COMMcast

Seniors Kyle Lieu and Paola Mejia Ruiz have the opportunity to have a conversation with alumni Greg Johnson who currently works as a  Senior Account Executive at Doordash. Greg graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies from the School of Communication at Chapman in 2015.

Senior Erick Cunanan has a conversation with Melissa Borgmeyer, who currently works for the Nashville Fair as an event coordinator. Melissa Graduated from the School of Communication in 2020 with a B.A. in Communication Studies.

Seniors Matt Schuler and Anne Schmidt have the opportunity to talk to Alumni Jessica Kim, who is currently in law school at the University of San Diego. Jessica graduated in the Class of 2022 with a BA in Communication Studies and a minor in Law and Social Justice Control. During the interview Jessica talks about how majoring in Communication Studies prepared her for law school by teaching her public speaking skills, which she says are necessary in any career. She discusses the professors and classes in the School of Communication that impacted her during her years at Chapman and helped her with pursuing her career in law. The conversation moves on to Jessica talking about having the right mindset when starting law school, where there is not much of a balance between education and social life. Although there is a lot of studying, she explains that if you enjoy what you are doing it becomes very fun. The rest of the interview focuses on two of the main keys to succeeding in law school that Jessica believes are essential. The first being confidence which goes along with having the mindset of "fake it till you make it." The second is motivation, Jessica emphasizes on how it is important to remind yourself that you are there for a reason and to be able to accomplish your personal goals for the future. Jessica expands on how the challenges of law school turn into rewards, as you are able to gain very valuable insight from the courses. She mentions that a big skill needed to be able to succeed is knowing the type of learner you are and collaborating with other students to help each other out through this journey. The conversation ends with Jessica giving advice to students about being yourself and becoming someone that your 10 year old self would be happy about.

Seniors Olivia Lowe and Anne Schmidt have Alumni Ande Bowser as a guest and talk about her career in the public relations industry. Ande graduated in the Class of 2022 with a BA in Strategic and Corporate Communication and minor in Creative and Cultural Industries. After working as an intern her senior year for Joneworks Entertainment PR, she was offered a full time position as their PR coordinator for their office in Los Angeles. During the interview Ande talks about how she was able to turn her internship into a full time job and how she had not applied to other potential jobs after graduation. They move on to discuss how her major in SCC prepared her to work in PR and the classes that helped her the most. She mentions that one key aspect of a career in PR is being able to keep up with pop culture and trends, as a significant portion of the job is surrounded on what is currently happening. Ande comments on how initially she wanted to pursue a career in entertainment, but soon realized that it wasn't where she belonged. Instead she decided to figure out how to use her interests for movies, TV, and pop culture and mix it with her strengths to create a career out of it. She then goes on to talk about how broad her day to day looks like and gives advice on different ways to prepare for a job in the industry. The interview ends with Ande talking about some of her favorite professors at Chapman and what she learned from them. 

Seniors Anne Schmidt and Olivia Lowe speak on a creative marketing career with Alumni Adrianna Liao from the Class of 2022. Audrianna graduated from Chapman University with a BA in Strategic and Corporate Communication and a minor in Chinese. She recently began her position as the Social media Coordinator at Pixi Beauty, where she maintains social platforms and engagement. During the interview, they discuss the journey that Audrianna went through to get her current position, alongside also managing two other jobs as an assistant to an influencer/entrepreneur and to a wardrobe stylist. She lists some of the classes that impacted her the most as a student and guided her to her current career path. Audrianna brings up the struggle that comes along with job hunting and how it can lead to burnout. They end their talk with Audrianna giving some advice to students who want to approach a career in that industry, by telling them that it is important to tap into your creativity and use it to your advantage. She also advises seniors to acknowledge that there is no rush in trying to figure everything out, and instead understand that this is a journey that will lead you to where you are meant to be.

COMMCast is a culmination of podcasts that explores the experiences of Chapman’s School of Communication Alumni. The hosts of COMMcast recruit SOC alumni from various fields and job roles to interview them about their time at Chapman University. Specifically, COMMCast aims to gain insight into alumni’s experiences in the School of Communication, their journey from undergrad to their current role, and any advice or insight they have about the connection between their degree and the workplace.