From the Classroom

Teaching COMM 1313 at the University of Arkansas

When I was a little girl people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I would tell them that I wanted to be a "vegetarian."  I was really mispronouncing veterinarian, but still, it was an adorable answer because I loved animals (and still do!) but then I got into my science classes and realized that math and science were not necessarily my strengths.  Of course my interests and strengths changed as I entered high school and at that point I wanted to be an International Business Lawyer specializing in French, which was a far cry from being a vegetarian.  And so I began my freshman year at the University of Arkansas as an International Business student; but after taking my freshmen Communication class and a public speaking course, I knew that Communication was my strength and I quickly changed my major.  I still had no idea what I was going to do once I entered "the real world" but by the time I graduated, I knew I wanted to continue my education.

I received a graduate assistantship along with my acceptance into the Communication graduate program at the U of A.  This assistantship meant that I would teach COMM 1313, an introductory Communication course. Teaching this class changed my life forever and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the calling on my life.  I get such a high from teaching and I know that I have had the incredible opportunity to make a difference in my student's lives.  At the end of this semester I received countless emails from my students thanking me for a wonderful class and one group of students even gave a speech on why I should be crowned Miss Arkansas! Click here for the speech! I cannot even begin to describe the impact my students have had on my life so far and I know that it will only get better from here.

Ask me what I want to do with my life now and I can confidently answer, "I want to teach people how to interact and communicate with others in such a way that they will be able to reach their goals and achieve success in whatever field they choose."

~ Simone