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As a student news writer in the Department of Agricultural Communication, Michelle Betz learned how to work with print and broadcast media. Each year, the department hires agricultural communication majors, like Betz, to give them professional-level communication experience before they graduate. ( Photo by Tom Campbell) |
The three-and-a-half years that I spent at Purdue University were filled with the typical experiences of a college student—writing papers, pulling all-nighters, going to classes that challenged my way of thinking and making lifelong friends. I attended the annual hog roast on the Agriculture Mall, sold T-shirts at SpringFest and got drenched in the Engineering Mall fountain. What I have taken away from my time as a Purdue undergraduate student will be key to whatever success I have throughout my lifetime.
There is one experience, however, that is providing me with an immediate pay off. An agricultural communication major, I was hired as a student news writer in the Department of Agricultural Communication at the start of my junior year. The department is a communication resource for Purdue Agriculture, and its news unit handles media relations and public affairs for the school and Purdue Extension.
My primary job was to assemble a bi-weekly agriculture calendar and write news releases about upcoming events. By the time I was a senior, I had moved up to writing news releases about current issues, such as the flooding that occurred in Indiana and surrounding states last summer. I also helped provide information for Ag Answers, an online news service and Web site for farmers, which is jointly operated by Purdue and Ohio State Extension.
In addition to looking good on my résumé, the experience gave me a head start when I began my job search after graduation last December. Now, I'm employed as a customer service representative for LandscaperPro, a landscaping supply distributor in Jasper, Ind. My employers are impressed with the people skills and communication training that I gained as a student worker.
My story is not unique. Purdue Agriculture has more than 500 under-graduate students on the payroll for spring semester. They work in faculty labs, administrative and academic offices, and research facilities. And, like me, they're all learning skills that they will draw on in the future, whether it's in the workplace or in graduate school.
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