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Hello everyone, my name is Amanda Dornsife. I am from the Bay Area and currently a sophomore majoring in Communication Studies with minors in both Psychology and Disability Studies. When I was first applying to colleges, I was unsure of exactly what major would set me on the path to success for my future career of becoming a childhood speech and language pathologist (SLP). After speaking with Dr. Andrea Weber, we concluded that a Communication Studies major would be a perfect fit for me and what I wanted to do. Our classes are designed to explain exactly what communication is and demonstrate how vital it is to our daily lives, whether that be on a personal, professional, or academic scale. As a child, I struggled to communicate my wants and needs to my parents, so now I can understand just how great a gift and privilege communication and language are. With the combination of a disability and psychology minor, I will be equipped with the knowledge and skills I need in order to obtain a graduate degree and my SLP certification. I am more than happy with my decision to pursue a Communication Studies major at Chapman.

Thus far, my academic experience has been excellent; all of my professors are caring, available, and very knowledgeable. They remind me that my personal and professional future abilities are truly limitless; communication is a significant component of almost any possible career. My professors inspire me to truly engage in the material I am learning, and as a result, I now have a very optimistic and exciting view of my professional future.

I have taken seven classes in my communication studies major so far, and I have two classes that I have absolutely loved. One was research methods, and the other was mass communication. What made these classes were the professors Megan Vendemia and Tess Buckley. They are fantastic teachers who truly loved what they put their communication studies towards inside and outside the classroom. The subjects of both classes were so interesting and completely applicable to 21st-century life as a young adult. I highly recommend taking a class with one, if not both, of these fantastic communication professors. They have truly made me fall in love with our field of study.

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Still, as a sophomore, I have only dipped my toes in the endless possibilities of involvement on campus. So far, I have found myself involved in a few different clubs on campus, including active minds (a club attempting to remove the stigma around mental health), pinky swear and camp kesem (both organization raising awareness about cancer), and finally—my favorite—black student union. I have already found myself in a few executive roles within some of these clubs. Currently, I am entertaining the idea of possibly rushing for a sorority on campus.

I am currently serving as the School of Communication senator within Chapman Student Government Association. In this role we serve as the bridge between the School of Communication and the many parts of the upper administration of the university. We meet once a week in the Argyros Forum board room to discuss funding, possible initiatives, speak about integration and involvement in the local community of Orange, and changes that can be made to make all students academic affairs as easy as possible as they navigate university.

Last year during my fall semester, when I was matched with my first-generation mentor Michelle Miller-Day, I expressed that I was interested in being more involved in the School of Communication (SoC) and wanted to meet new people. She then recommended that I look into serving on the SoC Student Advisory Board (SAB). While the SoC SAB allows me to meet people in various majors and become more involved, it also allows me to give back and serve others within the communication department. I can communicate with current and prospective students about my experience and offer help to others. I am incredibly excited to see what the future holds for me within the SoC SAB.

My goal is to help new, current, and prospective students find their place within the School of Comm and at Chapman in general. I also hope to work with my SAB peers to prioritize mental health within the SoC and revitalize and build upon the already existing WeCare initiative. I am so grateful that I have been able to join such a wonderful community and group on campus. I’m always here and would love to help students in any way possible. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

You can email me at dornsife@chapman.edu

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