Lindsay Reeves, an alumni of CSU-Pueblo, chose to come to CSU-Pueblo after hearing a presentation Jen Mullen, mass communications department chair, gave at a conference she attended her senior year of high school.
Reeves’ was pretty set on getting a business degree, but after learning of the opportunities a mass communications degree could give her she was hooked. She also really liked the faculty and amount of time Mullen put in during the presentation to describe her department.
Making the decision to attend CSU-Pueblo ended up being the best decision that Reeves ever made, she said.
After the conference presentation, Reeves started looking for more ways to get involved on campus. She came across the President’s Leadership Program and was intrigued by the opportunities it too presented. Reeves’ was soon accepted into the program, which later became the perfect addition to her mass communications degree.
The Associated Students’ Government also caught her eye during her first semester because she enjoyed working on issues that were important to her fellow students and making a difference on campus, she said. However, her experiences were not without challenges.
“One of the biggest challenges was time management,” Reeves said.
“Since I was on a three year plan to graduate, I was taking anywhere between 18 and 21 credit hours a semester,” she said. “This combined with my responsibilities for PLP and ASG, I was spending twelve hours on campus most days. This left little time for homework and sleep, so I definitely had to learn how to manage the time I had.”
When all was said and done, Reeves ended up graduating after just three years in May 2011, with her Bachelor of Science degree in mass communications and an emphasis in integrated communications. She also minored in nonprofit management, leadership studies and marketing.
“I learned so much not only academically, but about myself and my passions in life,” Reeves said. “I feel like I was given a solid framework to go out and make the difference in the world that I’ve always dreamed of.”
Reeves is currently working for Pueblo City Schools with the Safe Schools, Healthy Students Initiative. This is a federal grant-funded initiative working toward making schools safer and students healthier through their programming process in areas such as mental health, substance abuse, positive behavioral systems and bully prevention.
Her current boss told her that the interview committee was very interested in her ability to work on newsletters, websites and other media as an extra part of her job in order to help progress the mission of the initiative. Reeves also found herself using the very things she learned on a daily basis to contribute to the work of the group she said.
The degree she received from CSU-Pueblo, as well as her personal interest in the nonprofit sector, are the two biggest reasons she was able to get the job that she has now.
Her degree has also allowed her the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Regis University, which she started to attend in July 2011. Reeves expects to be done by this summer. Upon applying for the program, the interview panel also commented on her writing ability as an appealing factor to admit her in the program.
Reeves believes her skills are a huge testament to the mass communications department and the work she did during her time at CSU-Pueblo, she said.
“I’m much more comfortable writing now and feel like I am able to clearly put my thoughts into words,” Reeves said.
Though Reeves is no longer officially involved with CSU-Pueblo in any way, she does still make frequent trips to the campus for events. She still enjoys going to athletic events, attending guest speaker lectures and other community events.
