class of 2020

Class of 2020: Madeleine Bendalin

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 23:37:07 +0000

Class of 2020: Madeleine Bendalin Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 12/14/2020 - 16:37

Strategic Communication major Madeleine Bendalin, with minors in Media Studies and Jewish Studies, dreams of being a White House Press Secretary. She is CMCI's December 2020 Outstanding Graduate.

Name a class that you loved while you were here and explain what you'll take away from it.
"I loved the Public Relations Event Planning class. I had to learn how to think critically and creatively, as well as problem-solving. It taught me how to conceptualize big ideas, execute them and to always expect the unexpected."

Any extracurricular activities that were highlights for you here at CU?
"I joined Student Ambassadors and it was one of the best decisions I made. I loved showing prospective Buffs around campus and serving as a resource for them. I also really enjoyed giving joint tours with the friends I made and reciting random facts about campus!"

We know it's been a tough time to graduate. Is there a piece of advice, a lesson you learned from a mentor or a support resource that helped you finish strong?
"Advice I have taken to heart is to stay positive and always keep working on yourself. The world is so uncertain right now, and there isn’t a ‘right’ place to be or a ‘right’ job to have directly after college, so don't put too much pressure on yourself to constantly have the next thing lined up."

Best Buff memory?
"Pretty basic, but… celebrating game days with my best friends!"

What does the future hold?
"I guess this is my way of saying that I’m graduating from college unemployed, but I think the future will take me exactly where I need to be. I would love to work at a PR agency, or work in the nonprofit world, or eventually become Press Secretary for the White House! It’s all up in the air, but I like to be ambitious."

Presenting CMCI's December 2020 Graduates

As a CMCI Student Ambassador, senior Madeleine Bendalin loved showing prospective Buffs around campus and serving as a resource for them. She also enjoyed giving joint tours with the friends, who she made recite facts about campus. In the future, Bendalin would love to recite more facts in her dream job as a White House Press Secretary. With a major in Strategic Communication and minors in Media Studies and Jewish Studies, Bendalin is CMCI's December 2020 William W. White Outstanding Graduate, awarded to the student with the highest GPA in the college.

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Class of 2020: Sofia Peña y Lillo

Anonymous — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 18:41:29 +0000

Class of 2020: Sofia Peña y Lillo Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/04/2020 - 12:41

Gregory K. Ramirez (MJour’20)

Gregory K. Ramirez is a 2020 graduate from the Department of Journalism’s master’s program

What do you do when you can’t decide between majors?

For Sofia Noelle Peña y Lillo, the answer was simple: pursue all three.

“I felt like, if I can do one, I can do two,” Peña y Lillo said. “And if I can do two, well heck, I’ll do a third one.”

This spring, Peña y Lillo graduated with majors in Media Studies, Media Production and Film Studies. As if that weren’t already remarkable, she did so having earned the College of Media, Communication and Information’s William W. White Outstanding Graduate Award in the Department of Media Studies.

The middle child of a Puerto Rican mother and Bolivian father, Peña y Lillo was a first-generation college student––though not the first in her family to attend CU ��«��Ƶ. Her older sister, Bianca Peña y Lillo, earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2011.

Reflecting on where her interest in pursuing media began, Peña y Lillo recalls watching The Cove, a documentary about dolphin hunting in Japan, when she was just 11 years old.

"I just remember watching it like five times the first week it came out,” she says. “And I got something different out of it each time.”

“I really enjoy my curiosity and just being like, ‘Let’s try this!’ Whether it works or it doesn’t, either way it’s an experience.

She was intrigued, she says, by how many different dimensions there were to the story: economic, cultural and ethical

"When I watched it I was far too young, but it’s probably also why I remember it really well,” she says. “I just really love good storytelling that resonates.”

During the five years she spent in college, Peña y Lillo gained hands-on experience as a production assistant and as a student assistant working in CMCI’s equipment vault. In addition, she held down jobs working in a pottery studio and nannying.

“I always needed to hustle on the side and balance working at night or taking night classes or whatever the case may be,” she says. “It felt impossible sometimes.”

Though the coronavirus pandemic has altered her plans, by January, Peña y Lillo hopes to move out of Colorado. She’s currently in the process of securing a work visa in the United Kingdom and eventually, she’d like to work behind-the-scenes as a producer for a film festival.

"I don’t ever want to be in a rut or be too regimented about things,” she says. “I really enjoy my curiosity and just being like, ‘Let’s try this! Whether it works or it doesn’t, either way, it’s an experience.'”

Celebrating the Class of 2020

Watch the Virtual Celebration

What do you do when you can’t decide between majors? For graduating student Sofia Noelle Peña y Lillo, the answer was simple: pursue all three.

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Class of 2020: Hannah Metzger

Anonymous — Thu, 14 May 2020 17:09:47 +0000

Class of 2020: Hannah Metzger Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/14/2020 - 11:09

Hannah Prince

Hannah Prince was a journalism student and an editor with the Media Innovation Center (MIC)

For Hannah Metzger, the decision to switch majors happened gradually, then suddenly.

The idea started during her first week of her first year, when Metzger, then an Environmental Engineering major, joined CU ��«��Ƶ’s CU Independent.

“I cared more about the newspaper than any of my engineering classes,” she says. “I wanted to do something that seemed safe and practical, but I knew my heart was in journalism.”

As she got more involved with the student outlet throughout the semester, switching majors seemed like a foregone conclusion. And by the time she returned to campus for her second semester, she was a Journalism major in CMCI.

It turned out to be a good decision, as last spring, Metzger graduated as the Department of Journalism’s William A. White Outstanding Senior.

Fellow CMCI student Hannah Prince connected with Metzger to learn more about her time with the CU Independent and her plans for the future.

"I now know I can make it in this field.

HP: What skillsets and strengths did you discover during your time in CMCI?

HM: I’ve discovered my skill for storytelling and connecting with subjects. Interviewing was always difficult for me before college but I learned how to communicate with people better. I also learned a lot about multimedia, especially photography.

HP: What was your favorite part of college?

HM: Last year, CMCI sent me to New York City to attend a workshop at The New York Times on behalf of the CU Independent. I learned from Times’ editors and met other student journalists from around the country. That was very influential to me because it gave me hope for the future of the journalism industry and inspired me to work up to the standards set by publications like the Times.

Last spring semester, I worked as a news intern at the Daily Camera, which has been my most significant real-world journalistic experience. By working alongside real local journalists and publishing frequent content, I gained confidence in my abilities. I now know I can make it in this field.

HP: What are your post-graduation plans? Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

HM: My post-graduation plans have been delayed because of COVID-19, but once it's safe to travel again, I intend to live in Spain with family for a few months and pursue freelance and travel writing. After that, I plan to move back to Colorado and work as a feature writer for a local magazine.

Celebrating the Class of 2020

Watch the Virtual Celebration

Q&A with Hannah Metzger, William W. White Award for Outstanding Senior, Department of Journalism

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Alumni Profile: Hannah Weber

Anonymous — Wed, 13 May 2020 17:22:44 +0000

Alumni Profile: Hannah Weber Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/13/2020 - 11:22

Nikki Edwards

Nikki Edwards is a journalism student and an editor with the Media Innovation Center (MIC)

Before arriving at CU, Hannah Weber was searching for a major that encompassed all of her favorite subjects: English, psychology, math and science.

Then, during a CU ��«��Ƶ campus tour, a CMCI faculty member told her about a new major in Information Science.

“It fit all of the criteria I would have wanted in a major,” she says.

In May, Weber graduated as the Department of Information Science’s William W. White Outstanding Senior, in addition to earning a second major in the advertising track of Strategic Communication.

Fellow CMCI student Nikki Edwards chatted with Weber about why she loved the Information Science program, and how she combined it with a second major in Strategic Communication and her love of sports.

"This was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

NE: What made you pursue a degree in Information Science?

HW: In high school, I really loved being creative in English and learning how people’s minds work in psychology. And I always did well in my math and science classes. This major is a great mix of each of these topics––I loved that I would be able to grow both sides of my brain and receive a well-rounded education.

At the time, I had offers to play basketball at numerous colleges but none of them had a program similar to CMCI’s Information Science major. After a lot of soul-searching, I decided to pursue the great education I knew I would receive here and end my basketball career. Looking back on my four years in the program, this was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

NE: What was your favorite part of undergrad? Were there any experiences that changed your outlook on your degree and career?

HW: For the past three-and-a-half years, I have worked for a non-profit organization, NCWIT, that works to get more women in computing. This has been an amazing experience and I have been able to apply what I’ve been learning in the classroom to my job. In addition, I have been able to work for two amazing women who truly care about me inside and outside of work.

The INFO program has become such a close-knit community––I went through all four years of my classes with basically the same group of students. Because of this, we were able to grow and evolve together and become so close over the years. For my senior capstone course in the spring, I walked into the class and knew all 24 students by name. This is not the case for many of the other majors on campus and I am so glad to have had that experience.

As a CMCI student, I also really enjoyed having a secondary area of study. I chose to add a major in Strategic Communication on the advertising track, and was really able to expand upon the creative side of my brain. My two majors complemented each other so well.

NE: What are your post-graduation plans? Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

HW: After graduation I was offered a temporary position with NCWIT through the summer. During this time, I will continue the job hunt for a full-time position. I am interested in finding a data analyst or market researcher position for a company in the Denver area.

In the next five years, I hope to find a job that allows me to work with data in the health and fitness industry. I love the idea of using data to advance the body’s performance and improve the sports industry. Outside of work, I see myself being a basketball coach and eating so many tacos and chicken nuggets. I want to travel more and truly take advantage of all that the beautiful state of Colorado has to offer.

NE: What work are you proud of?

HW: The work I am most proud of is my honor’s project. It was the hardest but most rewarding project I have ever worked on. For a year I researched the question: How can technology be integrated into the college social scene to promote responsible drinking?

It was really awesome to combine all that I have learned in the last four years in Information Science and Strategic Communication into one project. Defending the presentation was one of those aha moments that made it apparent how much I have matured and evolved during my time here.

Celebrating the Class of 2020

Watch the Virtual Celebration

Q&A with Hannah Weber, Department of Information Science.

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Class of 2020: Delaney Schoenfeldt

Anonymous — Wed, 13 May 2020 16:59:07 +0000

Class of 2020: Delaney Schoenfeldt Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/13/2020 - 10:59

Tayler Shaw

Tayler Shaw is a journalism student and an editor with the Media Innovation Center (MIC). Photo by Nick Mundinger (CritMedia'20).

For Delaney Schoenfeldt, one of the toughest parts of college was figuring out what she wanted to do afterwards.

Her road to graduation was a winding one, paved with trial and error and reshaped by moments of self reflection.

Four years, two majors and seven internships later, her work paid off.

“If you want to get people’s attention, it needs to have a story.

In May, Schoenfeldt graduated as the College of Media, Communication and Information’s William W. White Outstanding Senior, an honor earned by the student with the highest GPA in the college. She did so with a hard-earned sense of clarity about what comes next, and the confidence to go for it.

"There are amazing resources at the school, but you’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t act on them,” she says. “You have to take advantage of every single resource you have.”

When she began her college career, Schoenfeldt was certain that she wanted to work in the music industry.

A passion that began in middle school, her love of music took her to places from San Diego to London for concerts. Once in college, she sometimes attended two or three shows per week while completing a series of internships in the local industry. But after working everywhere from an artist management and booking agency to The Hill’s Fox Theater, she found herself facing a hard truth.

"I realized I didn't really like working in the music industry that much,” she says. “I just didn’t––and that was shocking to me.”

Rather than give up, she found value in the experience––information that could help her reinvestigate her own interests and abilities to ultimately chart a new path.

Personally, she’d been drawn to the creative freedom and capacity for storytelling that the music industry seemed to allow. And professionally, she was a strategic thinker with a knack for being media savvy. Those insights led her to continue studying Media Production, while adding on a second major in the public relations track of Strategic Communication.

"I think that everything needs a story,” she says. “If you want to get people’s attention, it needs to have a story. Whether that’s in advertising, whether that’s in media, whether that’s in public relations––you’re not going to get a public interested unless there’s some sort of emotional rollercoaster for them to ride on with you.”

After shifting her focus, Schoenfeldt landed yet another internship, this time with Circuit Media, a design and communications agency that serves government and commercial clients, which she connected with through one of CMCI’s career fairs. In June, she joined the company full time as a communication and multimedia specialist, a position created specifically for her.

In large part, Schoenfeldt attributes her success to her learned adaptability, and to the connections she made with faculty and staff––both of which she developed as a resident advisor (RA) and senior resident advisor (SRA), she says.

Schoenfeldt worked as an RA and SRA in Baker Hall during her second and third years. For her senior year, she returned as an SRA to Buckingham Hall, where she’d lived as a freshman and participated in CMCI’s CommRAP program. The experience allowed her to reconnect with professors she’d had early on.

"They make genuine connections with their students,” she says. “We’re not just people who come in through the door and leave in a year. We’re people who they’re genuinely trying to help as we find our passions and our future careers.”

Celebrating the Class of 2020

Watch the Virtual Celebration

After completing a slew of internships, senior Delaney Schoenfeldt will graduate with a career she loves and CMCI’s top honor.

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Class of 2020: Therese Gardner

Anonymous — Wed, 13 May 2020 16:50:30 +0000

Class of 2020: Therese Gardner Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/13/2020 - 10:50

Gregory K. Ramirez (MJour’20)

Gregory K. Ramirez was a 2020 graduate from the Department of Journalism’s master’s program

Therese Gardner always knew she’d attend college at CU ��«��Ƶ.

Gardner’s mother and older sister were both CU graduates, and after growing up in nearby Centennial, the decision seemed easy––even logical.

The question, then, was what she should study once she arrived.

After exploring Theater, Anthropology and Ethnic Studies as majors during her freshman year, it was Gardner’s love of TEDTalks––and her eventual involvement with TEDxCU––that set her on a path toward earning her bachelor’s degree in communication.

When Gardner graduated in May, she did so as the Department of Communication’s William W. White Outstanding Senior.

Fellow CMCI graduate Gregory K. Ramirez touched base with Gardner about her time as TEDxCU’s director of programming, her favorite memories from college and what she hopes to do next.

GR: What do you think is the most important thing you learned about yourself during your time at CU and CMCI?

TG: Over the last three years, I found a love for writing. I fell in love with Communication because of the emphasis that they put on storytelling and the power of words.

I guess I realized I’m a dreamer and that I want to make life better for other people.

GR: What’s your favorite memory at CU?

TG: One of my best experiences happened after this year’s TEDxCU auditions. I was sitting in a room with all the speakers, our executive team and our eight teachers. All of the speakers went around the room and shared what they do and why they decided to participate in TEDx.

As I looked around, I realized how important it is to make connections with people and nourish relationships. That’s what life is about––finding people you can connect with to create something beautiful together.

"Make connections with people and nourish relationships.

GR: Imagine you are sitting in a cafe with your future self 30 years from now. Who is that person? What do they do? And what’s something you love today that you hope to carry with you into the future?

TG: I’m storytelling for a living, connected with my family and traveling. I’m focused and have pursued my dreams. Future me is constantly finding new passions and stepping out of my comfort zone. I hope I keep reading, keep writing and keep living. I know that as long as I continue to write, I'll find my way––just as I did throughout the last four years.

Celebrating the Class of 2020

Watch the Virtual Celebration

Q&A with Therese Gardner, William W. White Outstanding Senior, Department of Communication

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Class of 2020: Lindey Hoak

Anonymous — Wed, 13 May 2020 04:58:27 +0000

Class of 2020: Lindey Hoak Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/12/2020 - 22:58

Tayler Shaw

Tayler Shaw is a journalism student and an editor with the Media Innovation Center (MIC)

For senior Lindey Hoak, college was all about mixing creativity with productivity.

Take her love of bullet journaling, which she uses to organize her busy schedule and document her range of interests, from lists of favorite movies, to new recipes and memories captured in polaroid photos. Or her frequent visits to ��«��Ƶ’s Pearl Street mall, where, rather than just shop and stroll, she puts on performances with her violin.

"You should take every project as an opportunity to add something to your portfolio and make something that you are actually proud of.

After entering college as a Violin Performance major, Hoak craved yet another creative outlet. She found it by adding a second major in the design track of Strategic Communication.

The combination proved to be formidable. And in May, Hoak graduated as the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design’s William W. White Outstanding Senior.

Fellow CMCI student Tayler Shaw checked in with Hoak to discuss her various creative projects, her trip with classmates and professors to Paris and more.

TS: What are some of the most impactful projects that you worked on during your undergraduate years?

Electric violin prototype by Hoak.

LH: The first one that always comes to mind is one I’m actually still working on. I took a class with Associate Professor David Slayden called Idea Industries Two. You spend the entire semester making a project and learning how to sell it. I decided to build my own electric violin. I love to play my violin, and I wanted an electric violin that had all the heavy equipment––all the electronics––built into the instrument. By the end of the semester, I had a working prototype.

Another example was my capstone class, which I took last spring, where we created a campaign for the company RovR. We were trying to sell these indestructible coolers, and they already had a video of bears trying to rip them open unsuccessfully. In a sort of last-minute shower thought, I decided that we should create a commercial where we’d dub over the bears with narration about how they couldn’t get the cooler open. We weren’t even required to have a commercial, but the RovR people loved it. I was so proud of it. The capstone class was a great end to the degree, because I finally got to take everything I learned and actually try to sell it to somebody.

TS: I read that you interned at Bhakti Chai. How did you first get involved in that and what projects did you work on?

LH: I found it on Handshake, the college’s internship hub. I knew I wanted to do an internship for my last semester of my senior year, and when I found that one I kept bugging them about it. I applied, and then I emailed, and then I think I emailed a second time. Because I’d tried their chai before and I really liked it.

They finally said, “Okay, we like the persistence. You can come in, have an interview.” That went well and they hired me right there. The first thing they wanted me to do was design recipe cards, and then we realized we just needed more photos of the recipes. So actually, maybe 50% of my job was food photography, which I definitely didn’t expect––but it was really fun. And I also did their newsletter every week.

TS: What was your favorite CMCI experience?

LH: I went on a study abroad trip to Paris for a month in the summer between my sophomore and junior years with Assistant Professors Jolene Fisher and Toby Hopp. I think there were about 15 of us, and we all flew to Paris and lived downtown by the metro for a month. We got to visit agencies and even went on a three-or-four-day side trip to Belgium, and to Brussels and Bruges. Getting to actually learn about international social media marketing––that was awesome.

TS: What are your greatest takeaways from your undergrad years in CMCI?

LH: That every one of the professors in CMCI is incredibly useful––especially getting to know them on a personal level. I learned that group projects are difficult but absolutely necessary. There were definitely a lot of those, but there were also plenty of opportunities to do something yourself and I felt like it was worth it to just go all in. You should take every project as an opportunity to add something to your portfolio and make something that you are actually proud of.

TS: What advice would you offer to other Strategic Communications students?

LH: I’m lucky that I have a dad who says all these really wonderful quotes. He always says, “Don’t create more hurdles between yourself and where you’re trying to get to.” I think we all tend to do that. Like, I can have so many of these projects I want to work on and then, as I start working on it and run into little hurdles, I can make a bigger deal out of them than I need to––or I can just push through it. Just do exactly what you want to do with your four years, that’s my advice.

Celebrating the Class of 2020

Watch the Virtual Celebration

For Lindey Hoak, college was all about mixing creativity with productivity. Fellow CMCI student Tayler Shaw checked in with Hoak to discuss her various creative projects, her trip with classmates and professors to Paris and more.

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Class of 2020: Nick Mundinger

Anonymous — Mon, 11 May 2020 22:55:14 +0000

Class of 2020: Nick Mundinger Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/11/2020 - 16:55

[video:https://youtu.be/S9YH0cMjPnw]

Editor's note: Nick Mundinger is this year's William W. White Outstanding Senior for the Department of Critical Media Practices. The award is based on a combination of academic merit, professional achievement and service to the department. Here's a story on him from our spring 2018 issue of CMCI Now, along with a video of his work in action!

Nick Mundinger pulls out his phone and opens an app that looks like a calculator. The screen is filled with colorful dials and buttons with labels like "tempo" and "chest".

“This is a sort of drum machine I made using different parts of my body,” he says, moving between the phone and a laptop as he sets up the program.

Each "drum" is a recording of a different action. For example, one plays a clap, another a snap, another a thump on his chest and so on. The dials on the phone control the probability that each drum will be played on each beat. Visualizations on the laptop screen show which sound is playing. When you hear the thump sound, you see Mundinger's fist on his chest. When you hear a clap, you see his hand. The end result—a beat controlled with the phone along with visualizations on the screen—is almost like a live music video.

Celebrating the Class of 2020

Watch the Virtual Celebration

From CMCI Now magazine: Nick Mundinger pulls out his phone and opens an app that looks like a calculator.

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Class of 2020: Department of Communication Student Awards

Anonymous — Fri, 01 May 2020 23:18:55 +0000

Class of 2020: Department of Communication Student Awards Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/01/2020 - 17:18

Congratulations to our spring 2020 award recipients.

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