Goal: Pursue a Communication minor
The ability to effectively communicate and connect with others has been a priority for me since the realization of the importance of such skills at Intersect. Through my interest in public speaking and writing, I choose to pursue a Communications minor. At the end of this (fall) semester, I will have fulfilled the requirements and will have earned the minor. Throughout the courses I have taken on this campus, I have been exposed to many differing theories and methodology. Even with this “academic” knowledge, the most valuable skills I have gained from this minor are the countless opportunities I have been given to practice. I argue continual practice and repetition is the only way to improve oneself.
A major challenge that I thought was impossible for me to achieve was writing a 50-page policy based paper. After much encouragement and guidance, I was able to produce such a paper. Although the policy items that I wrote about seem less important to me to this day, the actual act of producing such a document and the sense of accomplishment has stuck with me.
Another noteworthy moment I experienced during my time working towards this minor was being accused of plagiarism in a communication course. To make the record clear, I did not and do not plagiarize. The accusation was based on the fact that I did not provide citations for the claims I made. At the time, I did not feel that citation was necessary since I had experienced everything I talked about, and the messages were reiterated by numerous people, thus common knowledge. This was one of the defining moments of my college career, as I learned how to handle and communicate during challenging situations that questioned my integrity. Leadership and effective communication go hand-in-hand. Leaders must be effective communicators to good leaders and vice-versa.