Communication Studies

Caitlin Byerly – Class of 2009

I came to UNCG in 2005 originally as a Speech Pathology major & changed my major my junior year of to Communication Studies; this was one of the best decisions I made while at UNCG.  The Communication Studies faculty impacted my life in ways I’m still realizing today.  This group of faculty not only cares about students understanding the material and how it applies to our everyday lives, but about each individual student and their success.

My senior year in the CST department was lined with turmoil in my personal life, yet it was one of my most academically successful semesters throughout my undergraduate career; I attribute much of this to my faculty members. Communication Studies is not just a major that will provide you with a degree but rather new perspectives and ideas about how you view your relationships and how you interact, personally and professionally, with others.  The CST faculty often recognizes the potential in a student, long before the student realizes it themselves.  These faculty members will push you to look outside of your own boundaries and to form new boundaries for yourself, academically.  You will undoubtedly walk away asking yourself on more than once occasion ‘why do I think this way about this subject?’ You will find yourself growing as an individual while in this major, and long after graduation.

Since graduating, I have worked in higher education in the public and private sector.  I returned to UNCG in 2010 to work as a staff member and am currently in transition to a new career in corporate marketing.  My degree has provided me the ability to connect and understand diverse populations, as well as still discovering in every day life the various theories taught in the undergraduate coursework.  By choosing a degree that is applicable in many fields, I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to use the knowledge gained in my coursework to make a drastic career change, with confidence.