Happy Thursday! We know that many of you are going to have to make some tough decisions over the next several weeks, so we thought it would be helpful to get some insights on how alums view the community, faculty and learning experience they receive at Carolina. The blog post below is from Sallie, a senior in our School of Journalism and Mass Communication who will be leaving us for her first professional opportunity following her graduation in May. Visit Sallie's blog to learn more about her adventures.
Dear UNC J-School,
Thank you. Thank you for enhancing the lives of all the students who
walk through the doors of Carroll. Thank you for mentoring. Thank you
for teaching. Thank you for critiquing, pushing and strengthening. But,
most of all, thank you for caring.
It’s easy to let four years slip away as we press forward with our
lives constantly looking for what’s next and forgetting who helped us
get there. I was reminded of this the other day, when my friend Josh
asked me to speak at the J-School’s information session for Explore
Carolina. Professor Napoleon Byars led the session, which included the
basic facts about the school, the opportunities available, and a quick
tour. As I listened to Napoleon speak, it brought back memories of my
own Explore Carolina experience back on a snowy day in January 2009.
I remember listening to all the presenters confident that what they
were saying was simply by the book. However, in listening to Napoleon, I
began to realize that everything this school told me four years ago was
true, completely true. And now, it was my turn to speak.
I started by saying that I remember what it was like to sit in their
seats. It wasn’t easy making a final college decision or even
transitioning from high school in general, but that the J-School was
where I found I belonged. The journalism school develops students into
storytellers. It develops them into entrepreneurs, creative thinkers,
and strategic communicators. It also allows them to get involved in a
variety of clubs, take a wide range of classes, and meet some of the
most interesting people on campus.
However, while I was talking, I realized the importance of what is
behind the school: the professors. They care. When I first came to
Carolina I worried that all my classes were going to be filled with
hundreds of students where the professors do not even know my name. That
is not the case here. They care. The professors care about your success
in and out of the classroom. They also want to build lasting
relationships with students, and as a result do not simply think of
students as their PID, but as people with stories.
Thank you, Trevy McDonald for introducing me to the Journalism
School. Thank you, Napoleon, for critiquing my resume for the first
time. Thank you, Winston, for making me enjoy writing. Thank you, Dana,
for pushing my creativity. Thank you, Brian, for your patience. Thank
you, Heidi, for your enthusiasm. Thank you, Professor Sciarrino, for my
worst grade in the J-School, but conversely one of my favorite, although
hard, classes. Thank you also for your guidance and support during my
job search this Fall. And, lastly, thank you, Gary, for your
unconventional classes that have truly taught me to think differently
about the world.
Thank you, all.
