COMMUNICATION STUDIES ALUMNI NEWSLETTER: SUMMER 2025

Author: knguyen1

One of the key points Haila shared with students is that to be a great leader, you must be a great listener! Haila explained that being a leader can commonly come with conflict between people, because perspectives and opinions vary greatly. Haila urged students to consider communicating constructively, positively and respectfully, even when you are passionate about something on which your opinion is the opposite of someone else’s. As an example, the mayor discussed how the City Council of Ames is non-partisan, where political parties are not considered, and instead, all are called to work together for the good of the community.

Many questions the students asked of Mayor Haila focused on his goals as mayor and his commitment to being engaged with students on campus and in our community. The mayor made clear he wants to hear from and incorporate all students, as they are an important part of our community. He wants students to feel welcome in Ames, like it is their second home. With his personal focus on students, Mayor Haila is seeking to implement ways to communicate with students and to get ideas from students who want to make a positive impact in this community. Haila told the audience that he meets with President Wendy Wintersteen to go over any projects that directly involve the ISU campus, and likewise meets with ISU student government to get an insight to the student perspective.

Would you like to give back to current students? Would you like to share wisdom you have gained from the years in your career with students who are just starting their careers? Communication Studies will soon host our very first Alumni-Student Speed Networking Event on September 16 from 6:00-7:30 p.m.  During this inaugural event, small groups of students will speak with one of our alumni for 10 minutes, then rotate their student group to the next alumni, until they have had a chance to talk with and learn from each one of the participating alumni. The goal is for our students to learn from your professional experience and to make connections with you for career ideas, professional advice and networking. Please email event leader Dr. Kelly Odenweller at kellyo@iastate.edu if you are interested in participating. We would love to have you involved.

The students, faculty and staff of Communication Studies would like to extend a very special thank you to each of our alumni and friend donors who made a gift to the Communication Studies Excellence Fund on this spring’s Forever True Day of giving, April 2-3. During this special 24-hour giving challenge, we were seeking 25 donors, to unlock a special donation of $2500 from the Communication Studies faculty. Thanks to the generosity of many, we met our goal of 25 donors, and unlocked the $2500 gift from a group of our faculty. In Spring 2026, we will have a new giving challenge as we participate in Iowa State’s Forever True Day of giving once again. However, you do not need to wait until then to support the study of human communication! Communication skills are always at the top of the list in what employers seek in new hires. Help us continue our mission of excellent instruction in human communication by making a gift to the Communication Studies Excellence Fund today: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1463/giving/interior.aspx?sid=1463&gid=1&pgid=2309&cid=7516&dids=678.909.320&sort=1&bledit=1&appealcode=ASG99LASCSWEB

Do you remember the Communication Studies Club and its monthly meetings to provide further equipping with essential communication competencies? You’ll be glad to know that the club continues its important work. Each month, students come together to connect with each other, to hear from and learn from guest speakers, to help others through impactful service projects, and to participate in activities that build their communication capacities. The Communication Studies Club completed another successful academic year by acknowledging the students who served as officers this academic year (pictured from left to right): Mackenzie Thomas, Vice President; Rachel Haupt, Secretary; Kynzie Steffens, President; Ella Eipert, Vice President; and Jackson Sperry, Treasurer. If you are interested in making a financial gift that benefits the students attending the Communication Studies Club, please reach out to our alumni coordinator, Dr. Todd Jenks (drjenks@iastate.edu). Your assistance for current students is so greatly appreciated.

Alumni and families are invited to join us for our second Communication Studies Alumni Gathering during Homecoming 2025. Our alumni gathering will be held in conjunction with the Homecoming football game against BYU on Saturday, October 25. The specific time of this event will be announced later, once game time has been set. However, we project that unless the game is scheduled for an early kickoff, the gathering will begin three hours prior to kickoff and run up until game time. Last year’s event was so fun, but it was only two hours long. Alumni asked us to extend this event for another hour this year, so we will! Please mark the date on your calendar and plan to join us for conversation, connecting and catching up!

Help us help you — and your organization, too! As a graduate of our program, you know that Communication Studies has the very best students: hard-working, intelligent, and equipped with essential skills in communication! Today’s students are seeking internships to help them gain the on-the-job skills that will benefit them in their future employment. Do you need an intern in your organization? Wouldn’t you love to have an intern who has skills in communication? If your organization has an internship that you would like us to advertise to our students, please reach out and let us know. We’d love to share the information with our students! You can contact our director, Dr. Stacy Tye-Williams: styewill@iastate.edu

We asked Megan, “How does it feel to be working at your alma mater?” Megan enthusiastically replied, “I love it! I have this sense of joyful nostalgia every time I come into work. I can’t believe I graduated from here 12 years ago when it feels like yesterday. I love being able to work with students in my role and see them grow in their college journeys. I like to say being on a college campus keeps me young! 😊There’s always something exciting happening on campus, and I feel very connected and privileged to be able to work on such a beautiful campus. One thing hasn’t changed at Iowa State and it’s their care for helping students succeed. I’m very blessed to be a part of that!”

We then asked Megan, “How did you end up working at the student union?” Megan told us: “This past September, I celebrated my 10^th year working here at Iowa State. It’s gone by so fast! My journey started in Beardshear Hall working in the Office of Student Financial Aid, first as a student in my undergraduate years and then full-time as an advisor, primarily working with financial aid communications and managing the social media efforts for the office. Then a communications specialist role opened at the Ivy College of Business, and I had to jump at the chance to further develop my skills and learn as a member of their marketing team. My job worked closely with their graduate programs office in recruiting students into the Ivy master’s programs. A couple years later, a position opened up here at the Memorial Union (MU), where I’d have the chance to lead a marketing unit and I’ve been here almost 4 years!”

 Next, we asked Megan, “What do you do in your role at the Union?” Megan responded: “In my role as Marketing Specialist, I lead our marketing and graphics unit here in the Memorial Union (MU), which includes a staff of one full time graphic designer and six student interns who help manage our websites, social media, graphic design projects, and photography. I serve as our communications lead to create, implement, and maintain a multi-faceted communications strategy which includes advertising, promotions, public relations, and monthly newsletters. I also design and maintain all three MU websites and manage our social media accounts for the Memorial Union. I’m also in charge of all the signage in the building, both wayfinding and environmental branding. Our team supports the 7 student organizations who are affiliated with the Memorial Union (ISU After Dark, Student Union Board, Dance Marathon, etc.), and we have a hand in promoting the 300+ MU events and programs that happen here on an annual basis. We pride ourselves on offering welcoming spaces here at the MU, and providing opportunities where students can find their community at Iowa State!”

Next, we asked Megan, “How do you use your communication studies degree in your work?” Megan told us, “When I think back to some of my coursework, I truly enjoyed interpersonal and organizational communication. In my everyday work, I’m collaborating with cross-functional teams, whether it’s navigating needs from our event management staff to the custodial team in producing what they need to be successful. Public speaking has been a large part of my roles here at ISU as well, and the Communication Studies program gave me the confidence needed to tackle any presentation (Thanks, ComSt 404!). Speaking of 404, learning about different research methods helped me immensely in graduate school. The degree also helped me learn how to craft clear, persuasive messages. One of the challenges I face frequently in my role is asking myself — is this going to resonate with the students? We are constantly molding and shaping our messaging to different audiences, and the Communication Studies program prepared me for that.”

Life is full of the unexpected, so we asked Megan: “Is there anything you do in your work that it might surprise other people to learn is part of your role?” Megan informed us: “Like many staff at the University, we wear many hats! One of mine is currently serving as the Gold Star Hall committee chair. As you know, the MU was originally built to be a living memorial to the Iowa State students who died in World War I. The Gold Star Hall, located at the North entrance, now includes the names of nearly 600 students who have made the ultimate sacrifice in subsequent wars. Each year as a committee, we select a handful of students from the hall to be honored at the Gold Star Hall ceremony and we invite their family members to attend. During the ceremony we read their narratives out loud, which not only sheds light on what their military life was like, but what their life was like here at Iowa State before they served. It’s a very impactful ceremony, and I’m honored to have a part in it!”

We greatly enjoyed catching up with Megan, and hope that you have as well. Megan closed her time with us by encouraging you to submit your update to share with your fellow alumni from Communication Studies: “This newsletter is a great opportunity to stay connected to your alma mater and the Comm Studies program at Iowa State! We are all doing amazing things and you never know what might inspire the person who is reading. 😊 Your journey shows the many paths a Communication Studies degree can lead to. Please consider sharing your story!”

We invite you to share an update with your fellow alumni from Communication Studies. The alumni who attended our Homecoming Alumni Gathering told us that they LOVE reading the updates from other alumni. Your update could be about your career, your personal life, a trip you took, a memory of your time in Communication Studies, or whatever else you’d like to share. Just send your update to our alumni coordinator, Dr. Todd Jenks, drjenks@iastate.edu, and we’ll get your update included in a future edition of this newsletter.

COMMUNICATION STUDIES ALUMNI NEWSLETTER: SUMMER 2025

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