With another successful commencement behind us, recent High Point University graduates are preparing to commence prestigious career paths around the world at Fortune 500 companies, international service programs, public school systems, top-tier law, medical and graduate school programs, and many other esteemed organizations thanks to their journey at HPU. Here’s a glimpse of one extraordinary senior from the Class of 2015:
Name: Jess Pikowski
Hometown: New Fairfield, Connecticut
Major: Pikowski graduated with a B.A. in Strategic Communication, with a minor in Marketing, on May 9.
Post-graduation plans: Pikowski will attend graduate school as a Park Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her master’s in Mass Communication with a focus in Interdisciplinary Health Communication. After graduating from the school’s two-year program, Pikowski plans to work for a nonprofit or health-based organization to help create, research and implement healthy behavior campaigns, specifically related to cancer prevention.
How HPU helped you get there: “High Point University has provided me with amazing opportunities over the last four years that have prepared me for both graduate school and the professional world. The great thing about the Strategic Communication program is that the classes provide you with the opportunity to use clients in the High Point area to apply what you’re learning in the classroom to a real-world situation. Being able to receive actual feedback on our work from professionals in the industry and learning first-hand what it is like to work with clients was truly a valuable opportunity. The faculty in the program also helped prepare me not only with their encouragement, but by constantly challenging me in the classroom, which I think really has prepared me for the graduate-level classes I will be taking in the fall.”
Most impactful mentor at HPU: “All of the faculty and staff in the School of Communication have truly made my experience at HPU amazing. It seems almost impossible to pick just one, so I will share two professors who really have made a big impact on my college career: Phil Watson and Ginny McDermott.
Professor Watson was one of my first professors in my major and I was lucky enough to have him for three classes in my four years. Beyond the classroom, he truly cared about his students. He also was a huge help in running the Public Relations Student Society of America and his door was always open if I had a question or needed advice (or a stapler).
Ginny was my professor for one of the most challenging classes of my college career, but it was also the class I ended up enjoying the most and the class that ultimately made me decide I wanted to pursue graduate school. Ginny was constantly challenging me to reach my full potential and she was a huge support system in my academic career. I cannot thank her enough for all she’s done for me in the past two years.”
Most impactful moment at HPU: “My most impactful moment at HPU was most definitely the two years that I got the opportunity to work in the Admissions Call Center. With this job, I was able to call prospective students and their parents during the college application process and answer any questions they had. Being able to share with these students and parents all the amazing experiences and opportunities I had at HPU was exceptionally rewarding. It felt great to know that sharing my experiences would have an impact on prospective students deciding to attend HPU.”
Advice for underclassmen: “Really take advantage of all of the opportunities that HPU provides. Whether it’s an organization on campus that is taking a trip somewhere you think looks interesting, or a professor encouraging you to submit a paper to a conference, don’t second guess taking part. You are rarely going to get these opportunities again post-graduation. I remember my freshman year looking at e-mails and saying ‘oh that looks cool’ and never following through with actually participating, and it’s something I really regret. Once I started actually doing them sophomore year, it really enhanced my education and my overall college experience.”