Name: Hannah Gutenstein
Hometown: Salem, South Carolina
Major: Strategic communication with minors in marketing and social media marketing
Post-graduation plans: Gutenstein will be attending both the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom, and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, for dual-degree programs with a Master’s of Science in Global Media and a Master’s in Global Communication.
How HPU helped you get there: “My professors and internship experiences helped to prepare me for a dual degree master’s program at two of the top-ranked communications schools in the world. The Nido Qubein School of Communication is one of my favorite parts of our HPU community. Not only are the professors amazing and truly care about every student, but I was exposed to experiential learning opportunities, such as getting to be a part of Ascension 336, a student-run agency, and working on a social media simulation, Stukent Mimic Social. Similarly, in my capstone course, my class and I were able to engage with the High Point City Council and local business owners to propose bills to better the High Point community. It is experiences like these that have taken the information I receive in the classroom and allowed me to implement it in real-time, making me more confident in my abilities as a communication professional. My other favorite part of HPU is the Office of Career and Professional Development. I worked there as both an internship marketing assistant and peer career advisor. It was really rewarding to be able to use my experience and knowledge to help fellow students with their cover letters, resumes and LinkedIn profiles. I loved hearing their stories and how passionate everyone was about the job, internship or graduate programs they were applying for.”
Most impactful mentor at HPU: “My most impactful mentor would be Dr. Laura Marshall. Without her, I would have never considered applying for graduate school. She has been so supportive throughout my entire graduate school application process from writing my letter of recommendation to connecting me with colleagues of her’s that had done the program so I could learn more about it. I am so grateful for all of her guidance and wisdom over these past few years.”
Most impactful moment at HPU: “The most impactful moment was when I declared my major early in my second semester of freshman year. I came to HPU with my major as undeclared, but I knew I was interested in communications as a potential path. I took my first communications class in the fall of my freshman year and never looked back. Four years ago, I would have never believed how much I enjoyed school because I finally got to learn about something I found exciting.”
Advice for underclassmen: “Get to know your professors. Not only are they just great people in general, but they are the most knowledgeable people in whatever your perspective field may be. For many professors, teaching is their second career. You never know if one of your professors had your dream job, has connections for internship and job opportunities or can help guide you to your future career path.”