Running head: REFLECTIVE SELF ANALYSIS

Reflective Self Analysis Fresh Mark Internship

Anthony Milano
Kent State University

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Anthony Milano Reflective Self Analysis
When I was a freshman, senior year seemed so far away. Back in 2012 I had just
graduated high school and was beginning to start my first semester here at Kent State
University. I remember feeling like any other first year college student, nervous and a bit
overwhelmed. There seemed to be so many classes between graduation and me. Now
here I sit as a senior and the list of classes to take has dwindled to just a few. My time at
Kent has helped me grow in more ways than one Ive met people that I would probably
never meet anywhere else and these experiences will stay with me forever.
When I graduated high school, I worked at the local high school TV station.
Taking this knowledge and experience into college I thought I wanted to be a journalism
major. Broadcast Journalism was my first major, and a short lived one. I took three
semesters worth of classes until I realized I didnt just want to be a reporter or TV
broadcaster. I loved talking to people and I knew this was one of my strengths.
Consequently, I began to explore other options offered at Kent State University. After
digging through some of my old freshman brochures, I found some information on the
Applied Communication degree. I realized this could be a better degree for me, and could
lead to more job possibilities after college. I didnt know much about the Applied
Communications major or Communication Studies. The only thing I knew was that it was
located in Taylor Hall and the importance of that building. I love researching things and
gaining knowledge before I make a decision. I searched the Communication Studies
website and began to explore the options on my own, but ultimately, I needed to talk with
a communication advisor to make this decision. Two days later I was up in Kent meeting
with a communication advisor discussing the possible options. Most of my classes would

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transfer and count toward my degree, and not set me back. The goal was to graduate in
four years; so far Im still on that track. I left the advisors office that day feeling
exhilarated about my change of major. Furthermore, I believe I read a statistic once that
said most college students change their major at least once.
Even though I changed my major in August 2013, I didnt actually start taking
Communication classes until spring semester 2014. Moreover, I didnt completely change
my schedule for the fall because I could still use those classes toward my degree. Im
glad I held on to my multimedia story telling class because I learned valuable information
about interviewing people and creating media stories with technology. If I need those
skills I have them even though I havent had to use them just quite yet.
Communication Studies is the right choice for me, and I knew this after the first
class I took, Foundations of Communications, during the spring semester of my
sophomore year. That class reinforced my belief that I made the right choice in switching
majors. I have learned many things in my communication classes that have applied to the
real world and for my internship. I deal with many different people everyday at my
internship and having an understanding of gender and cultural differences of people is
very important. Being able to respect peoples differences and bridge communication
gaps makes me very effective at my job. The skills I learned in my Gender and
Communication class, and my Communication theory class have given me confidence
talking to strangers and making a connection.
Through out my time at the School of Communication Studies I have felt my
confidence grow as a leader and as a public speaker. I always felt I was a strong public
speaker but there is always room for improvement. Intro to Human Communication and

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High Impact Professional Speaking are two classes that have helped improve my overall
confidence. At my Internship sometimes the interns have to make decisions that affect the
event, critical thinking is a part of the job. Before college I wasnt much of a leader and
didnt want to make many decisions on my own. Working in groups and giving
presentations has greatly improved my confidence and ability in myself to make smart
decisions that can have a positive outcome at work.
During my time here at Kent State University I have been involved with two
student organizations, the first being TV 2. During my two semesters working at TV2 I
appeared on numerous episodes of Whats up Weekly, which was a cross between late
night TV and Saturday Night Live. I wrote scripts and even produced some short videos
for the show. During my second semester the show became know as Friday Night Live
and we made the switch to a sketch comedy show. While working at TV2 was fun it was
also very stressful and the show wasnt very good. We didnt have the best talent and
eventually the show was canceled. It was about this time I decided to pursue a different
major path. I stayed around TV2 for another semester and worked with a small marketing
team. We didnt do much but I did get a little taste of event marketing, which is what I do
now for Fresh Mark.
The second school organization I am involved in is the Kent Communication
Society. This last semester I was the Social Media officer where I handled all of the social
media channels for KCS and also attended many events including Relay For Life. This
upcoming semester I am the PR and Advertising officer. My responsibilities have
changed a little bit but Im still glad to be a member. This will be my third semester with
KCS, my first was spent as a member that just attended the meetings and went to events.

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During the end of that semester they had elections for officers, me being shy, I didnt at
first run for anything but my Gender and Communication instructor Molly Taggart told
me to run. When I won I couldnt believe it, this was something I will definitely
remember for a long time. In the future I want to become involved with Lambda Pi Eta.
I am a member and would like to become the treasurer for the organization this up
coming semester.
This spring I was inducted into Lambda Pi Eta the honor society for
Communication Studies. This was a very proud moment for me because I was able to
have my parents there, my mom was very excited about it. In high school I never was
honored or recognized for academic achievements, being honored in college made me
feel proud that I was able to achieve success at a higher education level.
Graduation is right around the corner, I am confident my time at Kent State
University has given the skills and the knowledge to be successful in the modern work
place. Right now I havent decided on anything permanent yet. I like my internship and
the work that I do, but I also want to keep my options open and make sure I create the
best possible situation for my future. If I had to make a prediction I would predict that I
will pursue a job down south somewhere preferably in North Carolina. However the last
couple of months Ive thought about living out west maybe in Arizona. With my
experience during my internship I could possible seek the same occupation only full time.
If Fresh Mark decided to offer me a job I wouldnt be against taking it. I like working
there and the people are personable and nice.
I have given some thought into what type of organization Id like to work for. My
hobbies are sports and cars. Cars are more of a passion for me working for a company

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that makes cars or builds parts for them would be a dream. If I could do event marketing
for General Motors that would be a dream job for me. I havent done much research into
this job market but I do know that employees that travel and work trade shows with GM
products work directly for GM. These are just some of my aspirations after graduation,
but I am open to any career path. I would have never thought I would intern for Fresh
Mark growing up. I used to drive by the Canton plant everyday going to work at my high
school job.
If Ive learned one thing from working, going to school and just living life in
general, things never seem to go as planned. As a result, you have to adapt and change
on the fly. It seems that there will always be a curve ball thrown my way and some how I
have to hit it. Time management helps me over come these issues when they arise.
Attending college really helped me develop good time management skills, knowing
deadlines and starting the project early and being able to trouble shoot anything that
comes up has been my motto and has made me very successful in school.
My last two semesters here at Kent State University are going to fly by, no doubt I
am going to miss my friends and the experiences I have had here. I am looking toward
the future and hopefully I will be able to succeed in the workplace just as I have done in
school. I feel I have greatly improved my communication skills while here at Kent. My
internship is a perfect example, I have confidence to walk up to a complete stranger strike
up a conversation with them and make a connection. Taking my courses and meeting new
people has taught me valuable skills and experiences that will stay with me forever. I
wonder what my college path would have been if I would have stayed in Broadcast
journalism. I dont think about it much, however, I am glad I made the switch to

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Communication Studies. Switching majors was the right move for me and I look forward
to what the future holds for me.