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I joined the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Ad Club on a whim near the end of my junior year of college. I’d been a journalism major with an emphasis in Public Relations and Advertising for a little over a semester, and was suddenly struck with the realization that I needed to be more involved on campus. One key part of me picking Ad Club to join was Melodae Morris being the advisor of the club. She was the instructor for two classes I was taking at the time, and as I enjoyed those classes I figured I would also enjoy being a member of Ad Club.

Thanks to a majority of the Ad Club leadership graduating that year, I quickly found myself in the role of Vice President my second semester of being a member of Ad Club. The semester after that I became President. This would have marked my final semester at UNO, as I was nearly done with my journalism major requirements. However, the small amount of design work I’d done in my journalism classes along with the task I’d had of designing the Ad Club posters inspired me to add a second major of studio art with an emphasis in graphic design. This extended my stay at UNO, which in turn extended my time as a member of ad club, and I was also President for the following year.

In March of 2017, I started an internship at the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN). There, I get the opportunity to combine what I’ve learned from both of my majors. I get to put my PR/Advertising skills to good use by scheduling posts for BHECN’s social media accounts, writing stories for the monthly newsletter, taking photos at events and editing the occasional video. I also get to put my graphic design skills to work by creating flyers, social media graphics and more.

This year, I’m starting what will hopefully be my actual final year of college. I’ve taken a step back from the President position of Ad Club, and instead taken on the role of Vice President: Graphic Design and Social Media. It’s a position I’m really looking forward to working in, as it combines the skills I’ve enjoyed building the most through my time at UNO. It’s going to be a busy year for me, as in addition to my internship and Ad Club, I’m also the Editor-in-Chief of UNO’s student newspaper, The Gateway, this year.

Being a member of UNO’s Ad Club and AAF Omaha has paved the path of my college experience since I joined. I never would have had the idea to become a graphic design major without the experience I got through Ad Club, and the experience I got through Ad Club ended up on the resume that landed me my internship at BHECN. The whim I took one afternoon to join Ad Club ended up being invaluable.