Advice for communication students: Exploring your opportunities will go a long way

By Luke Cooper

When I arrived at the University of Indianapolis, I was very timid, at least according to one of my professors. I often look back at my freshman year and think about how clueless I was. Yet, during that time, I was impressing many senior students. My best friends were seniors; they often attributed it to my knowing what I was doing. I found it interesting because I came from a high school that didn’t offer a TV program, let alone a newspaper or anything like that. I wish I knew how open the collegiate world was.

During my freshman year, I would often dream of being an automotive journalist. I thought TV was my only pathway to achieve that goal. During my sophomore year, I got offered to start writing newscasts for WICR, which soon turned into the news director position I would serve in for one semester. That experience, though I wasn’t cut out for it, really opened my eyes. During the same time, I enrolled to be a member of Top Dog Communication. I realized I could see myself doing PR more than I could see myself doing journalism, despite the long Monday nights.

After that semester concluded, I was ready to focus more on the PR side of communication. I realized PR would offer me a good salary and a higher quality of life once I graduated. I joined The Reflector as the online editor, applying what I learned from both my media side and my PR side into one role. I continued to be part of Top Dog Communication to increase my PR skills further. Fast forward to today, I’m the Editor-in-Chief of The Reflector, and I also serve as the secretary for UIndy’s PRSSA chapter. 

If it wasn’t for trying everything, I don’t think I would have realized my full potential. Many people leave college regretting the career field they chose, but the beauty of communication is that there are many options under the umbrella to choose from. I didn’t even know that communication people could make employee training modules until I interned with the State of Indiana. There are so many possibilities, so the greatest advice I can give is to try everything until you find the right fit.