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Sticking it Out

Wendy Kush and her communications class.

Standing in front of a classroom and giving an eight-minute speech while being critiqued is a nerve-wracking experience for anyone with a fear of public speaking. Wendy Kush (pictured standing on the right) didn't think she could do it and thought about dropping her Fundamentals of Oral Communication class. Below you will find, in her own words, how sticking with the course turned out to be a great decision.

My name is Wendy Kush and I attended COM-111, Professor Eggleston's class for the fall semester. I am a very reserved person and an introvert. When I received the syllabus for the semester on our first day of class and saw that we had to do three speeches all leading up to an eight-minute speech towards the end of the semester, I really wanted to withdraw. I did not think I could do it. I am so glad I did not withdraw and continued. This class was one of the best classes I have taken.

To give you some background, I am a single mother of two grown children and had never went to college before. Through a program at work in the fall of 2014, I started my college journey. I attended a 16-week [accelerated] program and received 20 college credits. I decided to continue and, as of now (fall 2019), I only need five more classes to get my associate degree.

Professors like Professor Eggleston make the college experience a great one. The best part about the class was the group project at the end of the semester where we broke into teams, picked a country to learn about, and provided a presentation with food, decorations, etc. I hope she will continue to include this type of event in her [curriculum] as I believe future students will also benefit from it.