Jill Capadanno

I wanted to seize opportunities to diversify myself and join groups and activities outside of Leutze Hall. With COM as my major at UNCW, I was able to excel in my course load while still having time to fulfill my roles as a TealTV reporter, Swim Club president, CSS publicity chair and National Anthem singer for all of the home baseball games. I was able to be a participant in project protégé. I was connected with an internship at WWAY Channel 3 News. I helped organize Rock for a Cure, COM studies day, and several other events both on and off campus. I was able to establish a professional relationship with professors who later become key sources in recommendation letters. I was constantly challenging myself both inside and outside of the classroom. The COM department at UNCW recognizes that you must not plateau. You must not limit yourself. You must carry yourself beyond any limitations that may stunt your professional and personal growth. I was able to poise myself with confidence in interviews even when my career path seemed trivial and, at times, non-existent. I was able believe in my education, talents and abilities. I was able to succeed.

What area/classes did you focus on while you were in COM?

I primarily focused on media classes. My passion was to one day be a news reporter.

What do you miss most about being a COM student?

Can I say everything? Because I miss everything. I mostly miss walking on campus and being excited to go to my classes. There wasn’t a single class that did not hold my interest. I miss learning the depths that this major permits you to explore. The professors played a large role in that. The small class sizes made it easy to get to know each professor in the department and develop a mutual, respectful relationship with the same end goal of success upon graduation day. I miss CSS immensely. CSS was a large part of my experience in the COM Department and the memories I gained as the 2011-2012 publicity chair will not soon be forgotten. The CSS outreach in the Wilmington community as well as the on-campus presence was, in my opinion, superior to any other program on campus. My opinion may be biased, but with a community full of extrovert personalities, we made sure our voices were heard and our events were known on campus!

What is one piece of advice you would give yourself if you could go back?

Get out of your comfort zone with class selections. I transferred to UNCW my junior year and felt as though I was robbed from taking more classes and expanding my knowledge with different subdivisions of COM that UNCW had to offer. I needed to pin down my focus relatively fast and, to this day, wish that was not the case. TV was my passion and at the time, so I took on a heavy course load that revolved around media. Negotiation and Capstone ended up being two of my most memorable classes. Negotiation was an extremely different mindset than the media classes I had taken and Capstone was a reality check for what was to come. They became my favorite classes simply because they challenged me.