This article was originally published April 7, 2014. Updated January 2, 2017.
"Since I was first featured in Minute with a Muskie as a sophomore, my life has taken me in a direction I never could have predicted. I graduated in May, 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and now I’m pursing my Master of Science Degree at Ohio University’s Scripps School of Journalism.
"It was never in my plans to go to grad school. I thought I’d be heading back to my hometown TV station, WFMJ, where I interned for the past two summers to start my career in broadcast news. However, that’s clearly not the case. Toward the end of the fall semester of my senior year, my advisor, Dr. Lisa Marshall, suggested I look into the Journalism school at OU.
"She even scheduled an appointment for me to meet with the graduate school director and took me on my first visit. I liked the school and thought it was a great program, but I didn’t realistically see myself being accepted, especially that late in the year (it was December and I would have to take the GRE and apply by February). Regardless, I felt like I owed it to Dr. Marshall to at least apply. Little did I know I’d be trading in my magenta for green that spring.
"Now that I’ve begun my grad school journey, I’m realizing just how thankful I am for all my experiences at Muskingum. Even though it’s a small school, I don’t feel like I received any less of an education than I would had I completed my undergraduate work at OU. The professors at Muskingum, especially Drs. German, Harman, and Marshall, invested so much time and energy into seeing my success. They challenged me in everything I did; sometimes it seemed impossible to meet their standards, but it only benefited me. Without them, I never would have gone to grad school.
"My classes and media experiences at Muskingum give me assurance that I’ll succeed in grad school. Through Orbit Media, I was able to gain the experience as a reporter, a radio DJ, a TV producer, a graphic designer, a director, and leader that I never would have learned anywhere else. I say that confidently because, even though there are much bigger programs at larger schools, Muskingum is unique in the sense that students can get involved in their first semester and in all mediums (TV, radio, and newspaper). I had the chance to work on stories that made national news, competing not only with local news outlets, but Columbus stations and beyond. I also had the academic research experience that most Journalism majors don’t receive at other schools. So with my professional and academic experiences combined, I feel prepared for research I’ll be doing in grad school."
Sophomore Christine Holmes of Austintown, Ohio will graduate in 2016 with majors in Journalism and English.
Christine was initially attracted to Muskingum because of the genuine friendliness of those she met through the admission process. “I knew I would be very comfortable on the beautiful campus and still be challenged academically,” she adds.
Christine is heavily involved in Orbit Media, which includes Orbit Television, the campus radio station, WMCO, and The Black & Magenta. She is a member of the golf team and president of Rotaract Club as well as World Vision, and she participates in Cru.
Not only is Christine the president of Rotaract; she is also one of the club’s founding members! She explains: “Rotaract is the college extension of Rotary International. Muskingum’s chapter was chartered this spring (2014) and we are sponsored by Zanesville Daybreak Rotary. In high school I was involved in Interact club, the high school equivalent of Rotaract. I loved serving my community and networking with Rotarians. One of my goals before I came to campus was to get a Rotaract club started at Muskingum, so when Amy [Gooden, of Student Financial Services] emailed students about the creation of the club, I was very excited to be a part of it. I have been president since the beginning of the semester when the club was started.”
With Christine at the helm, Rotaract is working on a number of service projects, including a pop tab collection on campus to benefit Ronald McDonald House; a trip to Miracle League in Zanesville to help the organization prepare the facility for the upcoming baseball season (Miracle League is a national organization that allows children and young adults with physical and mental disabilities play baseball); volunteering at Christ’s Table, a soup kitchen in Zanesville; and participating in Let’s Pick It Up, New Concord.
Christine adds, “Another, larger project we are attempting to coordinate involves working on making the Hollow a fun place for students to hang out and have bonfires. We want to build picnic tables, seating, a fire and barbecue pit, and a shelter in place of the old cabin. It’s a project we would like to get other groups on campus involved with so right now I am working on putting a group together of several campus leaders to meet with Janet Heeter-Bass and Kevin Wagner to begin planning the project.”
Christine couldn’t be happier as a Muskie: “My experience at Muskingum has been everything I’ve expected and more. I found my Muskie family right from the start. Even though I’m over two hours away from home, I know I have a solid group of people at Muskingum that care about me and would do anything for me. It allows my parents to relax, knowing I’m in good hands, and for me to explore my horizons knowing my parents aren’t worried about me. My professors go above and beyond what they’re expected. They’ve done everything in their power to ensure that I’m receiving the best education possible. They even let me hang around their offices, asking countless questions!”