Destination Success | Amy Stamm | Watch HPU

Chapters & Transcript

0:00

Hi my name is Amy Stamm I'm originally from Poolesville Maryland and I graduated from High Point University in 2014 with a degree in strategic Communications.

I now work at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on digital content and social media.

0:24

I didn't know what to expect about my time at High Point when I was imagining what it would be like to be in college, but what I found when I got here was a place with tons of activities and ways to engage and help us meet friends that we would keep for the rest of our lives.

I also love taking advantage of campus activities like movies in the theater, chances to get out into the High Point Community, and events on the promenade.

0:43

The summer after my junior year I interned at the National Air and Space Museum.

I came back to HPU for my senior year and was lucky enough to be offered a job upon my graduation.

It ended up being a perfect fit for everything I'd been learning in my classes at High Point and applying them to the real world.

0:57

I even took an astronomy class my freshman year and my professor was really trying to get me to be an astronomy major.

When I said no, actually I'm a Communications major, he said observatories, planetariums, and Space Museums need Communications people too.

I put that in my internship essay and the person who hired me actually told me that that really inspired them to hire me and that I would be a good fit for the museum.

1:20

I started at the Museum as a Communications assistant helping out on various projects as they were needed.

In my time there, as I proved myself, I was given more and more assignments and a chance to really cut my teeth on everything that you do in Communications in a museum.

To promote our offerings, get visitors, and share The Wonder of aviation in space with the world, so now I work on digital content for the museum including running our social media, writing blogs, and working on other exciting digital projects.

1:45

For me, the experiential learning at High Point was incredibly impactful on my professional development.

Communications is such a practical career. You would learn about the theory and then you could immediately put it into practice.

In my time at High Point, I worked with two High Point area organizations to create a Communications plan and a market research plan for them, that gave me experience working with clients, creating deliverables that would then be put into action, and made me confident when I walked into my internship in my job.

2:10

My sophomore year, I took intro to strategic communication, basically the foundation class of my major.

I remember we took a test and on the top of the paper my professor wrote please see me after class. Terrifying as a sophomore hoping to impress the professor, so I go up after class and wait to talk to him and I'm all nervous and he says, Amy I really think you should go to grad school.

To have that level of faith be put in me by a professor, to have that recognize that I had not just the ability to excel in this class but to excel in future classes and even in grad school, really started me off on an incredible mental relationship with both him and the head of the grad school program.

When I was ready to go to grad school 3 years later, he was one of the first people I called.

He gave me advice, wrote me an incredible recommendation letter, and helped me achieve that dream.

2:55

It was obvious to me while I was here that life skills was an important thing that I was learning at High Point, even along my studies.

That includes the president seminar, dinners at 1924 Prime, and just walking into the incredibly beautiful buildings here and feeling comfortable with that.

We were able to hear from incredible speakers, learn from industry leaders, and really feel prepared for what life was going to hold once we entered the career field.

3:17

Through my time at HPU, it was clear how important values and giving back are to the university.

When I was a student, I loved when HPU alumni came back to speak to my classes or to otherwise engage with students, and so it's incredibly fulfilling that now I get to do that for current HPU students.

So HPU students should take advantage of the opportunities to meet alumni, whether that's at Career Fairs or at lunches organized by High Point staff.

This is an incredible network of people that are really passionate about meeting HPU students and helping them in their careers.

3:46

My one piece of career advice is to find a mentor.

That relationship can exist throughout your time at High Point and beyond.

They can give you advice about your career goals, about what classes to take, but also about what you're looking for in a career.

They're also invaluable when applying to jobs or grad school when you need that recommendation for someone who really knows what you're capable of.

4:06

To me choose to be extraordinary means having the confidence to walk into a room, know you belong there, and know that you can make an impact.

Amy Stamm, a 2014 High Point University graduate with a degree in strategic Communications, credits HPU with preparing her for a successful career at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. She emphasizes the impact of experiential learning, mentorship from professors, and the development of professional life skills throughout her college experience. Amy highlights how the university's commitment to values and giving back continues through its active alumni network. She encapsulates the HPU mission by defining choosing to be extraordinary as having the confidence to walk into any room and make a meaningful impact.

Destination Success | Amy Stamm

Destination Success | Amy Stamm

How does High Point University prepare students for success?

What are campus activities like at High Point University?

How do HPU classes prepare students for the real world?

How do professors at High Point University mentor students?

What does a museum communications assistant do?

What is experiential learning like at HPU?

How do HPU professors prepare students for graduate school?

How does High Point University teach life skills?

How do HPU alumni help current college students?

Why is it important to find a career mentor?

What does it mean to choose to be extraordinary at HPU?