Melissa Puryear
College Graduate, AA Journalism, and AA Communication in Bakersfield, California
I am a recent graduate of Bakersfield Community College where I double-majored with an AA in journalism and communication.
My objective was to learn marketable skills as a writer and to become an effective commuicator and I fell in love with both disciplines.
Disciplines:
As a former student journalist and editor at BC, I had the opportunity to interview various community officials and experts on important issues that were of importance to staff, faculty, and students.
My genre of writing focused primarily on crime and safety.
https://www.therip.com/top-stories/2018/01/28/bakersfield-city-council-approves-the-installation-of-shotspotter-technology-sst/
As a writer, I also focused on topics such as the Measure J plan, which brought improvements to campus buildings, equipment, and educational offerings.
My stories also reflected the community, students, local law enforcement, politicians and city council member's voices.
(For more on articles click on the "Read My Articles" tab above and search "Melissa Puryear" in The Rip's website search bar).
As a journalist I worked on software programs Premiere Pro, Indesign, Photoshop, and AfterEffects. I also focused on photography classes and a multi-media class where I learned valuable tips on shooting photos and editing video.
As a Managing Editor and contributing journalist I assisted the college paper news team in editing and publishing articles in online and print format. I successfully met tight deadlines and produced high-quality news stories.
As a communication major I wrote outlines for presentations, created PowerPoint slides and presented ideas to my peer audience in persuasive communication, organizational communication, rhetoric and argumentation, intercultural communication, public speaking, oral interpretation, and small group communication.
I am a member of the Sigma Chi Eta National Honor Society.
I plan to attend CSUB where I pursue my bachelor's degree in Journalism.
My professional goals after college are to work in the public relations field, and also become a community advocate for higher education.
I am a military veteran with five years of service as a military police officer, and am honored to have served.