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CMST Graduates
Sophia Perlander Yanker
Marketing Manager, Mignon Faget Ltd.
B.A., Communication Studies, 2014
My Communication Studies courses and degree from LSU have greatly helped me in my career journey to get where I am today. As a Marketing Manager, I benefit greatly from my CMST courses whether I'm speaking to my team, the entire company, negotiating with vendors or even presenting to the public for large events that we sponsor. I loved the small classes and knowing my classmates throughout each semester and sometimes having the same teachers for multiple courses. This greatly helped me in learning how to best lead and manage small teams for various projects. Everyone in the Communication Studies department was encouraging and supportive for the various career paths everyone was taking after graduation. My skills in art direction, public relations, content conceptualization, all stem from the variety of courses I was able to experience. I would not be where I am today without the Communication Studies program at LSU and always encourage anyone who is curious to consider it!
Leslie Briner
Associate District Manager, ADP
B.S. Marketing , Minor CMST, 2013
The communication studies courses I took while at LSU have provided me with invaluable information that I use daily in my career. The ability to put together a training program, speak in public with confidence, and have awareness of my non-verbal communication have helped me excel in Sales. These learned skills allow me to provide my clients with great customer service and express new products they should purchase with ease. I am very thankful for the opportunities I have received due to my CMST background and I highly recommend the department if you are looking for a career in corporate America.
Mary Margaret Kiggans
Recruiter, Insight Global Incorporated
B. A., Communication Studies, 2014
Although I did not start my time at LSU with a major in Communication Studies, I decided shortly through my freshman year that it was exactly what I was looking for in a major. The classes were smaller, meaning I got to have close relationships with my classmates and professors (some of whom I knew all four years). The study of communication is not limited to one area, so I was able to take a wide variety of classes all with different foci. I was challenged to step out of my comfort zone in classes such as performance studies and public speaking. I was challenged intellectually in classes such as persuasion and intrapersonal communication. I learned how to apply practical theories that explain how relationships and other forms of interpersonal communication work. CMST is such a wonderful major, and I can say wholeheartedly that I am grateful to have spent my 4 years at LSU studying communication.
Logan Sacco
Event Specialist, Event Rental
B. A., Communication Studies, 2011
I have been with my company for over three years, and can attribute my success in the industry to my communication skills. I work for the largest event production company on the Gulf Coast, and my day consists of speaking with a variety of clients including excited brides planning their wedding to political officials planning an event for their campaign. I am able to employ the theories have learned in my CMST classes to help me effectively communicate with a different variety of personalities, and end up with a wonderful event. I frequently am asked by coworkers to assist in tasks related to communication, such as drafting an email to a difficult client, or conveying their design plan to a client across the country. The wonderful professors of the CMST department will teach a set of invaluable skills that will benefit your future no matter what career path you choose.
Samantha McLain
Communications Coordinator, New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans
B. A., Communication Studies, 2013
The courses I took while obtaining my Communication Studies degree coupled with the encouragement from my advisors to pursue a career in sports was instrumental as I have begun my career. The concepts and strategies taught in courses including Organizational Communication and Public Speaking are reflected in my work on a daily basis. Upon graduation I felt that my degree did not limit me while choosing my career, but gave me the opportunity to consider several different paths.
Taylor Leverett
Sales Representative, Ammon Staffing
B. A., Communication Studies, 2014
Graduating from LSU with a degree in Communication Studies has opened many doors for me and has given me endless opportunities. Most businesses rank communication as one of the top three skills they want their employees to possess. Communication is the key to building strong relationships which is vital when it comes to being a sales representative. If you want a major that will prepare you for the real world, this is it!
Whitney Ryan
B.A. Communication Studies, 2013
A degree in Communication Studies taught me the skills that aided in my adaptation to the many communication difficulties that coexist within the company environment. For example, it helped me understand and adjust to miscommunications and understandings that can occur between coworkers. CMST allowed me to gain insight into many areas within communication, but also allowed me to take classes that were more tailored to my area of interest. I appreciate that I was able to take classes in relation to health, entertainment, and consulting, all of which are various facets of communication, rather than having to choose only one as my focus. In addition, my CMST classes created a solid foundation that enabled me to continue my education and receive my master’s degree from Auburn University. My degree in Communication Studies has opened many doors for me that will be beneficial for my future.
Summer Francois
BA, Communication Studies, 2013
Obtaining my CMST degree was a great experience for me. I was learning about valuable tools to use in the “real world” and that interested me. Being thrown off the deep-end into professionalism and adulthood, I do not think I would have survived without knowing the things I did from Organizational Communication, Relationship Communication, Persuasive Communication and research involvement. I meet at least 20 new individuals a week in a corporate/business setting as a part of my career. I rely heavily on my public speaking knowledge/ques to communicate effectively in order to establish credibility for myself. CMST is a great degree to give you confidence and in any situation from introductions to interviews to working with your new team for your first job.
Matthew Guidry
Insulin Pump Representative, Diabetes Management & Supplies
B.A., Communication Studies, 2015
As an undergraduate, I assumed that my Communications Studies degree would adequately prepare me for a career in sales. Not only did the concepts I learned as an undergraduate prove to be extremely valuable towards my career, but the mentorship demonstrated by the professors also helped me excel academically during my undergraduate years. Lastly, the adaptability that a Communications Studies degree offers makes any undergraduate a viable candidate for numerous career options.
Annie Thomas
Assistant Front Office Manager, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek Hotel, Dallas, TX
B. A., Communication Studies, 2011
Classes that I was able to take during my time at LSU within the Communication Studies program have been instrumental in my career path thus far. I believe that these courses molded my thought processes and personality for a career that is people based in every interaction. My degree of Communication Studies, paired with a minor in Business Administration, allowed me to have no bounds when I graduated. It was the perfect decision for education for a career with Hospitality Management.
Gretchen Fox Klobucar
Assistant Director
Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts Foundation
B.A., Communication Studies, 2009 (LSU)
M.A., Communication Studies, 2011 (UNC Chapel Hill)
Communication Studies gives you a critical edge as a student entering the “real world”—and as a CMST student, you know precisely the social construction I’m referencing. This is because Communication Studies offers two essential skills: a way of critically understanding the world and a way of effectively communicating in it.
As an LSU CMST student, I focused on Performance Studies and Rhetoric. I served as the Undergraduate Representative for the BlackBox Theatre. My friend Ashley Bryant and I started the Organization for Communication Students our junior year, recognizing the value of networking with our fellow classmates and proving that there are career choices in CMST. My coursework at LSU prepared me for the rigors of the UNC Chapel Hill master’s degree program, and they recognized the high caliber of what LSU’s Department of Communication Studies offers. I even developed my thesis on the Uncle Jack statue at the LSU Rural Life Museum from a project assigned in Dr. Hall’s “Performance in Everyday Life” class.
In my current position as Assistant Director for the LSMSA Foundation, a nonprofit that exists solely to support one of the top high schools in Louisiana, I use the communication strategies I’ve learned every day. Put simply, this manifests as an ability to understand my audience (to whom am I making fundraising appeals), craft messages with appropriate use of persuasion and emotion, and to understand the value of interpersonal relationships both within my office and with constituents. Perhaps most importantly, I present all of this with conviction in writing as well as in speech to coworkers, grant agencies, and current and future donors.
I firmly believe I could not do my job without my Communication Studies experiences.
Kristyn Knowles
B. A., Communication Studies, 2011
I can say with conviction that it was my Communication Studies degree that prepared me most for life after LSU. Each CMST class gave me a true hands on experience that was not afforded to me with the other classes that I took during my collegiate years. The education I gained around “soft skill” development was beneficial both personally and professionally. The CMST coursework gave me the competencies that organizations look for their leaders. No matter what industry you want to go into, CMST will provide you with the skill set that you need to stand out and will set you up for a successful future.
Katie Holcomb
Legal Assistant, Sanford Law Firm, PLLC
B.A., Communication Studies, May 2014
After choosing to switch from Mass Communications to Communication Studies, I was presented with many challenging but exciting and irreplaceable opportunities. I do not think I would have had these same opportunities had I not switched my major. Whether you are enrolled in a course in, public speaking, communication and gender, or persuasive communication, there are countless opportunities and courses. The best advice I have to give is to try a course in each niche of communications, because it is such a broad major, you can do anything from production and editing to public speaking to interpersonal communications, so trying different courses is really the only way you will discover which passion drives you. I never realized how lucky I was to have chosen a major that taught me I could be who I wanted to be, and was surrounded by people who accepted me for who I was. My favorite part about the Communication Studies department, would have to be the professors and how helpful and readily available they are to help you learn and grow. The most beneficial thing about majoring in Communication Studies, is that no matter what you learn or what course you take, you will become a better communicator, and you will be able to use those techniques in whatever you choose to do.
Kellie Blake
Public Relations/Marketing, Susan G. Komen (Baton Rouge)
B. A., Communication Studies, 2014
A Communication Studies degree at LSU is the most transferrable and applicable educations a student can receive. As a CMST major or minor, you learn how to build and maintain relationships, people skills and excellent verbal and nonverbal communication skills that will aid you in your future career for life. The professors in this Department actually care about you as an individual and will go out of their way to push you to your fullest potential and guarantee your success as a student and a professional. A key ingredient to any employment opportunity is excellent communication skills, which is exactly what is taught to CMST students.
Kelly Hackenbracht
Account Manager for MEGA Group USA
B. A., Communication Studies, 2015
My degree in Communication Studies has made me be very successful in the “real world.” I am now an Account Manager for MEGA Group USA in Germantown, Tennessee. MEGA Group is a national home furnishings buying organization with retail members in the furniture, electronic, appliance and mattress industries. As an Account Manager, I call anywhere from 20-30 out of the 1,700 members to check in with them and make sure their business is running smoothly. I follow up through e-mail, as well. Many of the communication tactics I use while on the phone and computer, I learned in CMST courses with Dr. Honeycutt. Also, I learned about how to manage conflict with clients due to taking courses in communication and independent studies under Dr. Honeycutt. As an Account Manager, my responsibilities entail communicating with representatives, clients, and customers in 3,000 store fronts throughout the United States.