Compendium (2022)

The Bulletin class reviews their work as the Journalism Program earns national accreditation.

New AD/PR Faculty Welcomed

Dr. Larry Hygh joins the AD/PR Program

Page 15

AD/PR Gets Multicultural Internships

Students take over social media accounts

Page 18

COM Dept.

Gets

Social Media Interns

Students take over social media accounts

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HBTH Showcases Student Stories

Story Slam highlights student narrative storytelling

Page 21

credit: Lloyd Bravo

Alumni Profile

Katherine Clements gets her career afloat

Page 23

Alumni Profile

Former Editor-in-Chief becomes news producer

Page 26

Community Partner Event

See community partner organizations get recognized

Page 29

Full Graduation Returns

See graduation in pics

Page 30

COM

Editor Writers & Designers

Dr. Brant Burkey, Associate Professor, Dept. of Communications

Alex Avila Tierra Booth Lloyd Bravo Nisvan Guzman Serena Sanchez

2 COM

Photo

Letter from the Chair

Greetings alumni! We are beginning this third year of the pandemic and my second year as department chair back on campus. It is a time of transition as we are still recovering from the adversity and loss of the past few years while appreciating being together in person again.

During the pandemic, I started a gratitude practice and I want to start this letter by expressing my deepest thanks to the faculty, staff, alumni, and friends who helped our students persevere during these challenging times.

We had a banner year of support with much needed scholarships awarded to our students from our Communications Department alumna Sheniece Smith, Dominguez Hills alumna Dominique Braud, friends Gil and Shirley Smith, the family of our late colleague Donn Silvis, and past Dominguez Hills president Dr. Willie Hagan. Our flagship professional development program Hollywood by the Horns garnered support from a Televisa Univision gift and a Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) grant. The HFPA awarded grants to the Film, Television, and Media and Journalism programs for student fellowships as well, making it possible for students to nurture their impactful storytelling.

I am also grateful to the alumni who shared their time and experience with or students at department events last year. Katherine Clements, Taylor Helmes, Carrie McClain, and Jessica Pedraja were featured on an

illuminating alumni panel our virtual annual Student Awards ceremony. Alumni Josh Cooper and CeJay Anderson were fantastic guests on the Hollywood by the Horns panel, Entry Level: Securing (& Succeeding In) Your First Industry Job.

This issue of Compendium details our remarkable successes as we weathered another pandemic year, which includes the accreditation of the Journalism B.A. program from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, scholarships and accolades for our outstanding students, and our robust co-curricular programming and community events. You will also have a chance to meet our new faculty member, Dr. Larry Hygh Jr. who joined the Advertising and Public Relations B.A. program this Fall. Last but not least, this issue profiles Journalism alumni Katherine Clements and Taylor Helmes.

I close this letter grateful for the opportunity to connect with you, our wonderful alumni. We would love to hear from you! If you have something to share or would like to be featured in the next edition, please contact Compendium editor Dr. Brant Burkey at bburkey@csudh.edu. I look forward to welcoming you back to campus for collaborations and events in the coming year.

All my best,

Dr. Sharon Sharp Communications Department Chair

A Dream Come True:

By Lloyd Bravo

Photo by Ashni from Unsplash

Since 2004, Dr. Nancy Cheever has dreamed of getting the CSUDH Journalism Program accredited. This year, after a grueling five-year review process, her dream became reality when the Journalism Program finally received national accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education (ACEJMC) in Journalism and Mass Communications.

As an undergraduate student, Cheever had a passion for journalism and academics; however, while attending Orange Coast College in Orange County, she spoke with her counselors about wanting a better opportunity that would help her make a difference and provide a more diverse journalism experience.

She left OCC to attend CSUDH, where she was able to develop closer relationships with her professors and peers due to the smaller class sizes that enabled easier communications and learning opportunities.

“I was able to get into classes I wanted as I eventually got on the newspaper, where I became Editor-in-Chief,” Dr. Cheever said. “That experience helped me secure a great internship that would provide me with a really good job after graduation.”

After graduating from CSUDH in 1994 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications (Journalism Option), Cheever began her professional career as a copy editor and page designer for the Tahoe Daily Tribune in South Lake Tahoe. She then moved back to Southern California and got a job writing for the Huntington Beach Independent newspaper while teaching part-time at CSUDH and Cal State University, Fullerton.

Eventually her expertise would land her jobs at the Daily Pilot and the L.A. Times and, while working for Orange Coast Magazine, which had her focus on feature and “fluff” pieces, Cheever

decided to stay in academia and become a full-time professor.

“I really enjoy the university setting and being around learning all the time,” Dr. Cheever said. “I love doing research and I also love writing…but I think journalism and academia are my two passions in life, and I never really wanted to do anything else.”

Cheever eventually went on to pursue two Master’s degrees, one in Journalism at CSUF and the other in Media Psychology at Fielding Graduate University, where in 2010, she also earned her PhD in Media Psychology. Her experience and expertise would ultimately earn her the position as Department Chair of Communications at CSUDH.

As Department Chair, Dr. Cheever began to take the necessary first steps to pursue her goal of having an accredited journalism program. First, there was a massive overhaul in the journalism curriculum that would be designed to focus on career development in a rapidly transforming industry.

By 2018, individual BA programs were introduced in Journalism, Advertising/Public Relations and Film, Television and Media. Before having these specific programs established, Cheever invited the ACEJMC accreditation team to visit the campus for a preliminary evaluation.

“They send two or three people to evaluate the program, then they write a detailed report of all the things that need to either be changed, revised, fixed or improved,” Dr. Cheever said. “It was quite a list, but it was not unattainable.”

Since Dr. Cheever and Dr. Brant Burkey were the only full-time faculty in the Journalism program at the time, the first major revision was to hire more faculty, which was achieved by hiring

The Bulletin (above) and graduating Journalism majors (right) will all benefit from the Journalism Program getting national accreditiation.

Dr. Ana de la Serna and Dr. Fernando Severino. With their academic proficiency, the Communications Department began to flourish, leading to the creation of an advisory board that also included professional journalists from news outlets like the LA Times and Univision.

After adhering to the extensive report provided by the accreditation team, the journalism program began to meet the accreditation recommendations. However, Cheever’s next hurdle was to compile a 125-page self-study report.

The report addressed the nine standards needed to gain accreditation by ACEJMC. The nine standards include a mission statement; curriculum and instruction; diversity and inclusiveness; full-time and part-time faculty; research, creative and professional activity; student services; resources; facilities and equipment; professional and public service; and assessment of learning outcomes.

“It is as long as a dissertation for your PhD,” Dr. Cheever said. “It took me a couple of years to write it, but I finally finished the document in October or September of last semester [2021] and sent it around [the program committee and advisory board] for edits.”

Dr. Cheever then sent the report to the executive director of the ACEJMC for final improvements before being sent to their site team for final approval. Once the document was accepted, a site assessment was scheduled for December 2021 by the ACEJMC team to conduct meetings with faculty, administrators and students.

The ACEJMC visited the campus newspaper, The Bulletin, and spoke with the alumni, faculty, students and advisory board. These crucial meetings were conducted without Dr. Cheever present per ACEJMC procedure. Cheever had no other choice but to wait.

“I just left it up to the universe and whatever happened was going to happen,” Dr. Cheever said. Fortunately, the ACEJMC ended up being impressed with the campus’ Journalism Program and praised Dr. Cheever for her self-study report, recognizing it as one of the best the accreditation team had ever read. With the help of the faculty, advisory board and the students who participated in the meetings, the Journalism Program was recommended for accreditation, having met all nine of the standards implemented by the ACEJMC.

Being an accredited program offers a certain recognition and clout that helps recruit future students, looks good on graduates’ resumes, and provides other useful resources to students like access to grants and writing competitions.

“My primary goal was to do it for the students because I feel like there were so many benefits to being in an accredited program,” Dr. Cheever said.

“We will be able to grow and attract more students and faculty as we also can apply for more grants.”

Receiving more grants could mean more state-of-the-art equipment and possible expansion for the Journalism Program, including a modern media center and newsroom. This could also lead to possible paid editorial positions for editors involved with The Bulletin newspaper.

This has been Dr. Cheever’s biggest accomplishment for the university and the Journalism Program to date. The arduous process of adhering to the massive guidelines and critiques from the ACEJMC has paid off and given CSUDH’s Journalism Program a competitive edge throughout the state as one of only a handful of accredited journalism programs. “I absolutely believe that this is my greatest triumph within the program,” Dr. Cheever said. “We did it, but there is always more work to be done.”

CSUDH Journalism Majors

By Tierra Booth

Several of our Journalism students were recognized for their accomplishments through the California College Media Association. They received a total of six CCMA 2022 Excellence in Student Media awards. The six winners included Journalism majors Nova Blanca-Rico, Raven Brown, Brenda Fernanda Verano, Jasmine Nguyen, Darlene Maes, Daniel Tom, and Jasmine Contreras.

The CCMA is a way where students can be acknowledged for their achievements made through their media contributions. This year, the awards ceremony was held at the Associated Collegiate Press Spring National College Media Conference located at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach.

Journalism majors are required to take COM 355: Newspaper Production for their major, where they produce the student-run Bulletin Newspaper. They pitch their own ideas, conduct interviews, do research, and write all of their own content about issues related to the campus or local community. Students then had the opportunity to submit their best work for the CCMA competition.

Dr. Severino, who served last year as the faculty advisor for the Bulletin, said that he was “very proud of the students’ work and accomplishments within the newspaper.” He explained how dedicated each of these students were to their individual work and believes these journalism students deserve these awards for all their hard work producing strong journalistic content.

This year’s CCMA winners were pleasantly surprised to learn that they were being awarded. It is always a great honor for the school when students can receive awards for their academic achievements. They all feel accomplished with their writing skills and hope to encourage other students to work towards these great honors as well.

One of this year’s winners, Daniel Tom, noted that when notified of his accomplishment, it caught him by surprise.

“Writing for the Bulletin allowed me to discover a side of myself that I never knew I had and has made me strongly consider continuing writing,” Tom said.

Tom was not always so sure about Journalism, but he gave it a chance and fell in love with it. He was awarded second place in “Best Newspaper Column,” along with other Bulletin members Jasmine Nguyen and Brenda Verano.

Several Journalism majors and their Bulletin Advisor Dr. Fernando

Headline CCMA Awards

Tom makes it a point to add his personality into his writing to make it his own. He believes that writing should be personal enough to be able to connect with his overall audiences. A word of advice that Tom would give any other Journalism major would be, “Don’t be afraid to write/speak what you feel,” Tom said. “The best work is done when it comes from you. Dig deep! The stories don’t come to you, you go to them!”

Another winner, Jasmine Nguyen, said that being awarded by the CCMAs was a “great privilege and opportunity.”

Nguyen shared that her winning made all of journalism work as a student worthwhile. Like Tom, she did not really see people acknowledging her work through journalism but became fulfilled through her award. Having this honor has allowed Nguyen to appreciate her writing much more. She believes that her passion and unique viewpoint led her to stand out from the crowd, leading her to this award.

Nguyen also reminds us that

whenever we are feeling like “throwing in the towel,” it’s important to remember to not give up and always put our best foot forward in our work. She shares a piece of advice:

“Be curious and resilient,” Nguyen said. “The career isn’t easy, but our work is essential, so keep at it.”

The six winners were also awarded a group award, coming in third place for “Best Special Issue Section” for their original piece, “Election Special Issue.”

Members of the Bulletin are always a team first, and being able to be awarded for their group efforts is something they are proud of. This experience has impacted each winner individually in their own special way but at the end of it all they did it together, making it a greater accomplishment.

The other awards given to our six winners were as follows: Raven Brown, first place for “Best Infographic” for her work, “Changing Majors;” Brenda Verano, second place for “Best Non-Breaking News Story” for her work, “Outstanding Professor Award Recipient’s Mic Drop at Last Month’s Virtual Ceremony;” Jasmine Contreras, third place for “Best News Series” for her work, “CSUDH Return to Campus;” and Darlene Maes, third place for “Best Editorial Cartoon” for her work, “Job Application.”

Being recognized at the CCMAs has made all their hard work and dedication worth it.

Severino showing off their awards at the 2022 CCMA Ceremony.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Assoc

By Alex Avila

California State University Dominguez Hills Film, Television and Media and Journalism students were offered a grant by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the nonprofit organization of journalists and photographers who report on entertainment and host The Golden Globe Awards. The HFPA grants provide ongoing support for CSUDH FTVM and Journalism students with funding towards tuition and projects.

The grant is annually distributed to students by the faculty and campus, after distinguishing themselves for their academic achievements, creative and technical abilities. CSUDH was able to receive $21,500 for the Journalism program, and $60,000 for the Film, TV, Media Program (FVTM).

An additional $5,000 standalone HFPA scholarship will be offered for communication students to apply for in AY 2022-2023.

The 2018-2019 Academic Year was the first year CSUDH was able to get a partnership with the HFPA. “We worked with campus development and applied for the grant and have had a partnership with the HFPA ever since,” said Dr. John Vanderhoef. “This is the fifth year, and this academic year is the first year the Journalism program is being supported by the HFPA.” The money for the programs is directed to the fellowships.

Journalism fellowship members include Lloyd Bravo, Nova Blanco-Rico, Brenda Verano, and Mary Mcfadden. The Journalism fellows created stories for World Press Freedom Day, which was held on April 14. World Press Freedom Day is a day to raise awareness for the importance of freedom of the press and to remind governments to uphold the responsibility of the right to freedom of speech and expression. Each student presented their independent projects on “Newsroom Equity,”

including articles, podcasts, and videos, showcasing their abilities to create content across platforms.

May 3 is the official date for World Press Freedom Day, marked by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The CSUDH World Press Freedom Day event was planned and organized by the Society of Independent Student Journalists (SISJ). “It’s open to the public, the campus community, and the surrounding community. The goal is to connect students with professional journalists who are working in the field,” said Dr. Nancy Cheever, former Communications Department Chair and Professor at CSUDH.

The process for receiving the fellowship grant for the Journalism Program involved the HFPA committee reviewing student project proposals

“Student applicants write an essay and applications and, once applications are received, the journalism faculty reviews them,” Dr. Cheever said.

Lloyd Bravo, a graduating senior and Journalism major, was one of this year’s inaugural HFPA fellowships in Journalism. He completed a project involving inequities in film and art critique.

“I had dreams of becoming a film critic like Roger Ebert,” said Bravo. “Ebert didn’t start right out as a film critic, he was assigned to review films. But the HFPA made me interested in doing it. Entertainment

writing is a big thing for me.”

Bravo was hesitant in applying for the grant initially but was eventually convinced to apply after encouragement from Associate Professor Dr. Brant Burkey.

“Dr. Burkey would send emails and push me into applying,” Bravo said. “I’m always busy with my son and getting into my head and with so much on my plate, I applied on the last day of the extension. I didn’t think I would get anything, I was very proud of myself.”

Bravo decided on making his project oriented on art critique forthose wanting to become journalists to be

This year’s HFPA Journalism Fellows: (from left) Brenda Verano,

iation Invests in CSUDH Students

critics as well. “There aren’t any classes on critiquing art or media, I want to ask critics how they got to where they are, studying journalism and how they became critics,” explained Bravo.

Bravo wishes to make an impact on aspiring film critics and hopes to open doors for them and their future work. He adds: “The experience and displaying my work at a World Press Freedom Day, networking, and being able to write this on my resume and to be recognized is what I hope to achieve.”

Mary McFadden is another graduating senior who took a

chance at the HFPA fellowship grant. “It was brought to my attention by Dr. de la Serna,” said McFadden. “She told my class and advised us all to go and apply. I immediately jumped at the chance.

“The grant was extremely helpful. This is my last semester and the scholarship paid for my classes. I’m a cash-paying student and the grant has really made a huge difference in my life,” McFadden said.

During World Press Freedom Day, Mcfadden presented her project on the inequalities of representation of female Asian-American journalists in the news industry.

She was excited to share her work with the Journalism faculty, her colleagues, and her family, but still had to conquer her nerves.

“The presentation is a really big project, and speaking in front of my peers and future potential colleagues is a bit nerve wracking,” McFadden said.

On the other hand, she considers the results rewarding. “This process has shown me how capable I am in producing a big project on my own, not just in an academic setting, but also professionally,”

McFadden said.

“I encourage all COM students to go out and apply for the HFPA grant, it’s a transformative experience that all college students should have.”

The FTVM program also

had three HFPA fellows this year, a group that Dr. Vanderhoef called “very promising creative writers and filmmakers.”

The grant also afforded them the opportunity to work on a creative project they normally wouldn’t be able to do. “They’re given a fellowship and all we ask is they work on a project they might’ve not been able to work on, needed a new computer, equipment, or resources that the grant allowed them to get,” Dr. Vanderhoef said.

FTVM fellows Ariela Valenzia Perez, Diane Carrilo, and Brandon Shores received a grant from the HFPA and CSUDH for creating screenplays. Perez worked on a screenplay of a daughter of immigrants with dreams of going to college. Carillo, a screenplay about a parent dying from the perspective of a Mexican American. Shores is writing a TV pilot on a bi-racial Filipino kid living in Los Angeles.

The FTVM fellows will hopefully be able to showcase their work at future events and panels through the Hollywood by the Horns program, which connects the diverse and talented students at CSUDH and professionals in the media industries.

“HFPA contributed the past two years to the Hollywood by the Horns initiative, to create a pipeline of our students and the industry,” said Dr. Vanderhoef. “We did a panel in the fall about above-the-line workers in the industry and, in the spring we had a panel about entry-level work in the industry, featuring CSUDH alum.”

For more information on Hollywood by the Horns events, visit the COM Department’s website. For information on The Society of Independent Student Journalists and World Press Freedom Day, visit their Instagram page @csudh_sisj.

Lloyd Bravo, Nova Blanco-Rico, and Mary McFadden.

HORIZONS WITH LATIN AMERICAN FORUM

By Alex Avila

The California State University, Dominguez Hills Communications Department held a virtual forum on Nov 12, 2021, focusing on international journalism and the role of international journalism in news media.

CSUDH professors Dr. Ana de la Serna and Dr. Fernando Severino held the event with the keynote speaker Dr. Giovanna Dell’Orto, an expert on international journalism, as well as Dr. Tabita Moreno, a professor from the Universidad de Concepción (University of Concepción), a private university from Concepción, Chile.

The hybrid event was presented virtually and in-person to CSUDH journalism and communication majors, along with students from the Universidad de Concepción.

Dr. Severino started the presentation by discussing how the cross-national journalism event came to be by thanking Dr. Moreno.

“She was very excited to create this connection between two journalism programs, and between Los Angeles and South Concepción,” Dr. Severino said.

Dr. de la Serna also took the initiative to apply for the grant to create the possibility of the U.S.Chile Cross-National Journalism Training and Teaching event. The grant was provided by the U.S. State Department through the Embassy of the United States in Chile. “They were offering to support programs

between institutions in Chile and the U.S…One of the programs they were supporting was journalism,” Dr. de la Serna said. A part of the grant was the U.S. Embassy in Chile wanted to support an institution that wasn’t in the capital of Chile.

Dr. Severino was acquainted with Dr. Moreno, who expressed interest in working on a collaborative project with Dr. Severino and Dr. de la Serna, and being awarded the U.S. State Department grant was the perfect opportunity.

“It was really exciting,” Dr. de la Serna said. “We put together the conference where we invited Dr. Giovanna Dell’Orto, a specialist on international reporting.”

The key speaker, Dr. Dell’Orto, is an Associate Professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota whose research focuses on international news and affairs. Dell’Orto, an immigrant who was born in Italy, also served as Ph.D. advisor to Dr. Severino while he was in graduate school at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

“There is no better person to be talking about international journalism and teaching a new generation of journalists,” Dr. Severino explained about her role as the keynote speaker. “She’s honest about international media and has several years of experience at the Associated Press.”

Dr. Giovanna Dell’Orto

Universidad de Concepcion

Dr. Tabita Moreno

Dell’Orto has also written several published books about refugee news and refugee politics, including her 2013 book, “Reporting at the Southern Borders: Journalism and Public Debates On Immigration in the U.S. and E.U.”

The cross-national event was intended to highlight and discuss the “whys and hows of international journalism, which is to find and tell the truth, especially where it’s kept dark by censorship, propaganda, and violence, as well as to give voice to those who would be otherwise unheard.” Also explained were the challenges and rewards of international journalism.

Dr. Dell’Orto also described her experiences with international reporting, such as notable events during her time covering Guatemala and Mexico. Her story focused largely on the reasons why large numbers of women and children started fleeing Central America in the mid-2010s.

Dr. Dell’Orto illustrated her experiences through photos and detailed explanations, as well as by discussing the positives of being able to understand the lives of refugees from Guatemala and Mexico.

Dr. Dell’Orto has done work around the world, including in countries such as Syria, where she wrote a story about refugee teenagers who are seeking education and immigrating to Jordan.

During the hybrid forum, Dell’Orto explained that it can be difficult as a reporter to balance her compassion and empathy with her obligation as a journalist to be objective. “Feelings get involved, you have a sense of what’s fair and unfair… [but] you do this because

you think it’s important,” Dr. Dell’Orto said. “It can really take it out of you, if you’re moving people to help or even just to be more conscious, then you have already done something.”

The event continued with a Q&A from the audience in both English and Spanish about Dr. Dell’Orto’s stories and experiences she’s had while writing these stories. There was also extensive discussion about the lives and livelihoods of the people she’s encountered during her work as a international journalist.

Further discussions between the professors and Dr. Dell’Orto led her to express how those are not the only stories that they can cover, and how it important it is to document stories involving immigrants who have already immigrated to a new country. “Crossing the border isn’t enough, then you cross all the borders of integrating to whichever community you’ve arrived in,” Dr. Dell’Orto explained. “What is life like for migrants once they make it passed the border?”

In the end, Dr. Severino thanked Dr. Dell’Orto for her speech and highlighted the importance of teaching a new generation of journalists. “It’s very inspiring, it’s great for them to be exposed to this, to make you engaged in a meaningful way,” Dr. Severino said.

“I hope this was helpful,” Dr. Dell’Orto concluded her discussion with the students and professors of CSUDH and Universidad de Concepción. “I’m excited by the potential of your collaboration.”

Dr. Ana de la Serna

Dr. Fernando Severino

This year’s World Press Freedom Day event, sponsored by the Society of Independent Student Journalists and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, featured several professional journalists in a remote panel moderated by Dr. Brant Burkey and showcased the “News Equity” projects by the HFPA Fellows, four graduating Journalism seniors: Brenda Verano, Mary McFadden, Lloyd Bravo, and Nova Blanco-Rico.

The Missing Piece to the AD/PR Program

By Serena Sanchez

Hiking, touring museums, boot camp, and traveling to six out of the seven continents, 47 out of the 50 states, and 29 countries do not even come close to breaking the surface of Dr. Larry Hygh, Jr., the new California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) Advertising & Public Relations faculty member.

Prior to being a Full-Time Lecturer and Internship Coordinator at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) and, now, tenure-track Assistant Professor in the CSUDH AD/PR Program, Dr. Hygh spent more than 20 years in nonprofit communications.

Dr. Hygh’s nonprofit work had a lot to do with the United Methodist Church, a worldwide Protestant denomination in the United States. For two years, he worked in the church’s international mission agency based in New York City, where he traveled to tell stories about the places they mission for, which include 136 countries around the world.

Dr. Hygh was the Director of Communications for the United Methodist Churches in Mississippi for a year, has worked in various communications roles in the regional offices of the United Methodist Church for the Bishop in Sacramento, Calif., and began a National Fellowship for the Church.

Additionally, Dr. Hygh was the Chief Communications Officer for the Black AIDS Institute, “the nation’s only HIV AIDS think tank that provides services and tries to eliminate the pandemic in Black communities across the U.S.,” he said.

“It’s a joy and a privilege to be in the classroom, and engage and teach students what I spent 20 plus years doing,” Hygh said.

His hope to share this real-world experience and knowledge with students definitely made him stand out amongst the 40 applications the search committee received for the open position, but it is not the sole reason he was chosen.

“He compliments a lot of things that are missing from our AD/PR program,” Dr. Ana de la Serna, Assistant Professor in the AD/PR and Journalism Programs, said. “Everybody’s perception was that he would be somebody that we could work really well with.”

Other than his experience and the department’s immediate sense of his belonging, Dr. Hygh’s first impression of the CSUDH students during his teaching presentation really sealed the deal.

“You want somebody who really understands our student population, and we believe that he does,” Dr. de la Serna said.

“I think that the student population in San Bernardino is very similar to the one at Dominguez, so he understands the challenges that students at Dominguez have.”

But before Dr. Hygh could join the CSUDH community, the faculty of the Communications Department came together to create a three-person search committee to discover the most fitting member to the AD/PR program. After creating a short description of the position, the committee chair, Dr. de la Serna, made two separate profiles for candidates to apply to—one requiring a Ph.D., the other a master’s degree with a lot of AD/PR experience.

“Usually, universities only hire people with PhDs, and that’s usually people who don’t have a lot of professional experience, right? You just have the theoretical part. So, we really wanted somebody who could actually speak to what’s going on and tell the students what the field is, and just their experience,” Dr. de la Serna said.

Once those are posted, and the 40 applicants are sifted through, 10 are invited for an hour-and-ahalf meeting. “We were very aware, very conscious that we wanted to have a good diverse pool,” she said. “We were trying to give more opportunities to people who are not usually represented in academia. So I think we were very lucky that we had a lot of good applicants that fit that criteria.”

Out of those 10, three candidates remained for the position who participated in virtual interviews and on-campus visits. During each of their teaching demonstrations, they presented research or a project they were working on and had lunch with the committee. And once Dr. Hygh was chosen, the Dean made the official offer.

Transitioning from the world of nonprofits into academia was not much of a stretch for Dr. Hygh. While in Northern California, he began teaching part-time at a community college and, prior, already held a high school teaching credential. Additionally, throughout his 20-plus years with the United Methodist Church, he nationally spoke through seminars, which he believes are no different from teaching in a classroom.

“I believe you need to bring some energy and enthusiasm, you need to be excited about whatever it is you’re talking about,” Dr. Hygh said. “To me, those were transferable skills. I’m a people person, I like people and engaging with them. So it wasn’t a huge stretch for me transitioning from the nonprofit world into academia.”

The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), the leading organization for PR majors, is a club that Dr. de la Serna thinks Dr. Hygh could assist as an advisor. Additionally, Dr. Hygh’s presence in the department will not only improve the curriculum but he’ll be a much-needed addition to the small ranks of full-time AD/PR faculty.

“Between the three of us, we can do more work because between two people it was really difficult to get a lot of administration stuff done, like curriculum proposals. We’ll also be able to offer more or different classes that are more [Dr. Hygh’s] strength,” Dr. de la Serna said.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, and San Bernardino was on lockdown, Dr. Hygh really wanted to make the virtual classroom interesting and not solely him that his students saw. He called his friends and asked them to participate in his Speaker Series, where students could listen to different voices – a former White House press secretary and an international news anchor at the time, to name a few. These are the types of experiences he looks forward to bringing to CSUDH.

“I have connections that span the globe,” Dr. Hygh said. “I want to bring those connections into the classroom to talk about what AD/PR looks like in a real-world setting.”

First-generation students are also a focus for Dr. Hygh as he becomes more involved in the DH community. Although he is not first-generation student, Dr. Hygh says he owes who he is, and where he has been fortunate to go, to those in his family, particularly the women in his family, who attended college before him. Education is not a question within his family dynamic, and he hopes for academia to become second nature for his students at CSUDH.

“I always tell my students that, when you get an education, it not only changes the trajectory of your life, but it changes the trajectory of your family’s life for generations to come,” he said.

As the Internship Coordinator at CSUSB, internships were the very heart of Dr. Hygh’s educational and professional career, and he firmly believes he is a product of them as well. As an undergrad, he interned at the Olympics in Atlanta, at the White House and Office of Public Liason in Washington D.C., and as a press release secretary in his congressman’s office. But it began with one of his pastors in college, encouraging him to go for a fellowship, which led him to where he is now.

“I believe wholeheartedly in internships, they help you figure out where we’re going in life,” he said. But that’s just one aspect of student life and growth that Hygh wishes to bring to the AD/PR Program at CSUDH. While the digital continues to change the profession, Dr. Hygh wants to teach digital skills while staying true to the basics.

“I have seen information and news dissemination, from the print age all the way into the digital,” he said. “So, for me, it’s not as much about focusing on whatever is new digitally, it’s about making sure that students have the basic concepts and theories because those have not changed. The way we deliver the information has changed.”

Though the foundations of communications remain, social media platforms are transforming the industry in numerous ways. This is especially true for public relations campaigns. That is why Dr. Hygh looks to provide students with the foundational principles of the field while getting them up to speed on the industry’s future.

“I’m a social media person and I would expect anybody who is doing a campaign has aspects of social media you’ve got to be using. I don’t use Tik Tok, but you’ve got to use it, just like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook,” Dr. Hygh said. “You’ve got to use all that.” Regardless of where he goes, where he travels to, who he helps, Dr. Hygh remains positive and a light for many because of his mission statement, “to help people see the greater humanity by celebrating what’s right in the world,” and it is no different with his arrival here at CSUDH.

“Everything I do has to fall within that realm, like, working at CSU Dominguez Hills falls within that realm, the student population falls within that realm, the community organizations, everything that I say yay or nay to, has to fall within the function of that,” Dr. Hygh concludes.

Photos courtesy of Dr. Larry Hygh

Students Gain Experience Through Multicultural MAIP Fellowship

By Nisvan Guzman

Three AD/PR students have been selected to receive a prestigious Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP) Fellowship this year: Brandon Cruz, Nicole Figueroa, and Lizbeth Hernandez.

Started by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4 A’s), the program was created to provide students of multicultural backgrounds with the opportunity to work in the advertising, communications, and marketing industries; interact with industry professionals; and gain valuable professional credentials to secure their first job in the industry, according to their website.

The application process begins during the fall semester and includes creating a short video, submitting a resume, unofficial transcripts, and two letters of recommendation. Then there is an interview process and, if selected, the student becomes a MAIP fellow. On selection day, agencies and companies select fellows to begin an internship with that company.

MAIP Fellow Nicole Figueroa had the opportunity to work with the Walt Disney Company, one of the largest media companies in the world.

“I was super excited and honestly surprised to see I landed an internship with such an amazing company like Disney!” senior Nicole Figueroa said. “I will be working with the production team on various tasks related to the trailers they create for Disney. I love what Disney represents in the sense that they inspire people and are a company that values creativity and authenticity.”

Brandon Cruz, a junior and new MAIP Fellow, also had the opportunity to work with Disney.

“When I found out I was selected to work for Disney, I was literally in disbelief! I was certain I was going to be selected but I figured it would be a company

that wasn't that well known. So when I saw it was Disney that chose me I was beyond grateful and called all my close friends to tell them the news,” said Cruz, who grew up a fan of Disney movies and also enjoys the Marvel and Star Wars franchises.

The MAIP Fellowship got onto Cruz’s radar when his AD/PR instructor Chris Russo mentioned it to him during the past summer session. He recalls that the application process was both challenging and fun.

“I enjoyed making my ‘Get to Know Me’ video, and creating my website to show my portfolio. Outside of Russo and a former employer writing my letters of recommendation, I did everything else on my own,” said Cruz. Cruz expects to learn as much as possible and hopes this opens doors for him within Disney or other reputable companies in the industry.

Lizbeth Hernandez, a senior, applied for the MAIP fellowship in November 2021, a process she claims was, “long, but exhilarating and entirely worth it.” She couldn’t be more excited and proud that her hard work paid off. She completed her internship remotely over the summer with the research team of SSCG Media Group,

As a Mexican-American, she hopes to bring a unique perspective to the program and, she says, “challenge social norms by making sure the messages that I put out are diverse, equitable, and inclusive.”

“I hope to network with both students like myself and industry professionals and just absorb all the knowledge that I can,” Hernandez said about what she looked forward to most during the internship. “I want to learn everything about the advertising industry. MAIP provides that bridge of opportunity for students.”

Lizbeth Hernandez

Brandon Cruz

Nicole Figueroa

Using Social Media to Create Community

By Tierra Booth

Over the last two years, we have solely relied on technology to keep us updated during these unprecedented times. Every time our phone buzzes, we are welcomed to new notifications that either make or break our day.

Here at California State University, Dominguez Hills, one of our top priorities is to spread important information to our students, faculty, staff, and alumni family.

Throughout the different academic departments, the spread of news is a good source to have for people directly involved in these departments to stay updated.

After spending time figuring out what would work best for the department, members of the Communications Department Social and Outreach Committee, including chair Dr. Brant Burkey, Internship Program Coordinator Lisa Mastramico, Assistant Professor Fernando Severino, Department Coordinator Nancy Perry, and instructors Paul Fornelli and Komal Kapoor, came up with the idea to launch a social outreach internship targeted specifically to Communications students focusing on advertising and public relations majors.

With the launch of this internship program, the selected AD/PR students worked directly on social media platforms enhancing content so that members of this department will be able to experience better. The main idea of this internship is to promote community among the the Communications Department faculty, students, alumni, and indus-

try partners.

“Our AD/PR students are able to practice engagement and advertising skills but are also able to practice building community through this

the Communications Department,” said Dr. Burkey. He also explains how this simple effort of broadening the social media presence of the department will also foster engagement not only among the department and its students but beyond.

The first AD/PR majors selected for this inaugural internship program in the Spring 2022 semester were April Reynaga and Parker Actkinson, both graduating seniors. Though they worked together as a team, they each brought their own unique creative strategies to implement and both showed a great deal of dedication and enthusiasm.

In its initial stages, Reynaga and Actkinson were tasked with updating and maintaining content primarily on the Instagram platform, where most of the COM students tend to frequent. Eventually, the plan is to also expand the Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts for the department. The overall social media strategy is to provide regularly updated content that is specific to each platform.

unique program,” Internship Coordinator Lisa Mastramico said. In addition to develop a sense of community, the idea is also to increase to engagement with the department’s social media presence.

“ This is an ideal way to let people know what we’re about here in

Since Instagram is undoubtedly one of the biggest platforms for our current students, the priority was to expand its presence and generate more visits, likes, and shares among students, while providing useful and engaging content.

“Students will be able to be informed while also giving them insights of what they can look forward to within the COM Department,” said Actkinson.

On the other hand, using a platform such as Facebook, will be more

targeted to alumni as it has grown to be a popular platform for older users. On their Facebook platform, they will be reaching out to alumni for advice and updates for them to stay directly connected in the Communications Department.

The Twitter platform will be used as a faster way to update students and alumni on upcoming events and any current announcements. Being able to get these updates via push notifications will make it easier to stay connected without any effort.

Finally, the YouTube platform will focus more on visual content used as a way to reel in prospective students, alumni, students, etc. This will be a way to connect with information visually making it automatically more appealing.

Reynaga and Actkinson worked closely together to develop specific strategies to keep these platforms updated, interesting and informative.

One specific strategy is weekly “student spotlights.” These are questionnaires put out to students that aim for direct engagement. There will be questions that ask students if they are enjoying their major, what are their plans after graduation, how do they enjoy their time on campus etc.

Alumni can also participate in their own versions of these questionnaires that will be targeted more towards them. Their questions would be where they are currently and what advice would they extend to current communication major students.

“It’s important for our students to know that we care about each other and we’re here,” Reynaga said. She also indicates the importance of being able to remind students that they still have a solid support system

after graduation as a form of unity. Other weekly posts included interviews with faculty; congratulations for any student recognitions,

While the internship program is still new, the desire to promote community stands as the primary goal amongst for what is hoped to be accomplished by the administrators and interns themselves.

“The hope is that we can keep everyone connected to the COM Department, whether they are current students or have already moved on to their prospective fields after graduation. Using social media to keep everyone aware of any new developments in the department is a great way to do just that,” said Dr. Burkey.

“It’s also a great way to showcase our students’ skills by allowing them to develop social media strategies, produce content, and analyze the analytics of user engagement, skills they will also need to show off when they get out into the job market as media professionals,” he concluded.

It is hoped for the near future that the department will continue to expand the program to other Communications majors, where their specific skill set can also play a role in the internship. For now, though, the main agenda is to grow the audience for the department’s social media presence, a plan which Reynaga and Actkinson worked hard to accomplish. In the spring semester, they noted a 200 percent increase in user activity for their Instagram content as well as an increase in followers.

scholarships, or awards; highlighting Bulletin newspaper stories written by Journalism majors; and other department news, updates, and deadlines.

Dr. Burkey and Professor Mastramico also plan on growing the Social Outreach Internship through reaching out to more members of the department to develop new ideas that will lead to the programs’ success.

So go ahead and follow us on Instagram to see for yourself: @csudh_com_dept.

Hollywood By The Horns Back In-Person & Thriving

A program that began as a pilot program in 2014, Hollywood by the Horns has evolved into one of the most popular extracurricular programs for Film, Television, and Media (FTVM) students at CSUDH.

This spring, as classes returned to campus after two years of distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HBTH was back to hosting in-person events such as movie screenings, industry panels, and the 7th Annual Story Slam.

“Hollywood by the Horns was started with the intention of creating opportunities for our students to connect to folks in the entertainment industry in meaningful ways,” said Interim Program Director, Dr. Ryan Bowles Eagle, who was taking over the program for Dr. Toddy Eames while she was on sabbatical.

This Spring, the program kicked things off on April 8 with a special screening of the film

Coming 2 America. The screening was attended by three CSUDH FTVM Alumni, including Rob Smith, an associate producer of the film.

What makes the screenings special is that students are able to get advice from these industry professionals and ask them questions. It’s an excellent opportunity to learn and network with people who are in a position to help students achieve their goals.

Shaheed Samuels, a senior majoring in FTVM, raved about the screening and meeting a professional who is in a position she aspires to be in one day.

“I am grateful that I was able to ask [Rob Smith] a question and get an answer that can help me in my job search,” said Samuels. “And to be able to continue that conversation after the event and get his contact information for further career assistance and to build my network was great.”

Hollywood by the Horns, the flagship professional development program, also garnered support this past year from a Televisa Univision gift and a

Shaheed Samuels, a senior FTVM student at CSUDH.

Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) grant, making it possible for students to nurture their impactful storytelling.

Another successful HBTH event last year involved alumni Josh Cooper and CeJay Anderson, who participated on the panel, Entry Level: Securing (& Succeeding In) Your First Industry Job.

Then there was the Seventh Annual Story Slam, which took place on April 30. Modeled after The Moth Radio Hour, a platform where guests from all over the country share inspirational, interesting, and funny personal stories, the HBTH Story Slam is the culminating event for students who take the “Finding Your Voice and Telling Your Story” workshop, which is led by Hollywood veteran Lisa Callamaro.

“Students work on various stories over the course of their time. It’s special because students are sharing things that they’ve either never said out loud themselves, never shared with anybody. Something happens in that room that’s so special that students develop a trust in each other that I don’t see in most classroom settings,” Dr. Eagle said.

This year’s Story Slam was emceed by FTVM alum Tim Clemens, who runs the widely followed Craft Grooms Tik Tok along with his husband. Additionally,

Porscha Singh and Tracey Gutierrez were also featured as alumni storytellers for the event.

“I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of the Cinestory Screenwriting Masterclass,” Samuels said during the Presidential Distinguished Lecture Series in March. “We learned about writing for TV, which is what I’m most interested in. It was interesting to me to hear from the group leaders, to hear about their experiences in the screenwriting field.”

Samuels was also part of the FTV mentorship program where she was paired with a mentor who is already in the field. They met every month to help her prepare for postgraduation, specifically how to stand out professionally for potential employers.

Overall, Samuels found the whole experience of her involvement with HBTH to be quite beneficial and encourages others to join.

“I would highly recommend every FTVM student get involved with Hollywood By the Horns,” Samuels said. “The program has always and continues to provide top extracurricular activities for students and I can’t rave about it enough.”

This year’s participants in the HBTH Story Slam event held in April in the Marvin Laser Recital Hall of LaCorte Hall.

Photos by Alex Katnic & Skylar Reynoso

Sailing Towards Success

By Lloyd Bravo

Cal State University Dominguez Hills graduate Katherine Clements was not always a serious student. Throughout her academics she would skate through classes nonchalantly by doing the bare minimum in her course in order to receive a passing grade. However, during her last two semesters on campus a shift in her principles changed her perspective, along with guidance from faculty and peers, that gave her the necessary momentum to excel in the journalism program that would eventually paved the way for her current success as a staff writer and then managing editor at The Log Newspaper.

“In my last two semesters at CSUDH I kicked ass and I was like ‘give me everything you can’ and I wanted my byline on every magazine and newspaper as I can get it on,” Clements said. “In my later years, I became a much better student and my last semester at CSUDH was the only time I earned a 4.0.”

Clements has had aspirations of becoming a journalist while attending Huntington High School and helping revitalize the onced lamented school newspaper. Since graduating in 2021 from Cal State University Dominguez Hills, Clements has not diverted from her path and as she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism with the help from her esteemed professors and peers during the four year trek.

Regardless, her maritime accomplishments were not a part of her initial charting course as Clements’ first ambition was to become a sports journalist and broadcaster. But, the restrictions of concise journalistic writing were a bit monotonous for her taste and her broadcasting skills never flourished, throwing another anchor in her journey.

“I took a few broadcasting classes and realized it was not for me,” Clements said. “My

face and I am very bad on screen, but I am really good behind a keyboard.”

Although she did not find her passion with sports reporting, Clements realized that she wanted to express more of her creativity and found feature writing to coincide with all of the elements that came natural to her while learning that journalism does not have to limit the writer to one subject.

“When I was young, even when I was writing for The Bulletin, I was very sports driven and took on everything that had to do with sports since I was the tomboy sporty girl ,” Clements said. “When I started to learn with Professor Beers I began to understand that you can only go so far with sports because it is so factual.”

It was in her last two years that Clements would find the determination to achieve her goals as she became a more serious student that she has contributed with her older age. After graduating with her degree, Clements began to look for work in her field of interest. However, she felt that the trajectory of her career path was headed towards uncharted waters.

Fortunately an extremely timely beacon of hope named Jordan Darling, Editor of The Log and alum at CSUDH , provided a job opportunity that would provide an occupation quicker than Clements expected.

“I reached out to Dr. Brant Burkey because I needed some more support staff…and wanted someone that would be willing to take me seriously,” Darling said. “He recommended Katherine and I absolutely loved her enthusiasm and since she was a former student at CSUDH, I kind of knew her background.”

Clements explains the interview process was done over Zoom and the main questions that was asked by her future boss was how she could keep stories relevant and where she would look for

Photo by Kira Aufderheide from Unsplash

pertinent stories along with other aspects of her journalism technique.

“The way I pitched myself was I told them I was good at manipulating stories in order to keep them relevant and how I could find leads for future stories,” Clements said. “It is all about being relevant and not boring.”

It was not long before Clements was notified that she had earned the staff position for The Log and although working with a former student and editor of The Bulletin has been an enjoyable experience for Clements, at first, it was one that gave her nerves before her initial meeting with Darling.

“When I wrote for Compendium I actually got to interview her and that’s how we first met,” Clements said. “Even during the interview, she was a tough cookie and I felt she was already my boss, but once I met her it was like we are best friends.”

The Log is focused on West Coast boating

and fishing news, which falls under the Ducan-Macintosh group who used to own OC Weekly. The newspaper and online publication speaks about environmental issues along with boating and fishing legislation.

A primary amount of the writing responsibilities falls on Clements as her other duties include working on the newspaper’s Facebook and Instagram pages, correlating the proper Search Engine Optimizations for each article to drive more readers to the website and coming up with new aquatic-based stories.

“When I first started my position I was very frustrated because I did not know where to find these story ideas,” Clements said. “It is not as easy as it is in college where stories are handed to you since it takes a lot more research and I have to dedicate one day each week to find stories.”

Currently Darling and Clements have been

Journalism alum, Katherine Clements, sees her career launch at a Southern California nautical publication.

working on a new podcast called “The Log newscast” that highlights and delves into the featured articles published on the The Log website. One recent episode of the podcast had to do with rising temperatures of the ocean.

“It felt extremely unrealistic and I am really grateful that this opportunity fell into my lap,” Clements said. “I am so happy but at the same time I feel like this is not real because how do you graduate and get a job in your field in a couple months?”

Clements gives a large portion of her success to Dr. Burkey who became a major proponent of the young writer and feels his tutelage was the most influential in her development. Clements explains that the writing process was never an issue as she got a lot of value from the courses she took with professor Burkey, but it was studying the minute details required in the journalism profession, including conducting interviews, finding fair use images for articles and not upsetting potential contacts was most beneficial.

“I do not want to give Burkey so much credit but he really did help a lot,” Clements said. “I learned more from him than I did during my internship.”

Darling has so far been impressed with her friend and colleague as a lot of the content for the Log is created by both former students.

“Kate is doing great,” Darling said. “I knew I could work with her since I remembered the profile she wrote on me for Compendium since she was very prepared…and was clearly enthusiastic about learning and becoming a better journalist.”

Clements is thrilled about her current position at The Log, which has established her newfound career as a journalist. Even though the workload can be tremendous, she feels grateful for the opportunity she has been granted and wants to see students like herself have the same success she has qreceived in a relatively short time period.

“Really take advantage of the people in the classroom with you because having so many vocal peers and colleagues really helped me be prepared other than my internships,” Clements said. “I think that what has made me successful is building those relationships with the people I spend every day in the classroom with.”

Since this article was written, Clements has been promoted to Editor at the Log, following the departure of Darling.

Photos by Katherine Clements

Taking the Leap

By Serena Sanchez

Choosing the right cameras and angles, finding stories for anchors to talk about on TV, writing everything but what the reporters say, and making sure no one is under or overtime is only a summation of what Taylor Helmes does behind-the-scenes at Action News Now (ANN). As a News Producer, she completely cultivates how the formatting of the show goes–the glue holding everyone together.

Only having graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills about a year ago, Helmes has and continues to make the impossible seem possible as she took the leap from university journalism to broadcast news.

Though she is happily in broadcast news at ANN, Helmes did not always want to go into journalism. When she was introduced to broadcast journalism in high school, where they broadcasted three times a week, after graduating, she considered nursing, business, and even marine biology going into community college.

“I spent some time, you know, really looking inward and like, what do I really want to do after this? What do I want to work towards? And that’s when journalism just made sense,” said Helmes. “I always kept drifting back to that aspect of communication. And I got my Associates in Arts and Communication Studies. So it just kind of naturally fell into place.”

Since then, she has served as an intern reporter at EdSource, a full-time reporter for Beverly Hills Weekly, and now at her current position with ANN. But before that, she grew her journalism roots at CSUDH’s newspaper, The Bulletin, as its Editor-in-Chief.

With the student-run publication experience under her belt, she felt assured in her venture into one outside of the campus. At Beverly Hills Weekly, only a month after her CSUDH graduation, it was another small written publication, something she was used to. There, she was the only reporter, along with her editor and publisher. As the main source of content, she wrote news briefs, about local news, such as commission and council meetings, and reported on new art openings and exhibits. Additionally, every week, Helmes pushed out a feature, but despite the ease of this kind of writing, she reminds aspiring journalists about the criticality of news writing and reporting.

Photos by Jocelyn Rivera

“News is what makes the world go round,” she said. “You know, it’s always happening. News never sleeps. So neither do we.”

But it’s one thing to go from one written publication to another, but delving into something, slightly, new to her like broadcast was the complete polar opposite. In TV news at ANN, writing formats take a full 180, as sentence formation and use of AP Style is not the same in broadcast as it is in writing. Active voice and getting directly to the point is the basis of broadcast news, unlike the ability to build up and layer contextual and descriptive language in writing. But the swift three-month change from written to broadcast, though a bit of whiplash, was cushioned by Helmes’ colleagues.

“So it was kind of a learning curve, I will say that, but the team that I work with, they support me, want to teach me, and understand that I’m coming from a written background,” Helmes explained. “And that’s where, you know, having that partnership with your news director comes in handy because he understands where my background is. And he teaches me every day–every day, I’m learning new stuff.”

The innate ability to adapt to new environments is only further proof of Helmes’ success, on and off-campus. During her CSUDH stay, she was award-

ed the Outstanding Journalism Student award by the Communications Department, as well as acted as the Managing Editor and Editor-In-Chief for The Bulletin.

A lot of her knowledge in the books and out in the field Helmes owes to the Communications Department as a whole, as well as specific classes. In Dr. Burkey’s Senior Project class, she learned the importance of the portfolio students cultivate throughout the semester, and submit at the very end. While some may not take it seriously, Helmes emphasizes it in terms of the world outside of the campus’ confines and to consider possible employers looking at it.

Another class that helped her more than she realized as she looks back now, is Professor Severino’s Broadcast Journalism course. This class, like the former, has bled into her job-hunting process.

“That’s [her broadcast projects] what I used to apply for the job I have now,” Helmes said. “So when they say, you know, ‘Put all your hard work into it,’ imagine that you’re going to be submitting this for your job, not just a school project.”

Along with the material knowledge the Communications Department provided her, Helmes also took her professors’ raw, hard-pill-to-swallow advice about the journalism industry to heart.

“You do it, really, because you love it. And that’s

Photo courtesy of Taylor Helmes

Former Bulletin Editor-in-Chief Taylor Helmes makes the leap from print journalism to broadcast news.

something you’ll learn very quickly, especially with your first couple of jobs,” she said. “So I went in with that mindset, knowing that I’m going to be challenged. That kind of helped prepare me as well. That’s something, you know, our professors will tell us, but you don’t really know what they’re talking about until you experience it.”

One of the harsh realities that so many journalists face as they inch further toward graduation, is the stark difference between journalism during university and “real-world” journalism. Though she had been in broadcast for a short time in high school, and The Bulletin during her experience on campus, she noticed how much quicker and solid deadlines are, as well as the need to acclimate to a publication’s writing presentation. The realization that more people are likely to read your content and the higher stakes was also a stressor transferring journalism formats. And, unfortunately, sometimes you make mistakes.

“I’ve published mistakes, but not consequential,” Helmes said. “And I didn’t get in huge trouble. But you know, some information was inaccurate. And you just have to face those consequences and take responsibility. Look at it as a lesson, honestly, because once you make that mistake, you won’t make it again.”

But the contagious fear of failure begins to lessen as time goes by. “It just comes with experience. And the more you learn, and the more you do, the more confident you’ll feel. It’s super cliche to say, but it’s true,” Helmes said.

Simply finding a job can be immensely anxi-

ety-inducing because of its difficulty and the nerves that come along with it. In Helmes’ opinion, buckling down and dedicating an hour or two every day to search for jobs is a necessary step. Making sure all of your information is correct and dotting all of your I’s is only half the battle, though. Waiting to hear back from employers, or even being rejected, is normal.

“That’s not just how it works in journalism, but that’s how it works in any job. So you just have to keep your spirits high and know that you’re working towards something,” she said. Looking past the varying after-graduation job experience, preparation, awards, and differences, Helmes believes that, though all of those are crucial to know and have, exploring and pursuing your passions is what everything’s about.

Her advice? If you have interests, look into them. If you want to learn more, reach out. Regardless of where she is now, all the way up in Chico, Calif., Helmes still has aspirations that never remain stagnant.

“Having a curious mind should come naturally as a journalist because that’s what we do,” Helmes said. “We ask questions, we figure out the answers, and we deliver those answers. So I’d say stay curious and be as optimistic as you can be [...] I’m learning the industry, I’m learning how to write, and I’m learning you know, what you need to get to that point. So just give yourself grace. And try and stay positive.”

Community Partner Breakfast

held an event this year in the Library recognizing the ongoing support of our community partner organizations that sponsor our internship program and graduating seniors.

Lisa Mastramico, the Communications Department Internship Program Coordinator,

Photos: Nancy Perry and Dr. Brant Burkey

Crystal Willis

Luis Fernandez

Hunter Chase

Marisol Barrios

Natalie Obando

Dennis Freeman

Ielaf Altoma

Graduation Gets Back Into Full Swing

the Class of 2022