As networking skills become increasingly vital in competitive career paths, the newly formed Communication Studies Club at Moorpark College aims to assist students in the hunt for internship opportunities and useful networking advice.
The club held their first official meeting on January 16th in PA 119, to introduce themselves, discuss goals, elect cabinet members, and answer any questions. Club advisors, Jenna Patronete and Jill McCall, both communications professors, outlined the importance of forming a group of like-minded students, where they can make connections that may last a lifetime.
“The goal is to create a cohort, and achieve that bond between students,” said McCall. “At community college, it can be hard to find that group of individuals with the same goals, in order to create that unifying system or network.”
The club plans to offer plenty of resources for its members. Along with having direct connection with the internship program at Moorpark College, according to McCall. Each member will create a LinkedIn profile, and include a professionally shot portrait, which will be taken at the next club meeting. The club will also bring in business savvy speakers to share advice and information from an experienced perspective. The next meeting will welcome Nicole Casper, an advertiser for Saatchi & Saatchi, a global advertising network.
One of the most valuable resources students may receive in the club is a possible membership to Sigma Chi Eta, the official community college honor society of the National Communication Association. According to the club’s newly elected social commissioner, Fernanda Garcia, requirements for Sigma Chi Eta include a current enrollment of twelve units, completed nine communications units, at least a 3.0 GPA overall, a 3.25 GPA in your current communication classes, and a fee of thirty dollars. According to McCall, the benefits of this national society last long after a student’s college career.
“You become a lifetime member,” said McCall. “And an academic honorary society speaks pretty loudly to colleges and employers.”
Although the club is newly established, the demand for this community has been present on campus for years. Garcia expressed her previous desire for a Communication Studies club, and also what she finally hopes to see now that the club is a reality.
“This allows for students to become more knowledgeable or aware of what the field offers and how many different career paths you can take,” said Garcia. “It would also be useful to have a place you can go for reference of current communication classes, where the students that have gone through the courses can help the new students that might be struggling.”
According to both advisors, the club also plans to reach out to the community around Moorpark College. This includes participating in this year’s Career and Internship Expo, as well as possibly holding interview workshops for Moorpark College students, and interested high schoolers.
For more information on the club, or to sign up, meetings occur in PA 119 every second Wednesday of the month. Their next meeting will take place on February 13. Following meetings plan to be held on the first Wednesday of every month at 3 p.m.
Secretary, Hayley Boomhower, shared her expectations for the club this semester and how it can create a lasting legacy.
“Being a part of the beginning is always difficult,” said Boomhower, a communications major in her last semester at Moorpark College. “But I hope that after this semester, we are able to create a community of people who believe in the same message and are there to help each other.”
