What could I do with these majors?

Five of our alumni offer descriptions of what they do:

I'm Mesa Johnson, and I graduated from UST in 2006 with a major in media studies and a minor in print journalism. Today, I work as a proposal editor at a benefits management consulting firm, which means I write, edit and project manage proposals and other client-facing documents. The most challenging part of my job is getting teams to meet multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment that is always changing. My print classes and my work on The Aquin gave me experience in meet demanding deadlines, editing copy on the fly and working with peers collaboratively to produce work of the highest quality. My experiences at UST also gave me the ability to work through complex, technical language and rewrite text in a way that can be clearly understood by clients. Besides being advantageous in the corporate world, my experiences at UST, specifically my media studies courses, have enabled me to be a critical consumer of all types of media. This proves to be beneficial every day, especially as the media continually saturate all aspects of our society.

I’m Jessica Vogt, and I graduated from UST in 2006 with a major in advertising and a minor in German.  I currently work as an account manager at BVK, a fully-integrated advertising agency in Milwaukee, Wisc.  I work mostly in healthcare marketing so most of my clients are healthcare systems from across the nation.  I essentially act as a liaison between the client, the media department and the creative department in developing TV and radio spots, outdoor boards, microsites, direct mail, and other advertising.  The most exciting part of my job is getting involved with clients.  This allows me to own a bigger piece of the project and gain powerful insight into that particular organization.  My classes and internships while in school gave me the background I needed to understand universal advertising concepts, as well as sharpen my professional skills. Belonging to the UST Advertising Federation and competing in the National Student Advertising Competition also prepared me for what it would be like to work in an agency.  The competition challenged me learn how research, strategy, planning, copywriting, art direction, media and public relations all tie together in a campaign.  This experience offered the best example of what it’s like to balance my work at the agency.

My name is Amanda Lutz, and I graduated from UST in 2004 with a double major in broadcast journalism and communication studies and a minor in political science.  Today, I'm a producer at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  I work behind the scenes of our morning shows, writing stories and helping to put our newscasts together from top to bottom.  Before working at KSTP, I was a reporter at WSAW-TV in Wausau, Wisc.  I enjoy the challenge of finding a mix of local, national and international stories that not only inform viewers, but also make our shows interesting and appealing to our viewers.  I also enjoy the collaborative effort it takes to put an entire newscast together.  In college, I worked at the St. Thomas TV studio and worked on the campus TV news magazine "Campus Scope."  I also had three internships during college, two of which were at KSTP-TV.  My internships, classes and work at the TV studio gave me plenty of real-world experience and taught me the importance of planning ahead, conceptualizing a story and meeting deadlines.  I enjoy my job a lot and wouldn't trade being in this profession for anything!

I'm John Nemo, a 1997 graduate of UST with a major in print journalism and a minor in psychology. My St. Thomas journalism instructors – many of whom I still keep in touch with 10 years later – have helped me land every significant job I've ever had, from my first gig as a reporter at one of the nation's largest newspapers, the Arizona Republic, to a job with the Associated Press to even critiquing my first novel, The King's Game, published by River City Press in March 2007. UST professors were not only instrumental in helping me learn the skills necessary to succeed in journalism, but their real-world experience, connections and candor in guiding me toward a successful career in that field was second to none.

My name is Rebecca Lentz.  In 1994, I graduated with a degree in print journalism and started a reporting career that took me from rural America (Bismarck, N.D.) to the ocean (Wilmington, N.C.) to the big city (Chicago) and back home. I fell intellectually in love with the topic of health care and spent seven years writing about its policy, socioeconomic and legal issues. That led me to my job at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, where I'm the communications director. I work with faculty to explain research (ranging from drug discovery and development to the effect of the human genome on medications to policy and pricing issues to providing care in rural America) and with the dean on legislative issues, media management and strategic planning. My UST classes, internships, professors and work on The Aquin gave me excellent skills not just for my career and life but to develop a love of learning and constant curiosity about things around me. I can't imagine not doing this.