Communication Department Student Spotlight

It’s a cold December thursday, amidst the hustle of classes the week before finals. For most students this is the most stressful time of the year, making them irritable, anxious, and fatigued. However after spotting junior Patty Camerota in the ILC Hub for our interview, I realized that there are rare exceptions. Her bright smile, enthusiasm, and high energy remained steadfast as she transitioned from working on a project with friends to getting prepared to speak with me.

Patty’s sunny disposition and infectious interpersonal aura serve as key markers for her career aspirations to work in the mass media industry as a production/content developer, specifically through digital storytelling. Reflecting on what fueled such a career path, Camerota says that she has always been very outgoing, and has used this skill as a means to promote positivity and social change; in high school she was involved with student government, was appointed to an anti-bullying student coalition, and gave a speech to her class at graduation. As the youngest of three siblings, she also credits the influences of her family for demonstrating the importance of making others feel welcomed and respected, regardless of initially perceived differences.

Upon entering UMass, Patty did not have a clear idea about what she wanted to pursue as a career. She initially declared as a psychology major because of her interest in societal influences on the development of children, however she left the department after being unable to find courses that provided practical preparation in this specific aspiration, while also having trouble envisioning herself working as a psychologist. The end of her first semester saw Patty taking courses in and speaking to members of numerous departments in order to find the perfect fit. After what turned out to be a fateful visit to the Department of Communication Peer Advising Office, Camerota fell in love with the academic research being explored in Comm, the career opportunities it offered, and the sense of belonging that she felt in the department. Specific courses that especially resonated with her were Allison Butler’s Comm 121: Media and Society, as well as Michael Morgan’s Comm 122: Media, Programming, and Institutions. Patty has a passion for investigating societal trends depicted in the mass media, and their impact on fostering dominant ideologies and sparking social movements in popular culture. Thus, these introductory courses examined precisely what she was looking to critically analyze.

Patty prides herself on having a very active hand in directing her own education, pairing academic pursuits with extracurricular, professional experiences. As a freshman she became a member of the UMass chapter of HerCampus, a national online magazine targeted towards and operated by collegiate women. HerCampus provides a uniquely female perspective on all kinds of societal issues, from social justice movements to economic disputes to pop culture trends, etc. What attracted Camerota to the organization was the close-knit, supportive community among the group’s members, and the vast array of professional opportunity and expertise which she could benefit from. Quickly moving up the ranks, Camerota was promoted to Event Director at the beginning of her junior year, a position which places her in charge of administering HerCampus’ social media presence, distributing promotional materials on campus, and coordinating events throughout the semester. One of these events was a Clothes Swap, where group members swapped sweatshirts, pants, jackets, and other articles with each other.  All of the excess items were donated to the Amherst Survival Center, extending warmth and protection to all members of the Amherst area during the harsh winter season. Camerota has taken on this position at a time of growth for HerCampus UMass Amherst, since this year marks the first that the organization has been funded and therefore is able to organize many more large-scale events. In addition to this business oriented experience, Patty’s passion and skill for writing earned her an internship at The Springfield Republican Newspaper this past summer. “Working at The Republican was so wonderful because I was able to cover stories that I had a personal interest in, such as underrepresented issues concerning people and places that I was genuinely concerned about”, she says. This experience allowed Patty the opportunity to differ away from traditional journalism that is written from an objective standpoint, instead allowing her to pursue stories and produce content which “benefit a collective rather than just a few individuals”.

What becomes evident when speaking with Patty is her passion for everything that she does, from the classes she takes, organizations she involves herself with, and beliefs that she advocates for. A dedicated scholar with raw talent, creative energy, and a strong work ethic, Patty is an asset to those she works with. The Communication Department has gained a tremendous scholar who’s unique insight and perspective will be missed next semester, when Camerota will be studying abroad in Siena, Italy.

For many college students, studying abroad is a dream aspiration. Having the ability to expose oneself firsthand to different cultures while working towards finishing one’s degree is an extremely rewarding experience. For senior Comm student Arjun Chawla, this is known as childhood. Born in Virginia, Chawla moved to Michigan due to his father’s position at the Dow Chemical Company. Soon afterwards, the family relocated to India for three years and Singapore for seven, before returning to Michigan for another five. Because his life was constantly being uprooted every few years, it was difficult for Arjun to stick with specific hobbies and interests. Despite this, he has always been drawn towards interpersonal fields where he can work creatively with other people. Once he enrolled at Hofstra University in the Fall of 2012, Chawla majored in marketing, where he was able to use his creative energy to promote causes that were important to him.

At the start of his junior year, Arjun transferred to UMass Amherst primarily because of financial reasons, however he quickly fell in love with the school because of the variety of opportunities it provided him. Coming from Hofstra, a school about half the size of UMass, there simply “wasn’t such a vast intellectual curiosity as there is at UMass,” Chawla reflects. “Here, there are so many different majors you can declare, courses that will expose you to different viewpoints, and organizations that open you up to amazing experiences.” Arjun declared as a Communication major after surveying the material addressed in many of his introductory courses, which exposed him both to numerous societal issues and how people can work to solve such problems through introspective and interpersonal work. One of his favorite courses in the department is COMM 331: Program Processes Through TV, because he was able to gain first-hand experience working in a professional production studio. “What makes Comm so great is that the course material is so engaging that I’m not even worried about grades– I’m learning so much while having lots of fun.”

Outside of the classroom, Arjun has applied his communicative skills to various professional platforms. Last fall, he was a featured speaker at ProjectX, a Five College Consortium student showcase that drew in over 400 avid attendees. Chawla spoke about the importance of finding “pockets of happiness” in one’s everyday life in order to overcome difficult obstacles. “Having a positive attitude can get you through anything,” he says. I asked him about specific times in his life where focusing on the positive aspects of a seemingly bad situation has helped him. “When I would have to leave a country after staying for a few years and making good friends, it was so hard to leave them and start all over. But what made everything better was the thought that once I move, I’ll find new opportunities and new friends.” This positive outlook has served Chawla well throughout his childhood and adolescence, as well as during his college career.

Arjun became the Associate Director of UMass Amherst Outreach at TEDxAmherst, where he spearheaded several innovative marketing initiatives to raise awareness about the TEDxAmherst 2015 Conference. This past summer, Arjun served as a Consumer Fundraising Intern at the American Red Cross, primarily working to provide aid to the victims of the Nepal Earthquake on April 25th. Employing his creative energy and strong work ethic, Chawla was a vital member of the Red Cross’ Giving Day on June 7th, 2015, for which the fundraising team worked to raise over $5 million in aid for the devastated people of Nepal. What made Giving Day so unique is that Chawla’s team targeted its efforts to families and individuals, not corporate sponsors. “The massive amount that we raised represents the impact that everyday people can have when they work together for a common good,” he says.

Arjun is in his final year at UMass, and is currently a Fellow within the SBS Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP), which is a group of SBS undergraduate scholars who are passionate about their work and wish to collaborate with other students, faculty, and staff. Looking ahead, Arjun’s primary goal is to secure a job after graduation. For many graduating seniors, job hunting can be very stressful and time consuming, so for his final semester in the spring, Arjun is exploring a myriad of interests that he has never looked into before, such as theater. He has a passion for acting and is looking forward to expressing his creative energy in another outlet. Arjun is a multi-faceted scholar whose enthusiasm, dedication, and international exposure will serve him well in his future endeavors.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst prides itself on having such a talented array of students, faculty, and alumni, especially within the prestigious Department of Communication. This Student Spotlight series highlights the numerous accomplishments of specific Comm members, providing them with recognition for their important work as well as inspiring others to follow their lead. Jessica Williams is a junior double majoring in Communication and Philosophy, with a specific interest in racial representation in broadcast television. I sat down with her to discuss her background, her time at UMass so far, and her career aspirations for the future.

Williams has always had an interest in media representation of people with diverse backgrounds: born in China, she was adopted as a baby and raised in Tucson, Arizona, a city which she refers to as a “small Boston in the middle of Arizona” due to it’s liberal political leanings similar to that of the capital city of the Bay State. Williams then moved to Rockport MA, a scenic beachside town, during the seventh grade. Initially most interested in Math, she grew to develop a passion for English, History and Theater upon her arrival into high school. It was this passion that fueled her interest in journalism, because of it’s importance in “providing the public with vital, unbiased information about pressing societal issues”.

Throughout her three years at UMass, Williams feels that she has grown a tremendous amount, both as a student and as a leader. She initially entered as a Communication major, but left in an effort to pursue other interests. She declared majors in Political Science, Philosophy, Anthropology, and even in Social Thought and Political Economy “for one day”, she adds, before returning to Communication. Williams’ academic path serves as a model for the freedom of UMass students to explore whatever field of study they wish, without feeling confined to one department or college. Though she values her experiences in each of her different majors, Williams says that she’d rather have entered the University as an undeclared student so that she’d have even less of a restriction exposing herself to various courses.

Jessica is a very driven, motivated and passionate young woman who is constantly taking on new experiences inside and out of the classroom. She has a slew of professional expertise within the media and production industry, serving this past summer as a National Content Development Intern at WGBH, which is the Greater Boston Public Broadcasting network. Here, Williams assisted on numerous production projects, including the re-broadcast of a civil rights documentary titled Eyes on The Prize. Reflecting on her role, Williams says that she “gained a lot of expertise with the pre-production process, as well as with social media upkeep and conducting data analysis”. But Jessica’s skills extend beyond media production; she also serves as the Associate Director of Partnerships at TEDxAmherst, an independently organized TED organization comprised of students within the Five College Consortium. Here, her responsibilities revolve around networking with world renowned corporations that are leading in technology, medicine, entertainment and design, in order to foster a financially supportive partnership. These sponsors are essential in order for TEDxAmherst to be able to hold it’s annual conference in the Spring, so Jessica must employ her professional and interpersonal expertise when interacting with representatives from these companies. Both of these facets of expertise Jessica has acquired through her Communication courses, specifically in Professor Sut Jhally’s courses COMM 287: Advertising as Social Communication and COMM 288: Gender, Sex, and Representation. Williams found these courses to be both intellectually and emotionally stimulating because of the in-depth analysis of how dominant conventions in society are perpetuated through media content, and how representations of minorities in media are constructed through the political economy of broadcasting.

Jessica manages a very busy schedule; with five courses, her role in TEDxAmherst, and a job as a Production Assistant at the Office of News and Media Relations, she has relatively little time for leisure. However, she actively makes the most of this time by immersing herself in multicultural events on campus and attending the UMass improv troupe Mission: Improvable’s weekend shows. As for her future plans, Williams is studying abroad in Paris for the Spring 2016 semester, where she will continue her critical analysis of media content on a global scale. Though studying abroad can be a very complicated process, Jessica finds comfort in the academic and emotional support she has found from those in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “I always feel welcomed and recognized by those in SBS, and that is very rare at a University the size of UMass”, she says. This incredible support has influenced Williams to give back to SBS in the future as an annual donor to the college.

Career-wise, Jessica hopes to work in network television after graduation, where she will continue her work in providing accurate representation of minority groups within the mainstream media. Whether she sticks with this goal or decides on another path, Jessica will find success at every turn because of her tenacity, passion for her work, and warm, collaborative demeanor. She embodies the attributes of the UMass Department of Communication and is a valued member of not only the department, but also of the entire University.