As the semester finished up, my fellow COM 426 classmates and I had the opportunity to celebrate our academic achievements along with several distinguished Communication Studies faculty members.
During one of our last class sessions, we held a party with pizza, lemonade, and desserts, which allowed us to catch up with former professors and chat amongst ourselves about how excited we were to be close to finishing our degrees.
As we celebrated, three academic awards were also presented. Theresa Kennedy, a current communication studies student, was recognized for her outstanding academic achievements. Communication studies alum David Baldermann, who graduated in the fall of 2024, was presented with two awards for his outstanding leadership, inside and outside the classroom. As someone who has been friends with David since my sophomore year of college, I was delighted to see him return to UM-Flint for this party, and I was proud to watch him being recognized for his leadership. During his time at UM-Flint, David was a member of Intervarsity, the Christian fellowship organization on campus, and he led a student Bible study small group.
Even though I don’t graduate until the end of the Fall 2025 semester, I finished the requirements for my Communication Studies degree at the end of the Winter 2025 semester, so this party felt like a last hurrah and a celebration of my time in the Communication Studies program. Having the opportunity to catch up with some of my former professors was very special, and I am so grateful to have had some fun with my peers before we all go into our adult lives.
I’d like to recognize a few of the Communication Studies faculty who impacted me and my academic journey.
- Heather Seipke, associate professor of communication studies, taught my Teamwork and Collaboration in a Digital Age course. Professor Seipke always made her classroom welcoming, and I always felt comfortable learning from her.
- Jenny Oh, assistant professor of communication studies, with whom I took two Public Relations courses. Professor Oh gave me opportunities to be a leader in the classroom and always listened to me whenever I needed guidance.
- Kim Laux was one of my professors and my academic advisor. She was compassionate toward me when I was having a difficult time in my personal life while I was in her class, and she was always patient with me when trying to figure out what classes I needed to take each semester.
- Finally, Sarah Rosaen, professor of communications studies, whom I had for multiple classes throughout my time at UM-Flint. Professor Rosaen lit a fire in my freshman year that pushed me to strive for academic excellence. She was always willing to listen to me about anything I wanted to talk about, whether it was about my campus life or my life outside of school.
I do not think I would be where I am today without the guidance these amazing professors gave me throughout my university career.
