Giving back after graduation
MINOT, N.D. – Being a transfer student and graduating this past Fall 2021, Nina Arias’ time with Minot State did not start or stop in the typical fashion for a college student. Reminiscing on her time on campus, Arias wants to give back.
The broadcasting and professional communication major transferred to Minot State for cross country in 2019 after attending her first two years at Hartnell Community College in Salinas, California. While at first she did not expect much excitement from a smaller town in North Dakota, Arias has acquired a lengthy resume of projects and experiences from her time here.
“I wanted to get to know Minot more,” she said. “I feel like it's really easy to say that Minot has nothing, but yeah, it has nothing when you're not willing to go out and look for it. Coming as a transfer student, you need to immerse yourself in the culture more. It's easy to say that there's nothing here, and the school is just a school, but it's much more than a school. You can make so much out of it if you decide you want to.”
Arias made the most out of her time at Minot State through her involvement in the Communication Arts department. Earning her bachelor's degree in broadcasting and professional communication, she has concentrations in media service, public relations, communication, journalism, and social media. She also has written for the Red and Green student newspaper and has worked on set of the student-ran TV show “Inside/Out.”
“If I had known beforehand that the school was going to give me this much, I would have decided from an early position that I was going to do as much for the school as I could,” she said. “As I was leaving, I was trying to pick up the pace.”
Arias credits the Communication Arts department faculty as a large reason for her success.
“I've never met a person like Christina Paxman (professional communication associate professor and program coordinator),” she said. “She's just incredibly caring. Alison (McAfee, previous broadcasting and professional communication instructor) was really good at helping me with the whole public relations side, and I've seen myself grow as a writer, and Neil (Roberts, associate professor of broadcasting and professional communication) is always singing my praises. It feels like I'm a superstar here, and that's a good feeling because school can be very off-putting. All the stress makes you just want to crumble up inside, but I don't feel as overwhelmed as I would usually be because when I get here, I know that they have my back. It feels so good to know that your teachers are not just your teachers. You could have a personal relationship with them.”
Arias would like to say that she will keep her options open for a career, but she can’t help but want to give back to another community that has impacted her.
“My passion for communication and public speaking came from volunteering when I was young,” she said. “I have over 700 volunteer hours with the Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey, California) and the Salvation Army, just handing out food, speaking to people about our services, and then giving small, guided tours around the aquarium. So I would like to return to the aquarium and get a job with them in their PR department because it's basically all of my concentrations in a package. I just want to help them since they helped me.”
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
| Published: 01/05/22 |
