Kyndall Dysard
The COM Giving team interviewed alumni, Kyndall DySard to find out more about her experience as a Communication Studies major.
What is your job title? What do you do in your job? How did the Communication Studies major help you to meet your professional career goals?
“Full-time student! I am a M.A. candidate in Elon’s Interactive Media graduate program. It is a 10-month, intensive program where I am learning programming, graphic design, and production techniques. I currently am a contributor to their Eye on iMedia blog and a project manager for our study abroad trip in January.
I learned a lot during my time in COM! I focused my studies on IMC, Advertising, and Web Design. However, I never had the time to learn technical skills; how to operate a camera, code, or edit anything using Adobe software. The COM Studies Department gave me the foundation and applied learning experiences I needed to full thrive in my current graduate program.”
What was the most impactful part of the Communication Studies Major?
“Everything was impactful! I would say that being a member of Pier601 was the greatest experience for what I want to do with my career. I had the opportunity to work in different teams, on different projects, and with different clients. I got a quick glimpse into the creative agency world, and I fell in love!”
Did you have a favorite professor in the Communication Studies Department? What impact did they have on you?
“Dr. Persuit is my favorite professor, duh! She awarded me the first ever IMC Achievement Award earlier this year and I still have her speech hanging on my wall. The deeper I go into my graduate program, the more I appreciate everything she taught me; from dealing with difficult clients to the importance of throwing a “lit” event.”
Other than COM 400, what class had the most impact on you?
“Other than COM 400, IMC II and Advertising II had a huge impact on me. IMC II was the first class where I got to truly apply my learning. We had to work together as a class to create an IMC Plan for the Department of Anthropology, which was amazing! In Advertising II, we got to take the IMC Plan that my class and I worked on from IMC II and put it to action by throwing the most lit Darwin Day UNCW has ever seen.”
What do you miss the most about UNCW?
“I miss the atmosphere. Until you’re gone, you can’t really appreciate it. The professors in the COM Department truly are amazing and so incredibly helpful. In the marketplace, your bosses and supervisors won’t have time to listen to you ramble on about your hopes and dreams for 30 minutes; they’re going to tell you to get back to work. I miss being able to make mistakes and learn from them in the safety of Leutze Hall. Even though I’m still in school, there’s less of a safety net when you only have 10 months to build your portfolio.”