My Evolving Professional Mission
In 2010, the U.S. Bureau of the Census published a survey that showed that only 27.3% of American college graduates worked in a job that was related to the undergraduate degree that they received from their respective institution.
I found myself in those shoes in 2024 when I began an assistantship as a Graduate Instructional Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
I entered post-secondary education with the goal of becoming a sports broadcaster. Even before that, I had long thought of becoming a music educator. I was (and still am) a terrific trombonist and tubist in my younger years, and my trombone stuck with me for my entire undergraduate career, as I was a member of the university’s top jazz ensemble. Funny enough, it was the “Music Major for a Day” event at UW-Whitewater that turned me away from being a music education major and narrowed my educational pursuits to sports journalism.
I think this goal of sports broadcasting is still reachable, but I took a chance in 2024 that seemed too good to be true: receiving my Master of Science degree in Communication while working as an assistant college educator.
I had not had this goal in mind. Teaching was something I had thought of before, but I didn’t really see myself doing that anymore. My mother had always told me she could see me as an educator in my professional life, but I had never given it thought until the end of my first semester as a GIA. Two students of mine came to me and shook my hand at the end of their final class period with me, thanking me for making their experience in my class “memorable.”
I could teach.
My initial goal I had set for myself in graduate school was, well, graduate from school. I knew what the course load was, I knew what my responsibilities were in my assistantship, so all I had to do was successfully complete my studies and manage my schoolwork with work-work and I would successfully complete graduate school. Nothing really changed from that point; I achieved that goal in December 2025 when I crossed the stage for the second time in six years. It was different from the goal I had set when I initially entered university, I certainly did not see myself getting a master’s degree, but my goal in postgraduate studies was to finish.
So, what now?
My future goal reflects my passion for sports and media, along with my newfound passion for education.
I want to become a college educator in the field of communication within the next five years.
Specifically, I want to teach sports communication. To do this, I will continue to create both short and long-form content, while also refining my skills in word-processing, spreadsheets, and in graphic design. I believe I can continue to make classroom experiences “memorable” and my knowledge of the field, combined with the portfolio you see here, reflect this belief.
Reflecting on my Journey Through the M.S. Communication Program
I honestly had no idea what to expect when I agreed to enter the master’s program. I entered the program with the preconceived notion that professional communication was blunt in nature; just “give the people what they want,” if you will. I didn’t think much of a communications role other than it was really intended for public relations and human resources departments.
However, like many of the general populous do not know the difference between “marketing” and “advertising,” I was in for a changed mind.
Communication became less like expression of ideas and more disciplined as I progressed through the program. It felt more like a science than an art form, which is ironic considering the program involves receiving a “master of science” degree upon completion. I was fortunate enough to get eased into this new, unfamiliar frame of reference in my first semester of the program. However, it quickly became apparent that my preconceived notions were to be shattered.
The practical world of communication is not simply just setting up a camera and speaking your thoughts into a microphone, nor is it just explaining new office measures to your coworkers or subordinates, nor is it just writing passable ad copy or being straightforward in messaging. Rather, I now realize that communication involves dedicated research surrounding who it is you are trying to get the attention of. Communication is about setting objectives and measures for success in getting the right words and the right message to the right crowd. Communication is carefully devising strategies to get the message into the right channels and implementing the right tactics for doing so. Communication is evaluating just how successful you can get your message to the right eyes and ears.
In other words, there was a real, almost scientific process to tell your audience about something, what to do and how to do it, what to think, what to think about, and so on.
I hope to teach college students someday, but I also plan on continuing to pursue my dream of broadcasting sports, whether that be via calling live events or doing analysis on TV, radio, YouTube, or the like. In practice, I know that research and proper preparation are far more important than just “knowing what you’re talking about,” and I plan on taking this practice wherever my professional career might take me.
