By: Breana Wheeler
When I first came to Central Michigan University, I originally wanted to be a meteorology major with a journalism minor. When I first took journalism 101 with Jim Wojcik, I realized my passion for journalism was much greater than meteorology.
When I officially changed majors to journalism and English minor, I could tell that my mood changed for the better as I realized that I was much happier studying journalism. Being able to write stories and get a sense of how a newsroom works at CMU changed my life for the better. Some classes that I really enjoyed were JRN 340 with professor Dr. Lori Brost and JRN 312 Writing Intensive (WI) with Steven Coon.
When I took JRN 340 with Dr. Lori Brost, I had fun being introduced to a multimedia class and really enjoyed being able to dabble in other areas besides journalism. I got to make graphics about the stories I covered and got to also experience making audio and video interview recordings. Journalism really can take you in different directions other than just writing.
And when I took JRN 312 WI with Professor Steven Coon, it felt like I was in a newsroom. His class assignments were set up with having to follow a club on campus and having a story due every two weeks. The pace of the class wasn’t too fast or slow, but just right. We also had an assignment where we had to contact a professional in the field we want to go into. I thought the assignment helped shape that I still want to go into journalism and get a job doing investigative journalism.
These classes and many more have given me the tool to navigate my major and have available resources to help guide me into whatever I need. Without taking JRN 101 and having Jim Wojcik as my professor, I don’t think I would have been able to follow my true passion.