Freshmen Advice

The first piece of advice I would give to the next incoming freshmen class is to be responsible. This will be your first experience totally away from your parents. You'll have your first taste of freedom and independence as you make your own choices as to when you choose to go to sleep or when you choose to attend class. I would just like to remind you that the work will catch up to you and it can become a burden. Most of all, I would like the incoming freshmen to remember to have fun. Just because college requires a lot of work you shouldn't feel like you need to constantly have something to do. These are your last few years before you enter the workforce. Take a breather and remember that not every grade is going to matter but what you learn in each class is what is going to make the difference.

10 things before graduation...

1. Study abroad
2. Have at least 2 internships
3. Hold an executive position in my sorority
4. Stay involved
5. Keep a GPA above a 3.0
6. Create life long relationships
7. Start making connections
8. Stay on track with my classes
9. Find out who I really am
10. Remain happy
I plan on achieving these 10 things by staying motivated and having a desire to get things accomplished.

Study Abroad

If I could study abroad anywhere in the world I would most definitely go to Dublin, Ireland. I've always wanted to go to Ireland mainly because of the scenery and that I'm 100% Irish. I actually plan on studying abroad next fall and I will be studying in the field of journalism. I am absolutely ecstatic about what this experience will have in store for me. I plan on experiencing the culture and traditions of Ireland. I hope to gain more knowledge of my ancestors while I'm there too. I just can't wait!

Career Research

The information I have found for my career research project has definitely changed my mind on what I initially thought about Broadcast Journalism. One interesting thing that I learned is that the word "broadcast" was initially a word used for farmers. It meant to disperse seeds everywhere. I also learned that it took a long time for broadcast journalism to become what it is today. Broadcast started at the bottom and had to rise above a lot of people's expectations. The online article that I found talks about women in the evolution of broadcast journalism and the contribution they have made. I find that fascinating how much women have contributed to the broadcast industry. After taking a class related to broadcast journalism this semester, I don't plan to venture down this path. Instead, I plan on taking the PR route. 

Stressors

The stressors that I have had to deal with have been miniscule. My only problems have been being able to prepare for in-class graded assignments and quizzes. Two of my classes my professors are harsh graders and in my History 109 my teacher is hard to understand so that stresses me out. I feel like I am handling these problems to the best of my ability and I feel like they will get better over time. I already have bad anxiety especially when it comes to anything school related. I just have to do breathing exercises and tell myself that it isn't the end of the world if I don't get a perfect score on a quiz or graded assignment. 

Favorite Quote.

"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." - Malcolm X

This is my favorite quote because I believe everyone should have morals and values that they live by every day. Malcolm X was a controversial person with a lot of barriers and obstacles that he had to overcome. Every one has their own thoughts and opinions but not everyone is willing to stand up to someone who tries to tell them that they're wrong. I try to apply this quote in my everyday life by sticking by my own morals. I always speak my mind on topics like religion, politics, or even how I dress because I believe everyone shouldn't be one minded.

A letter to myself...

Dear Me,

I imagine myself as a successful, happy, and adventurous woman one day. I see myself exceeding my own expectations. Those expectations being becoming apart of a major fashion corporation. I would love to have ventured more in to the PR aspect of a fashion corporation. I want to be involved in fashion shows with exclusive clients and work behind the scenes deciding on what should be represented by the company. My plans include me changing my major from Broadcast Journalism to Public Relations and double majoring in Retail Management. I plan on graduating in 2017 and continuing my education into graduate school. I want to be the best in my field of study in order to know the ins and outs of Public Relations and Retail Management. The classes that I am currently taking will help me finally make the decision to designate my studies to either Broadcast Journalism or Public Relations but I know for sure that I want to stay in Communications. In the end, whatever I decide to do I hope am just happy in the end.

Love,
Me

Reflection.

College has been interesting to say the least. Being on my own has become much easier as the weeks have progressed and I don’t feel as homesick. I wasn’t really even homesick until the second week had gone by which was weird. I ended up calling my mom balling my eyes out which wasn’t one of my most shining moments. My roommates on the other hand have made an easy transition for me to be away from home. I didn’t know who my roommates were until move-in day. Yeah, we all talked on Facebook messenger but you can’t really tell by someone’s text if they’re going be a pain in the butt or not. Luckily, we all have become super close within the three weeks of being here. A main issue that I am having is keeping up with my schoolwork. In high school, I never had a problem with getting my work done and being on time but becoming a college student has made me realize how much time I really have on my hands. I’ve never been one for procrastination but it’s looking like it’s going to become my life, at least for the first few weeks. Out of all my classes, I’m pretty sure History 109 is going to be the death of me. My main problem in that course is that I have a terrible time trying to understand my professor’s accent. I hope that I will grow accustom to it and start to understand her better as the course progresses.  

The Postmortal

The Postmortal was an amazing book. There were twists and turns entwined with fear and happiness at the end of every page that immediately got me hooked. The author, Drew Magary, really knew how to bring words to life in this novel. I felt like I was physically watching every scene that took place. Magary also made the characters undoubtedly relatable in a sense that you could understand all the feelings each character had. He also made the situations that the characters were going through relatable to any audience. For example, the main character’s father went through a situation dealing with the idea of peer pressure after everyone started receiving “the cure.” Initially, the father was against “the cure” in hopes of one day reuniting with his recent wife but “the cure” became so popular so fast that people were being bullied for not getting it. I believe that this book shows in other cases besides this one that public opinion and actions can change an entire country’s outlook on life and even death.  

All About Me.

My name is Ryley Lee Hughes and I am from Conway, South Carolina. I moved to Conway when I was about two or three years old so basically Conway is where I was raised. I attended Horry County Early College High School where I graduated as Valedictorian. I mainly chose University of South Carolina because I received a full academic scholarship. I mean how could anyone turn that down! Another reason why I chose USC is because of all the amazing opportunities that are available to every student. From participating in school tours to attending USC information sessions, I instantly knew USC would provide me with the best education and experiences than any other school could.

            I am currently majoring in Broadcast Journalism where I hope to learn more about the writing and editing process of a news station or television production. I came across Broadcast Journalism when I started to learn about my Uncle’s line of work. My uncle, Arnold Diaz, is a news anchor in New York City and has over twenty years of experience in his field. My cousin, Alex Diaz, is also in the Broadcast Journalism field. He is working for the CNN headquarters in New York City. As you can see this field runs in my family.

            Of all the options and choices here at USC, I think choosing to take University 101 was one of the best. I hope this course will teach me more about the campus that I am currently residing in. I would love to learn about the history and traditions created right here in Columbia. I am also hoping to grasp a better understanding of Mass Communications. I am aware that the School of Journalism is extremely broad and unlimited but I am hoping to find my niche here this school year.