Alumni
Alumni
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Spotlight
- February 2022: Jeni Ruth Hunniecut published Rethinking Reintegration and Veteran Identity: A New Consciousness which uses narrative, literature, theory, and analysis to compare her own military experience through the lens of research about military transitions, reintegration, Veteran suicides, and psychosocial adjustment challenges. Available on Amazon.
Fall 2021: After starting the nonprofit Women of Eastern Kentucky, Megan Duff received a grant from the Kentucky Foundation of Women. She plans to use the grant to "empower women from eastern Kentucky to tell their own stories by utilizing performance, art installations, and storytelling."
2020: Cassie Dandridge Selleck’s award-winning novel The Pecan Man was selected for production by BCDF Pictures. The film will be an adaptation of Selleck's 2012 novel, the prequel to her 2018 novel The Truth About Grace: A Sequel to The Pecan Man. Both books are available on Amazon.
Our alumni are our most valuable resource. As graduates of our program, noone can speak more accurately about the level of committment and connection we have with our students and their success.
As such, just because you don't walk down our halls or chat with us about theory and presentation, that does not mean you are no longer a part of us. You may be gone, but you are not forgotten. And there are still opportunities for you to participate. Alumni can:
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- stay in touch by registering and updating your information
- return to the classroom as guest lecturers
- invest in programs and scholarships that can help current and prospective students
develop important skills
and make meaningful contacts
If you have any interest in either of these, or anything else, please contact:
Dallas Honeycutt
M.A., Professional Communication
Alumni Coordinator
Email: honeycuttde@etsu.edu
Graduate Testimonials
Meet Our Graduates
Tessa McCoy
B.A., Communication Studies, 2018
Business Process Analyst at CGI Federal
“Excellent faculty and staff, enlightening and engaging classes, and a strong sense of community”
Sam Sevigny
B.A., Communication Studies, 2018
Operation Enfant Soleil: Operation Child Sun
“It gave a variety of communication skills (e.g. soft skills) that I can apply in
multiple situations and to navigate the professional world.”
“It will prepare you for the professional world, it will give you to flexibility to
apply to several fields of work, and it will you give you relevant skills in today’s
market.”
Alana Claxton
B.A., Communication Studies, 2017
M.A. Professional Communication, 2019
SEM (Search Engine Marketing) Specialist
"The Department of Communication & Performance helped me tremendously during my post-graduation job search. Throughout my undergraduate and graduate experiences, I had the opportunity to strengthen my oral and written communication skills. Though easy to discount, it was those very soft skills that got me an interview and subsequent position at my current job. As my employer pointed out, I was one of the few individuals who bothered to write a cover letter, something I was well prepared to do thanks to my experience in the Comm Studies department. Moreover, my ability to conduct myself professionally and respond to difficult questions earnestly and intelligently helped me land a position I had practically zero experience in. For that, I fully credit the numerous mentorships, presentations, class discussions, and leadership opportunities I was a part of during my years in the department. Lastly, several professors made it a point to share practical job hunting that helped mentally prepare me for the long, tedious, and oftentimes frustrating job search process. Overall, I am extremely grateful for the Department of Communication & Performance and am proud to have been a part of such a giving and enriching community."
Kallie Gay
M.A. Communication and Storytelling, 2019
Lecturer in Communication Studies, ETSU
"The Communication & Storytelling Studies Master’s Program was a transformative experience in my life. I discovered a passion for qualitative research and embraced its potential to bring unheard stories to light in a way that is engaging and accessible. While I did not have a background in Communication Studies before entering the program, I was able to successfully navigate the program thanks to the Department of Communication & Performance’s supportive faculty, the comradery of fellow graduate students, and the abundance of resources offered by ETSU’s Sherrod Library."
Matthew Daggett
M.A. Communication and Storytelling, 2019
Tama Lunceford
M.A. Communication and Storytelling, 2019
Storyteller
"The faculty fostered in me confidence and provided the tools to not only grow and expand my potential but also to embrace possibilities I had never before considered."
Juliette Guerrault
M.A. Professional Communication, 2017
Public Speaking Architect
"I must say that I often miss the awesomeness of this program and the professors. More seriously, what I have learned during those two years helped me kill my job interviews and also gave me essential skills I was able to use in the position I had. But more importantly this program inspired me to create my own company; I call myself a public speaking architect because I help people who want to write and deliver a speech (whether they are beginners or not); who are experts in their area but do not know where to start."
Masters Theses & Capstone Projects
Constructing a Celtic Identity in the Contemporary United States (Capstone)
Lisa Kristi Rivas Israel - 2020
A Poetic Ethnodrama: Discussing the Impact of the Pressure to Publish on Creative
Writers' Production
Abby Lewis - 2020
"No One's Gonna Say That at Church:" Women's Experiences with Infertility in Christian
Faith Communities
Donna Paulsen - 2020
Managing Cosplay Performance: The Forms and Expectations of Convention Roleplay
Isaac Price - 2020
"A Lot of Prayer, and Some Wine In-Between": Applying the Relational Turbulence Model
to the Stepparent-Biological Parent Marriage
Paul Taylor - 2020
Creating Post-Black Stories and Poetry: Bringing Awareness to Toxic Blackness (Capstone)
Joshua Whitehead - 2019
Cooking Lessons: Oral Recipe Sharing in the Southern Kitchen
Alana Claxton - 2019
The Ill Man: An Exploration of Chronic Illness Disclosure Within Masculine Culture
Matthew Daggett - 2019
Becoming a Master Manager: An Analysis of SNAP Recipient Stories of Navigating Government
Assistance
Kallie Gay - 2019
The Revolutionary Narrative of Olaudah Equiano: Crafting Historical Solo Performance
(Capstone)
John Brooks - 2018
Digging into Playwriting (Capstone)
Gleason Holt - 2018
Up on the Mountain, Down in the Valley: An Examination of the Impacts of Maternal
Incarceration
Tessa McCoy-Hall - 2018
Mystery, Mirth, & Magic: A True Houdini Experience (Capstone)
Brandon Bragg - 2017
The Tale of Three Sisters and the Horsemen (Capstone)
Charis Hickson - 2017
Divergent Discourse: A Case Study Analyzing the Effects of Campus Communication About
Sexual Assault
Melissa Nipper - 2017
Mountain Empire Literacy Outreach: Literacy Through A Community Based Organization
Action Research Study (Capstone)
Wendolin Elrod - 2017
Opal Clark on Directing Stop Kiss: An Exploration of the Directorial Process (Capstone)
Opal Clark - 2017
Who Am I? Discovering My Stage Persona (Capstone)
Lindsay Lee - 2017
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Understanding Culturally-Produced Limitations On Gay Male
Community Formation in South Central Appalachia
Brandon Brewer - 2016
Obstacles, Transitions, & Perspectives: An In-Depth Look at the Spectacle of Deviant
Bodies
Taylor Manning - 2016
An Actor’s Approach to Claire in Proof by David Auburn
Kathryn Patterson - 2016
Love On - The Life of a Suicide Survivor: A Performance Autoethnographic Study
Patricia Wheeler - 2016
Combining Storytelling and Cross-Age Teaching in a Curriculum to Learn About Race
and Culture (Capstone)
Tzitel Voss - 2016
The Capstone Project: An Analysis of Courtroom Storytelling (Capstone)
Chris Adams - 2015
Femininity, Pinterest, and the Appropriation of Jane Austen
Telling Tales as Oral Performance: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Storytelling in
Ireland, Scotland and Southern Appalachia
Jordan Powers - 2014
Undergraduate Honors Theses
"An Analysis of the East Tennessee State University Student Government Association through the Organizational Socialization Process" by Jennifer M. Bartell
"Coffee shops and third space: Communicative practices in-between" by Rebekah L. Cisney
"Co-Constructing a Mother" by Alana Claxton
"A Traditionally Modern “Princess”: Gender Stereotypes in Disney’s Moana" by Alexandra Drumwright-Ward
"Interpersonal Deception Theory and Factitious Disorders: An Autoethnographic Study" by SaraBeth Harrill
"Names and the Process of Identity: An Autoethnographic Approach to Becoming Someone Else" by Hal Hughes
"Exploring Perceptions of Leadership Created Through Communication: A Qualitative Study About Generation Z College Students" by Zachary Hughes
"Creating Gender in Disney/Pixar's WALL-E" by Brittany Long
"Miracle of Life My Ass: A Study of Gender and Pregnancy Discourse in Wynonna Earp" by Mykala Reynolds
"Academic Partnership: The Impact of Student-Faculty Interaction on Undergraduate Students’ Success" by Samuel Sevigny
"Trauma, Identity and Equestrianism" by Lauren Smith
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame recipients are individuals who, after earning their degree, exemplify the ideals of our program by distinguishing themselves through success in their professional endeavors or otherwise contributing to their community in a meaningful way. The bestowal of the award is meant to highlight the individual’s accomplishments and contributions as well as the importance and value of the study of human communication.
2020 Recipients
Christian Izaguirre
Communication Studies
Molly Catron
Communication Studies
2019 Recipients
Dr. Carl Brown
Communication Studies
Marjorie Shaefer
Storytelling
2018 Recipients
Adriane Flanary
Communication Studies
Jamie Collier Sproles
Communication Studies
C. Ellen Young
Communication Studies
Brenda White Wright
Storytelling
2017 Recipients
LaKesha Anderson
Communication Studies
Peter Cook
Storytelling
2016 Recipients
Kathryn Duvall
Communication Studies
Heather Forest
Storytelling
2015 Recipient
Amber Phillips Maxwell
Communication Studies
2014 Recipient
Jeweline Franklin Clemons
Communication Studies
2013 Recipient
Kate McNeill
Communication Studies
2012 Recipient
Daniel Emmel
Communication Studies
Job Titles
Undergraduate Alumni
- Senior Sales Specialist in Opthalmics,
- Shire Pharmaceuticals
- Senior Government Loan
- Representative, Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc.
- Marriage and Family
- Therapist, Richmond Graduate
- University, Chattanooga, TN
- Director of First Impressions, Keller Williams Realty
- IT Project Manager, Federal Deposit
- Insurance Corporation, Washington D.C.
- Pharmaceutical Sales Rep, Allergan
- Pharmaceuticals
- AppleCare Support, Apple
- Cake decorator, Walmart
- Worship Pastor, Tri-Cities Baptist Church
- Project Management Analyst, Mosaic Life Care Kansas City, MO
- Customer Care Representative, Elavon Inc.
- Communications Coordinator, International Storytelling Center
- Farmers Market Co-Manager, ETSU
- Front End Clerk, Gray Pharmacy
- New Student & Family Programs' Graduate Assistant for Student Leadership, Clemson University
- Enrollment Counselor, King University School of Nursing
- Enrollment Counselor, Adult and Graduate School, Colorado Christian University
- Voluntary Benefits Specialist, Unum Insurance
- Sales Representative, Red Ventures
- Executive Senior Manager, Allied Dispatch Solutions
- Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, South Bay Community Services
- Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Cook Medical Endoscopy Division
- Business Development Team, Legal Department of TriNet HR Corporation
- Information Technology Project Manager, DIT Engineering
- Program Instructor, Brother’s Keeper
- Infantry, Army National Guard
- Assistant Director, Drexel University
- Counselor, Covenant Counseling Center
- Manager, The STURM Center: Behavioral Health Center for Veterans, Service Members, and Their Families
- Salon Director, Sun Tan City
- Coordinator of Alumni Outreach,
- National Alumni Association ETSU
- Occupancy Specialist, Johnson City Housing Authority
- Associate Manager, American Institutes of Certified Public Accountants