohio.
Why did you choose communication as your major?
I chose to study communications because of the wide range of topics that it spanned in all fields. I have always been more interested in how people use and interact with Social Media and new technologies in their everyday lives and this is what led me to dive deeper into the communication field. One of my favorite topics to discuss include how media is designed to reach certain groups of people.
What research opportunities have you had as a communication student?
I have worked as a research assistant on several projects in the School focusing on video games. These experiences introduced me to research methodologies, including experimental studies. I had the pleasure to work in one of the Communication laboratories and it was by far one of my favorite studies to be a part of.
What is something people might now know about you? This could include communication-related activities or internships.
I am currently part of a startup organization that builds and develops software such as Video game’s to appeal to all types of audiences in any filed. This startup has become a crucial passion of my life now promoting the work of all team members involved.
What are your plans after graduation?
I currently work at Apple Retail as an Operations Specialist but hope to move my way into the corporate world helping design new ways to make life simpler for people. Outside of that, I hope to keep promoting my startup and eventually launching it as a full organization being able to employ students like myself to promote their own growth and achievements with the projects they have a passion for.
Naomi Tan, PhD student
What is your research focus area?
My research focuses on designing effective communication interventions that seek to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes. I am also interested in understanding how individual characteristics (such as age, gender, or self-efficacy) and sociocultural factors (such as cultural values, social norms and beliefs) influence how these messages are processed and in turn, how this impacts attitudes and behavior. In particular, my work focuses on the use of narrative strategies and culturally-centered methodologies to increase the relevance and effectiveness of communication interventions. Thus far, the context of my work has ranged from issues of poverty and food insecurity, to the prevention and detection of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
Where are you from?
I am from Singapore.
Why did you choose to do a PhD in communication?
I chose to do a PhD in Communication because I wanted a career that allowed me to expand my own knowledge and hopefully contribute to the knowledge of others, but was still grounded in real world issues. I feel that the work that is being done in the field of health communication is able to make a direct impact on individuals or communities that face health problems or disparities. In addition, doing a PhD in Communication gives me the flexibility to pursue careers in academia, the private sector, or in public health organizations.
What is something people might not know about you?
I have always been interested in martial arts - I have a green belt in judo and practiced that for about 4 years. Before that, I practiced aikido for 2 years.
What are your future career plans?
After graduating, I plan to pursue a career in academia.