Alumni Profiles
Alumni Profiles
James Burge
Senior Global Marketing Manager at Crocs, Inc.
In my current role as a Senior Global Marketing Manager at Crocs, Inc., I orchestrate strategic media plans spanning multiple global markets (US, Europe, Asia, Latin America, India & China). My responsibilities involve conceptualizing, planning, and executing these plans. One aspect I particularly love about my work is managing and leading a team of media professionals and agency partners, ensuring the successful implementation of campaigns and initiatives.
Studying Communication at UCCS has profoundly shaped my academic knowledge and personal development. One standout lesson has been the impact of attentive listening in effective communication. Learning to authentically listen has transformed my ability to understand diverse viewpoints and connect meaningfully with others. Studying Communication equipped me with versatile skills in effective communication, empathy, critical thinking, and adaptability, crucial in interviews and job challenges, making me an effective candidate.
The program honed my abilities in fostering meaningful connections and articulating ideas effectively. Moreover, it instilled a strategic mindset, enabling me to plan and execute marketing strategies adeptly, fostering relationships and crafting effective plans in various roles throughout my career.
Studying Communication at UCCS has profoundly shaped my academic knowledge and personal development. One standout lesson has been the impact of attentive listening in effective communication. Learning to authentically listen has transformed my ability to understand diverse viewpoints and connect meaningfully with others. Studying Communication equipped me with versatile skills in effective communication, empathy, critical thinking, and adaptability, crucial in interviews and job challenges, making me an effective candidate.
The program honed my abilities in fostering meaningful connections and articulating ideas effectively. Moreover, it instilled a strategic mindset, enabling me to plan and execute marketing strategies adeptly, fostering relationships and crafting effective plans in various roles throughout my career.
Tiana Herrera
Marketing Coordinator at GPMM Inc.
One thing that I learned from Communication that will stick with me is the people skills. Being a young new hire in a privately owned company has many challenges, but knowing how to communicate in a professional manner has made me feel as if I am an equal to all of my coworkers! With all the new challenges I am facing, I always have my background knowledge of how to communicate effectively with individuals from various backgrounds and build meaningful relationships. Communication has offered me a level of awareness I feel I would not have had without my studies!
Studying Communication helped me land my job because it offered me experience in the world of Training, Public Relations, and Organizational Communication. My role as a Marketing Coordinator offers vast responsibilities, and I find that most of my foundational knowledge comes from my years at UCCS in the School of Communication! Go Mountain Lions!
I view the world through a very different lens than someone in the Science or Medical field would. While every individual helps others in their own ways, I feel as though I have the ability to understand people objectively through the lens of Communication. My conflict-resolution skills have helped me collaborate with my Human Resources and Training Manager to find ways to address problems more effectively and find solutions that work for every individual.
Studying Communication helped me land my job because it offered me experience in the world of Training, Public Relations, and Organizational Communication. My role as a Marketing Coordinator offers vast responsibilities, and I find that most of my foundational knowledge comes from my years at UCCS in the School of Communication! Go Mountain Lions!
I view the world through a very different lens than someone in the Science or Medical field would. While every individual helps others in their own ways, I feel as though I have the ability to understand people objectively through the lens of Communication. My conflict-resolution skills have helped me collaborate with my Human Resources and Training Manager to find ways to address problems more effectively and find solutions that work for every individual.
Sarai Atchison
Account Executive at Colorado Rockies Baseball Club
Sarai Atchison is a 2023 graduate of our online MA in Communication Studies program. Sarai currently works with the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club as an Account Executive for Theme Nights and Special Events where she helps create and execute theme nights and special events at Coors Field, like a Star Wars night in July 2023! Sarai credits her graduate studies in communication at UCCS and the internship opportunities it provided for opening exciting professional opportunities.
Jacqueline Ferguson
Legal Secretary
Jacqueline Ferguson is a 2022 graduate of the Department of Communication. Ferguson credits the professional communication skills she learned at UCCS for assisting in her work as a legal secretary for a high-volume law firm. She explains, “I am able to communicate confidently with my bosses and higher-ups. In addition to this, I have the ability to utilize interpersonal and professional communication which has helped me to bond with my coworkers while still maintaining a high level of professionalism within the workplace.”
Darius Pardner
College Counselor at Georgetown Day School
I currently serve in the dual role of college counselor and 10th-grade dean at Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C. I counsel 33 seniors throughout the college process, from essay writing to college list building to enrollment, and as dean of the 10th grade, I’m in charge of the social, emotional, and academic well-being of the entire sophomore class. I love having the opportunity to build relationships with students on a personal level. Rarely do educators have the opportunity to observe the full development of the whole student, inside and outside of the classroom. I’m fortunate to say that’s my reality every day.
Studying communication allowed me to develop certain skills and obtain knowledge that enabled me to thrive in various areas of my professional career. Taking Intercultural Communication was a turning point for me as a scholar. This course illuminated the fact that if we can communicate effectively across differences, across cultures, the possibilities are endless, and any progress can be made.
Interpersonal communication was at the foundation of my major and a large part of how I landed my current role. Learning how to not only communicate with others effectively but mastering the sharing of information to achieve goals is core to who I am as a professional.
While the classroom work was beyond informative when studying communication, some of the most powerful work happened among my classmates. Debating ideas, and theories and applying them to real-world issues was the pride of my experience. In these instances, I honed my critical thinking skills and was allowed to envision a world in which anything could be achieved with the proper channels of communication and the right ideas.
Studying communication allowed me to develop certain skills and obtain knowledge that enabled me to thrive in various areas of my professional career. Taking Intercultural Communication was a turning point for me as a scholar. This course illuminated the fact that if we can communicate effectively across differences, across cultures, the possibilities are endless, and any progress can be made.
Interpersonal communication was at the foundation of my major and a large part of how I landed my current role. Learning how to not only communicate with others effectively but mastering the sharing of information to achieve goals is core to who I am as a professional.
While the classroom work was beyond informative when studying communication, some of the most powerful work happened among my classmates. Debating ideas, and theories and applying them to real-world issues was the pride of my experience. In these instances, I honed my critical thinking skills and was allowed to envision a world in which anything could be achieved with the proper channels of communication and the right ideas.
