Communication Studies

Melissa Wooten – B.A. 2006

Since January of 2008 I have been traveling the country working with AmeriCorps NCCC, a team based National Civilian Community Corps that serves the country by working in the areas of education, environment, public safety, unmet needs and homeland security. I have also been fortunate enough to respond to a natural disaster in Virginia and will be working with Habitat for Humanity later this summer in their efforts to refurbish New Orleans.

Directly after leaving UNCG in 2006, I back-packed through portions of western Europe learning the trades of organic farming, organic wine and olive oil production, and agricultural tourism while living with and volunteering for various homestead and small business owners. In the interim, I took some personal time to paint, draw, waitress and enhance my sense of spirituality by studying yoga at a residential institute in Virginia.

While I did not follow a “traditional” career track after graduating, I have found my communication training to be an invaluable attribute in each of the adventures I have undertaken. While traveling, I was able to use both my interpersonal skills as well as my cross-cultural communication training to establish volunteer opportunities and better acclimate myself to new and ever changing environments. In AmeriCorps, I have used my writing and interviewing skills to obtain my current position, my conflict management skills and knowledge of group dynamics to maneuver community living, and my public speaking and workshop development skills to demonstrate yoga and facilitate team building activities with groups of all ages. Finally, as Media Representative for my current team, I continue to use the training I received in Communication Studies to write press releases, editorial articles and day to day emails to staff and management.
As a result of my Communication Studies training, I feel I have the analytical skills to look within, the professionalism to work with and for the community and, most of all, the confidence to navigate the world to create the lifestyle that is right for me.