For the Love of Communication

Jonathan Armstrong loves talking to people.  As a junior communication major at Southwestern, the more Armstrong studies communication, the more he discovers being a student in communication is exactly where he wants to be.

At age 11, Jonathan and his family moved from California to Texas.  His parents are Southwestern Adventist University alumni, love Texas, and decided to move to Keene.  Ever since then, the Armstrong family has lived back and forth between Texas and California.  Now that Jonathan is attending Southwestern, the family has officially settled in Keene.

Armstrong was very excited to attend Southwestern.  He had friends here from when he was in middle school, and had heard only good things about Southwestern.  He began his college career majoring in English.

“I had decided to major in English only because someone suggested I should,” says Armstrong.  “English is a great basis for many things, it can take you in many different directions. Yet, as I got into my upper division classes, I found English wasn’t for me.  College students should major in what they love.”

Armstrong knew that he had to make a change in his major. He was going to study journalism, but now that the opportunity was before him, it didn’t feel right either.  Finally Armstrong picked out a major perfect for him, communication with an emphasis in advertising and public relations.

“I had planned on being a journalist since I was a wee tyke, but when it came down to it, I didn’t think I would enjoy it,” says Armstrong. “Yet I still wanted to communicate.”

“I like working with people. I don’t mind going door to door, or talking to people; it’s really something I enjoy. Now I’m majoring in something that interests me and I’m starting to enjoy my classes more and more.  Doing things I love, I feel like my college experience has gotten at least 20% cooler.”

One of the things Armstrong likes about the communication department at Southwestern is the hands-on experience available to him.  There’s a radio station, TV station, and online newspaper, to name a few things.

“I heard that most college students don’t even get to touch a camera until their senior year,” says Armstrong.  “Here I’m in my first semester as a communication major and already filming things.  I’m getting involved in things I can put on my resume when I apply for a job.”

Like many college students, Armstrong has only vague ideas of what he would like to do when he graduates.

“There are so many job options I am just learning about.  I don’t know anything concrete. I do plan to apply for an internship. Here at Southwestern I’m experiencing many different things, and learning all the possibilities of a communication degree.

“I know it doesn’t matter what my future career will be, as long as I love what I am doing.”

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