What can your CRS degree do for you?

Yesterday, 15 CRS students were able to make the most out of a wonderful opportunity presented to us.

Thanks to Dennis Gilbert, who is actually an alum of the Setnor School of Music, we were able to fund a day trip to NYC in order to connect and network with other CRS alumni.

We got to the Lubin House, the Syracuse Alumni Center in NYC, around 11:30 and were able to go grab lunch and walk through Central Park before our first panel with alums. At 2, we got to meet with two recent graduates who are both working the the PR/Marketing field. They spoke about the companies they work for, their client base, and how they got to where they are in their careers since graduation. Basically, though, it was a question and answer session for the benefit of the current students. With the opportunity to ask any question to the alums in such an intimate setting, many students were able to get a better idea of the industry, and how to become a part of it. Both of the alums were also incredibly interested in knowing how Syracuse was now and what we, the students, did and were passionate about in our own lives.

During the evening, we all gathered upstairs in the library for a reception, to which about 30 or so alumni showed up. With a decadent spread of finger foods before us, we chatted and got to know the alums of our program and learn what they do for a living in a more one-on-one setting.

To my surprise, I found an alum who interned for the Chiefs (then the Sky Chiefs) his senior year. He now works at a small start up company doing video and production reels for the "drop-in" experts on cable news shows. I also talked to an alum who got her job because she took Spanish in college, which placed her in the banking industry, doing business with Panama.

It was a fantastic opportunity to speak with people who are thriving with their CRS degrees and excited to share with and to help their fellow Syracuse students. Although it had been a LONG day, we climbed back on the (amazingly comfortable) Caz Limo bus to head back to Syracuse.

Because I am from Dallas, and have only been to NYC a few times in my 21 years, this was a new and exciting experience for me. For some students, it was a chance to go back to their "home town" and for others, it was their first taste of Manhattan. All in all, it was an absolutely amazing experience... one the department plans to do again next year!

Back to the Future

I spent the weekend in DC visiting my family, enjoyed the gorgeous weather, and went to a few of the Smithsonian museums, as well as the National Zoo!

Makes me wish that I was able to participate in the CRS Maymester in Washington, D.C. for one year; but I always had plans to make it back for in Dallas. During the two weeks, they live in Washington, D.C. and learn the way political communication theory works while one the ground experiencing it. There is also the opportunity to meet and talk to alums who work in the D.C. area. There are tons of opportunities like this for students to take advantage of, I just was never able to make this one work for me.

For instance, we're finalizing plans for a Lambda Pi Eta (my academic fraternity) trip into NYC to meet with alumni in the next few weeks. I'm excited about it because it'll be my last real hurrah while in school. Hopefully, I'll make a good business contact and be able to form a relationship with an alum I can go to for advice in the industry.

Lately (mostly because I'm graduating), I have been thinking about the future and jobs, and even though I won't have a job to step into the day I graduate... I think I'm in a pretty good position. Between the internship I am working now, the classes I have taken, and the skills I have strengthened while here at Syracuse, I know I'll get a job somewhere down the line.

For now, however, I have to focus on my two major papers, one term paper, and the final legs of my Web site project.

Today, it's back to work on the Sports Journalism paper. (And I'm almost finished with my Lit Review!) My plan is to finish up the draft today and email it to my advisor on the project. From there, he'll be able to help me guide exactly where I want the project to end up and polish the writing and information. After that, I'll be in good shape for my final presentation on graduation weekend.

I am really looking forward to graduation though! My family will be here to celebrate with me... I just have to get all my work done first. So, it's back to writing for me - although, there isn't much else I'd rather be doing anyway!

Whatever happened to predictability, the milkman, the paper boy, evening TV?

Today... is Tuesday... which must mean I still have a lot of writing to do!

Because of the way my final semester in college is structured, I have very little actual class time. I am taking a lot of independent studies to make time to work my (for credit) internship at the Syracuse Chiefs, the AAA minor league baseball team in town.

Tonight, there is a game, but instead of working the game I'll be in the front office working on content for the Yearbook/In-game-Program and interviewing another one of our pitchers for the "On Board with the Syracuse Chiefs" series.

So that means today, despite the gorgeous weather, I'm inside at a computer lab on campus... writing. I come to campus to ensure I'm not watching reruns of Full House all day and actually getting something done because you'd be surprised how hard it is, especially in your last semester, to focus and actually get work done!

For now though, I grabbed a sandwich at Blinker Deli and am continuing to work on my Distinction Thesis about the Changes in Sports Journalism. I'm gonna have to come up with a shorter title soon...

Basically, because I am a senior, I have the opportunity to complete a large writing project for distinction (or special recognition) within my majors. Although this one is for the writing department, I am doing the same thing for CRS.

For this project, I am writing a lengthy paper examining the different approaches sports journalists will have to take on the advent of the new media, like blogs and Twitter. Because newspapers are suffering (something you hear about a lot in an academic setting), sports pages are also suffering. The cuts to budgets and the pressure for space has significantly altered the typical sports writing you would find. Additionally, just about anyone can write about a sports game because of the internet and television coverage, and post it on the internet. To top it off, who needs a reporter to interview an athlete when the athlete can just tweet instead?

These are all topics I am tacking in my paper... which consequently, I need to get back to. When you are passionate about the topic/the solution, it makes it that much more fun to work on.

I'm off to DC this weekend... everybody needs a break every now and then! I'm excited because I took a CRS class on Public Memory - we discussed a lot of the monuments and museums in DC. I haven't been to a lot of them since I was a kid, so I'm looking forward to going back with a new perspective.

... more about that after it happens.

For now, writing this afternoon and baseball game tonight - what more could a girl ask for?

Introducing...

Howdy!

My name's Jaclyn and I'm starting my final semester at Syracuse. When I started here in the Fall of 2007, I set the goal to graduate in three years - now that goal is becoming a reality!

In May, I will have completed a dual major in Communication and Rhetorical Studies and Writing and Rhetoric. I also have a minor in Global Political Economy (Globalization). 

I am also the President of the Tau Alpha chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication fraternity. 

There are lots of things that I am excited to share about our department and the work we do, but I'll just start with the basics. 

Originally, I'm from Dallas, Texas where I attended a public school, Bryan Adams HS. I plan to move back to Texas when I graduate. 

I hope to paint a picture of what life is like in Sims Hall: the great professors, the laughs we share daily, and what you can expect out of CRS!