Alumni Spotlight: Jake Rudolph

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photo of Jake Rudolph, COMM alum

The UConn Department of Communication is always excited to hear about our alumni, so when we received a press release from Left of Center announcing Jake Rudolph's (CLAS '19) new role there, we had to share! Jake graduated cum laude in December 2019, having double-majored in Communication and Political Science. Her earned the Communication Researcher distinction in May 2019. Now he's taking on the role of Website Content Manager and Researcher at Left of Center, a woman-run, grassroots super PAC working to elect Democrats in strategic U.S. House races across the country.

From the press release:

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Rudolph is part of a team responsible for analyzing and collecting data to inform Left of Center’s organizing and communications work. Additionally, he will be curating and organizing website content.

"Jake Rudoph is an outstanding addition to our team," said Co-founder Deb Kozikowski. "His training in politics and communications, coupled with his digital and organizational know-how make him a perfect fit. He’s doing great work for Left of Center." Rudolph’s work will help Left of Center’s initiatives in swing-state races. “I’m excited to manage the website while also providing research to inform important decisions,” Rudolph said.

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Congratulations, Jake, and we look forward to following your career!

Letter from Ken Lachlan, Department Head

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Kenneth LachlanWelcome to the Department of Communication! Despite the challenges presented by COVID, we have had another great year in the department. Our undergraduate program continues to grow in both popularity and visibility on campus, and we now serve over 900 majors. We continue to focus on both theory and applied coursework, and our internship program now enrolls over 100 students annually. This emphasis on merging theory and application is paying off for our graduates, as recent data from the Center for Career Development suggests that 90% of our alumni are appropriately employed within a year of graduation, and gravitate toward career tracks in marketing, media, operations, business development, sales, and human resources. Our talented graduate students continue to play a major role in the department and have recently secured tenure-track faculty positions at universities such as Louisville, Missouri, Cal Poly, West Chester, and UNLV, to name just a few. I am exceedingly proud of both our faculty and our students, who have weathered the uncertainty of migrating instruction to online with great resilience and an overwhelmingly positive attitude. It truly has been a team effort.

We are very proud of all we do here in Communication, but we could use your help. Due to cuts in state funding, we were already looking at budget reductions in 2021. Now with the added uncertainty of the COVID pandemic, we are more reliant than ever on alumni contributions to continue providing the quality academic experience our students deserve. For example, the software that we use to teach social media network analysis costs $250 per year, per lab desktop. Our production courses are reliant on aging cameras that will costs thousands to replace, while our Lambda Pi Eta members pay out of their own pockets to travel to conferences and network with employers.

Please consider donating. No amount is too large or too small, and your tax-deductible contribution will help ensure that we can continue to provide an intellectually fulfilling and professionally advantageous degree to generations of future Huskies.

Yours Sincerely,
Ken Lachlan
Professor and Department Head

Behind the Scenes: COMMotion Pictures Film Screening

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The UConn Department of Communication’s annual student film screening has become one of the department’s most popular events. Hundreds of students, family members, friends and alumni gather together in the Hartford Spotlight Theatre and watch student films on the big screen. Students in multimedia production courses have the opportunity to produce, film and edit their own short films. At the end of the semester, some of the best films make their way to the big screen for everyone to view. Though the red carpet and the flashing lights of the cameras certainly show the glamorous side of film, the process of creating them takes dedication and a lot of hard work.  A film team from the 2019 film screening gave some behind the scenes insight into what it takes to create a screening-worthy film.

Lil Doc was created by James Brockett, Taijek Mikel, Aaron Lorenzo, Gilbert Owens and Michael Sampson, who were all students in the COMM Advanced Digital Production course. The group created a 10 minute documentary that featured Connecticut rappers and their music. Each member of the film crew expressed an interest in rap, and they knew they wanted to incorporate it into their project. They found the stories of local rappers to be compelling because they all had unique struggles to overcome. Between the creation of music, local rivalries and the battle to be accepted in society, the film team captured interesting and heartfelt stories from each of the rappers featured. 

The students connected with the rappers and traveled to meet with them. They took trips all over the state, lugging gear in the rain and hoping to get the shots they needed to tell the story that they were looking for. Though some shoots were more successful than others, they were able to edit together a film that portrayed the troubles, successes and the personalities of Connecticut rappers. 

After all of this hard work, the Lil Doc team submitted their film to be considered at the Department of Communication’s annual film screening. Not only was their film selected, but it won the audience choice award. Both the film crew and the rappers received the recognition that they worked so hard for. The group members expressed their gratitude towards the Department of Communication for giving them an opportunity to create such a meaningful project. 

The 2020 COMMotion Pictures screening was hosted over a live YouTube stream so the audience could experience the same excitement while social distancing. You can watch a recording of this year’s screening at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnmqhFNw6Xk&t=33s. Professors Sara and Steve Stifano hosted the screening and named Peaches as the 2020 first place student film. Peaches is a short narrative horror film that left the entire audience with nightmares. Congratulations to all 2020 COMMotion pictures filmmakers, and thank you for another entertaining film screening.

To view the Lil Doc film, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ID57BT_2Xx8

Undergraduates in the Industry: Jeremy Karew

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Every semester, students take their passion for communication to the industry by interning for various companies and organizations. Over the years, students in the Department of Communication have had the opportunity to be a part of prestigious intern programs throughout the country. Jeremy Karew, a 2020 graduate of the graduate of UConn and a Communication major held a particularly interesting internship that prepared him for life after college.

During his time as an undergraduate student, Jeremy worked for Bayer AG, U.S. Pharmaceutical as a Media Relations Intern. In this role he was responsible for creating pitches to media outlets about Bayer’s actions, which were sent to large publications like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. While creating these pitches, he also contributed to the creation of communications on behalf of executives, the production of an internal town hall, and stakeholder mapping. 

Jeremy stated that this hands on experience “helped me as a professional as this was my first full time position and I learned how to manage my time effectively by keeping up with deadlines and assignments. Also, it gave me the opportunity to present a stakeholder mapping project to the marketing team, which helped my presentation skills greatly.” Learning in this environment supplemented the skills that he was learning in class, such as internal and external public relations.

In the future, Jeremy hopes to join a law firm in Boston in a case assistant or junior paralegal role. This internship prepared him for what it’s like to work in a fast moving, competitive industry. It taught him how to manage deadlines, meet assignments, and to go above and beyond a tasks’ basic assignments. Like many of his classmates, he found that applying what he learned at UConn in the workplace can help build the skills necessary to succeed early in his career. 

To learn more about Jeremy’s experience, you can connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-k-66a370106/. To advertise your company’s internship opportunities to undergraduate students at UConn, reach out to undergraduate advisor Joel Nebres at jose.nebres@uconn.edu.

Alumni Spotlight: Alyssa Davanzo (CLAS ’15)

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The Department of Communication prides itself in providing students with the skills they need to succeed in all of their career opportunities in the future. There are countless alumni pursuing innovative and meaningful careers, and some of those alumni stay closely connected with the department. Alyssa Davanzo, Class of 2015, pursued a career in corporate communications post-graduation, and she has since used her knowledge to work with current undergraduate students to prepare them for their future careers.

Alyssa is currently a Corporate Communications Specialist at the Henkel Corporation in Stamford, CT. After joining the team in 2017, she worked hard to transition into her current role. During her time working for Henkel she has contributed a wide variety of content such as articles, photography, videos and other communication assets to the organization. 

Before joining the Henkel team, Alyssa started her career in the television industry while working for NBC Universal. Within her time at NBC, she worked in production roles for The Maury Show, Crazy Talk and The Steve Wilkos Show. After working for the television industry for 2 years, she transitioned to the consumer packaged goods industry and has continued to excel and learn at Henkel.

After graduating from the UConn Department of Communication and building her career goals throughout all of the positions she’s held, she advised those who are early on in their careers to focus on themselves rather than comparing their journeys to other’s. “After graduation, your friends will be going in all different directions – Some will be going straight to grad school, others will jump into a full-time job, and a few might take some time to figure out their next steps.  There’s no ‘right’ way to start your career.  Do what makes the most sense for you,” advised Davanzo.

Alyssa has stayed connected with her UConn network throughout the years and pointed out the importance of maintaining UConn connections, “More often than not, there are at least a handful of UConn alumni working at every company. Use LinkedIn as a tool to connect with former UConn students – you already have something in common!”

Alyssa is one of the many alumni that makes the UConn Department of Communication proud by utilizing her communication skills to succeed in her career. To learn more about her journey with communication or connect with Alyssa, reach out via LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssadavanzo/

COMM Speaker Series: Dr. Aisha Nakiwala

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Visiting Scholar Aisha Nakiwala presenting to the departmentJoin us for the Department of Communication Speakers Series lecturer, Dr. Aisha Nakiwala for her talk: "What do They Talk About? Narratives of Ugandan Women on Facebook."

The Communication Speaker Series presents Dr. Aisha Nakiwala from the Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University in Uganda. Her talk will take place on Tuesday, October 15, from 12:30-1:45 p.m. in Arjona 225.

Nakiwala Aisha Sembatya (Ph.D) is a Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University in Uganda. She obtained a Doctorate of Philosophy in Communication in 2017 from Makerere University, Kampala and Örebro University, Sweden focusing on communication for malaria prevention in Uganda.  Her working experience spurned several years and includes academia and consultancy for government, non-governmental and international organisations such as ministries, SIDA, NORAD, UNICEF and Deutsche Welle.

Her area of research, teaching and consultancy have included communication that focusses on the locally situated nature of health issues, community engagement in critical health interventions and more recently women’s mediated narratives. She has published on issues of gender in health communication, children in community engagement and the safety of women media workers. She is a previous fellow of the Salzburg (AUSTRIA) Academy on Media and Global Change and she is currently at UConn courtesy of a postdoctoral research fellowship by Makerere University and Andrew. W. Mellon Foundation.

 

COMM Speaker Series: Dr. Felicia Pratto

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Join us for the Department of Communication Speakers Series lecturer, Dr. Felicia Pratto for her talk: "Over-Attending and Under-Attending to Race and Gender: Experiments on Norms About Social Categories and Communication"

The Communication Speaker Series presents Dr. Felicia Pratto from UConn's Department of Psychological Sciences. Her talk will take place on Thursday, October 10th at 12:30-1:45 p.m. in Arjona 225.

Felicia Pratto earned her BS in Psychology from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1983. She was in the
social/personality program at NYU from 1984-1988 where she earned her MA and PhD by studying automatic
processes, especially those relevant to self-conceptions and person perception. On unpaid post-docs she
continued to examine automatic attention biases (UC Berkeley), and expanded her research on social bias to
address group-based inequality (UCLA). She served on the faculty at the Psychology Department of Stanford
University from 1990 to 1997, and began in the University of Connecticut Psychology Department in January,
1998. In addition to research on social cognition, she co-authored social dominance theory with Jim Sidanius
(e.g., Sidanius & Pratto, 1999) and has since branched into more areas of political psychology. She recently coauthored
Power Basis Theory. She has served as member of Executive Committees, and Program Chair for the
Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the International Society for Political Psychology, and in other
capacities, the latter of which she is now the president elect.

 

To Our Graduating Seniors…

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It is now May 1st. For Freshman, Sophomore, and Juniors, it means the start of the summer with a couple of months of break before they get to return to UConn again. For me, as a Senior, it means saying goodbye to the community that I have grown to love over the past four years. Saying goodbye to my professors, to walks from the Student Union to Wilbur Cross, and to living two minutes from my best friends. I could not be more thankful for what this school has given me.

Thinking back, it amazes me that I was scared to come to UConn and start a whole new life. When sitting in my dorm room in North Campus, I could never have imagined what my life looks like now and what I have learned here.

Of course, I will miss things like my friends and the constant Husky spirit; however, it is a strange feeling when I begin to realize the small things I will no longer experience. I will no longer get to experience the excitement and beauty on campus on our first snow day. Now that I will not be walking from class to class, or from Arjona to Gentry, I will no longer get to pass those who have made an impact on my life here. I will no longer be able to hear ‘SOOP DOOP’ anytime I’m in the Student Union. My hardest decisions will no longer get to include ordering from Dog Lane, Gansett, or Blaze. Lastly, I will not get to be here at UConn to see the leaves fall or the flowers bloom each year.

Working here at the Department of Communication has given me even more opportunities to broaden my experience on this campus. When my nerves began to kick in, I decided to turn to them for advice.

The Staff and Faculty of the Department of Communication gave me and the rest of my graduating class a few pieces of advice…

Professor, Rory McGloin – Maintain perspective, in where you are and where you’re going. There is no substitute for working hard – if you want something of value it will take time and effort, enjoy the process as it is the most rewarding and enduring part of the journey. Celebrate your accomplishments, even the “small” ones.

Professor, Thomas Meade – Make sure at all times you’re happy and having fun. Your generation makes the world you want it to be so take responsibility. This is your world, you can do what you want to do so make sure you’re happy in life and grab the reins.  

Academic Advisor, Katie D’Antonio – Not all criticism is personal, sometimes it’s an opportunity to learn and grow.

Professor, Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch – Don’t stop learning! School may finally be over, but keep exploring, keep growing, and keep your mind open to life’s opportunities.

Professor, Dave Atkin – Keep your syllabi, your education is just beginning. Do what you love; if you’re not able to find employment doing that right away, then do it on a volunteer basis until you do. Finally, don’t go overboard at Ikea.

Professor, Kristine Nowak – The first thing is to recognize the achievement and privilege it is to graduate. Appreciate the opportunity and be proud of your success. There are two things most important in the workforce: Show up and do what you said you were going to and when you were going to. There is this quote I love: ‘Failure is not the falling down, it is the staying down’. If you don’t fall once in a while, you’re probably not trying so fall and dust yourself off, and get back up.

Academic Advisor, Joel Nebres – The one thing you should get out of your college experience is that learning is a lifelong process. The sense of wonder and joy in discovering something new; the struggle when we encounter our limits and then push them just a little further out; and, finally, the humility when we realize just how much more there is to learn. These are the big lessons that college teaches us, and what I hope each one of our graduating students takes away with them, when they leave.

This place is more than just a school to me, it is a community. Each day I was able to experience something new with endless possibilities. Although it seems scary leaving a place I have loved and called my home for the last four years, It felt scary coming here, so that is how I know what is in store for me next is going to be just as great.

To my fellow Seniors, good luck with all your future endeavors and remember: “Students Today, Huskies Forever.”

-Danielle Balzano