comm class

Meet the Comm Community

Student interviews with Communication Faculty, Students, and Staff

Get to Know Us

Meet the Comm Community

Hear from students about their experience with the COMM major, as well as from the COMM department’s professors.

Alyssa Saavadra

Communication Student Evelyn Orozco interviews Communication Student Alyssa Saavedra 

 Communication student Alyssa discusses her experience at SBCC

  •  “The first communication class I took was public speaking. I was nervous but I liked the challenge and I liked that communication incorporated some psychology.”
  •  “Definitely use the comm lab and sign up for room days before an assignment and/or speech is due. If it turns out you don’t need the room just erase your name, but at least you have the spot reserved. Also answer and ask questions in class. As you are interested in communication, it is best to express yourself a little. A little goes a long way and instructors see the effort. Lastly, I’d suggest going to office hours, but have questions beforehand so you don’t blank out like me.”

  •    “Communication 288 and 289 with Professor Garard have been my absolute favorites! They’re quite the challenge, but are necessary for transfers and are really interesting. In comm 289, you get to see what runs through the minds of communication theorists. In comm 288, you get to conduct your own hypothetical study.”
  • “I want to work in public relations. I want to promote brands, people, organizations, and so forth.”
  •  “Assist.org definitely helped with transferring to a UC. It provided me with all of the necessary courses required for transferring --- specifically to UCSB.”

 

 

Sigma Chi Students

 Communication Student Evelyn Orozco chats with Students from Sigma Chi Eta

 Chatting with Members of SCE after their Spring 2019 event "Let's Talk: A Conversation about Addiction and Recovery" 

  •  "Get involved in the community!"

    "Networking!"

    "It’s fun!"

  •  “Yes, I’m actually a nursing major and have found this to be as useful. You get to meet a lot people and build connections. I also plan on transferring to UCSB, so I have found Sigma Chi Eta to be helpful.” - Saidee
  •  “It puts light on a current issue among college students and people battling with addiction”

  •  “I joined because I wanted to meet new people and because I wanted to get involved.” -Frankie
 
Carrie Hutchinson

Communication Student Shannon Mackle interviews Professor Carrie Hutchinson

Course Director for Interpersonal Communication (COMM 121) & Study Abroad Enthusiast 

  • “When abroad, we have the chance to view ourselves, our assumptions, and our behaviors from an entirely different perspective that simply cannot be achieved in the environments to which we are accustomed.”
  • “Absolutely! In order to work toward communication competence we first have to be able to accurately perceive our own habits and tendencies, and foreign environments is the best place to do this!”
  •  “Australia, India, Rwanda, South Africa, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Cuba

    In my job prior to SBCC I taught programs in: Japan, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada”

  •  “On every trip, I hope students are able to come back and view their own identities and life experiences through a new lens. I hope that the experience helps them develop a global perspective, build empathy, and recognize their own privilege in hopes that this knowledge will fuel a desire to be active changemakers for a better world.”
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Communication Student Shannon Mackle interviews Professor Darin Garard

Course Director for Communication Research Methods (Comm 288) and Communication Theory (COMM 289)

 

  • "It sounds cliche but it’s the students. It’s because I’m lucky enough to teach the classes for the major, so they’re all motivated, they’re all transfer bound, they all really care about their major, and they’re passionate about their major."

     

  • I hope that it makes them think about the world in a different way, I hope it teaches them to see the world as a problem that they want to solve, and that they can think critically about problem-solving, that’s what I hope happens in the research methods class, and I hope for the communications theories class that they can apply what we talked about, that its really practical and useful and I really do hope it prepares them for success when they transfer.”

  •  Especially if you’re UC bound, especially Berkeley, I think the COMM 171 class the mass media class is a great choice. With that said, even if you are UC bound, I would really recommend everyone take public speaking, because you’re not going to have the chance to take it at UC’s but it’s a skill that you just have to have… I think the ability to do that with confidence and credibility is a skill that will take you really far.
  • “I would give them advice about knowing what they want to do with their major, and then picking classes accordingly, have an idea about what you want to do, because we have the applied track (cal state) and the science track (UCs). I think if you know what you want to do with your major, you’re more likely to pick classes that you like and that speak to you and that you can use. If you’re dead-set on UC’s then you want to pick classes for that science track, if you’re not sure, but you want to be able to apply…

    Know what you want out of the major.
  •  

    It’s kind of a trick question. It’s not like our major leads directly to a job, per say, … but on the other hand our major, the doors are wide open, you can do all kinds of things. Usually I find that students who catch up with me after they have transferred or graduated are usually in the service industry, working with people, in business, something about sales, marketing, public relations, usually in the service industry. Like I said, I think the COMM major teaches you how to solve problems. How to organize information, present it to people in a clear way, and see problems that are happening and critically analyze situations.”

  •  

    “That’s a good question, so, back when I was a grad student my specialty was communication education, and instructional communication. So if I could teach any class I think it would be that, I would teach people how to teach communication/ how to be better teachers.
  • “Oh you’re asking me to pick favorites! … I would like to hear what Professor Hock has to say about the mass media class, I hear lots of good things about that, I would also like to take Professor Kistler’s intercultural class, I hear a lot of good things about those classes. That’s because of my own personal interests in media and culture and I’ve heard a lot of good things about those two courses.”

  • “I think that the importance of communication skills, is something that will not go away. I think in our society with the abundance of technology and information I think that people who can organize information and critically analyze it and disseminate it to another group of people, are valuable people. Those people have valuable skills and that’s what our major does, it teaches those skills.”

 

Meet the Interns

Meet Communication Students Shannon Mackle and Evelyn Orozco 

Shannon Mackle

Shannon Mackle

SBCC Class of 2019

Attending SBCC has been an amazing experience for me. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful place to spend the past two years while I figured out my major. Everyone here is so supportive, and I’m thankful for the professors and interesting courses that I got to take here. I chose to be a Communication major because it leads to a variety of career options and is applicable to everyday life, and working on the website allowed me to give back to the SBCC Comm Department that helped me so much. I am transferring to UC Berkeley in the fall as a Media Studies major, which is their version of Communications, and I couldn’t be more excited!

evelyn orozco

Evelyn Orozco

SBCC Class of 2019

 My experience at SBCC surpassed my expectations. I’m a Santa Barbara local, and I had the opportunity to be a promise student which means my two years were covered. I certainly enjoyed my time here because the community is caring, and makes sure everyone feels welcomed. For example, my first semester I had no clear idea of what I wanted to major in or where I was headed. I believed most students will come across this obstacle, but the counselors and professors are always willing to help. At SBCC, I gained direction on my educational path and personal goals due their supportive staff. I ended up majoring in communication because both mass media and business are an interest of mine. I also believe having strong communication skills will be beneficial in the workplace and in my everyday life. Moreover, in the fall I will continue to pursue a bachelor’s degree in communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I am thankful for all the opportunities I had such as, being an intern for this website. It allowed me to gain experience in my field, and give back to the community that helped mold me into who I am today.