Journalism Alumni to Receive Outstanding Young Alumni Award 2012

By: Heather Smith (@heathr_smith)

Journalism Department graduates Rebekah Peppler ’08, and Vanessa Virbitsky ’08, are two of four remarkable UW-Oshkosh alumni to be receiving the Outstanding Young Alumni Award of 2012. 

These distinguished alumni will be honored by the University’s Alumni Association during Homecoming 2012 for their professional and civic accomplishments and future promises.

While at Oshkosh, Peppler was a member of SPJ and Virbitsky a sports writer for the Advance-Titan. After the j-department congratulated them via Twitter two days ago, we got an unexpected response:

What are the odds?! Now that their paths have crossed years later, what exactly have these two accomplished after graduation that has earned them this honor?

With a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UWO in hand, Rebekah Peppler extended her education in New York City, where she completed the class pastry arts program at the French Culinary Institute. Independently, she is a freelance writer, recipe developer, photographer, and avid food stylist. In 2010 she began her NYC career as the culinary advisor/researcher for CBS news, and is currently the food editor at Tasting Table, where she provides New Yorkers with daily e-mail publications about the best food and drink culture the city has to offer. 

After graduating from UW-Oshkosh with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science, Vanessa Virbitsky went on to receive her MA in public relations at Ball State. There, she was the graduate assistant gymnastics coach and media relations assistant for the University.  In 2009 she became the Media Relations Intern for the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado, and in July 2010 began her position as a Communications Manager. Today, she is playing a key role in the upcoming 2012 London Olympic Games.

 

It is safe to say that this year; Virbitsky and Peppler will be bringing home the gold at the 2012 Homecoming reception on October 12.

 

For more information on all of this year’s recipients, check out this article!

UW Oshkosh Journalism Emphases Series: Public Relations

Part two of our J-Vlog series: UW Oshkosh Journalism Emphases. Real J-students talk about their experiences with exploring their special emphasis in the Journalism program. J-student Lindsey Noack  shares her experiences with her emphasis in Public Relations. Stay tuned for more on the other emphases: Advertising, Visual and Media Studies!  Subscribe to our YouTube channel at: 
http://www.youtube.com/user/uwoshjournalism

Five Places to Look for a Job/Internship

By Lindsey Noack (@LinzCnoack)

With three weeks until graduation, seniors are checking their grades, getting their cap and gown and, most importantly, searching for jobs. But where should you be checking? It’s well known that searching for a job is a full-time job in itself. Here are 5 places you should check out to find a job that fits you (anyone looking for an internship, this applies to you too!).

1. Big Shoes Network – If you are looking for a job in the Wisconsin, Illinois or Minnesota, Big Shoes Network is a great site for finding open positions and internships in the journalism field/PR/social media/advertising/communications field. You can narrow down your selections by type of position, specific geographic areas in Wisconsin or Illinois, and posting date. Sign up for the free email chain and you’ll get sent open positions directly to your inbox, which makes the search even easier.
2. City Job Sites – Most cities will have at least one site that lists job openings. If you know what area in Wisconsin or the U.S. you’d like to go, start by picking out a large city in that state and looking for its job site. Doing a simple Google search for the name of the city + jobs yields good results. I found sites for Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Oshkosh and Sheboygan that have a huge listing of categories and tons of open positions in those areas.
3. Titan Jobs / Alumni Career Services / Career Services– These are services offered through the university and are free until you graduate, so you should make use of them (some services cost a one-time $25 service fee after graduation). Titan Jobs has open internship and full-time positions from employers in the Oshkosh and surrounding areas. You can upload a resume and create a profile that participating employers can read when looking for possible candidates. There’s even a Titan Jobs app to download so you know what and when career/networking events are happening around campus. If you’re unfamiliar with Titan Jobs or want help on your resume, head over to Career Services Office in the Student Success Center during their walk-in hours and a staff member will sit down and go over any professional needs you have.
4. Intern2work – This new website is open to College of Letters & Science students and works towards connecting Northeast Wisconsin students with employers looking for interns. You can never have too many internships and even if you are about to graduate, taking an internship right out of college while you try to find a full-time job is an awesome way to get more experience while you search. Check out the Intern2Work Facebook for more information or go to the Intern2work site to fill out your profile.
5. Networking!! – One of the best things you can do as a recent graduate is to let those around you know that you are looking for a job. Talk with professors, family members, friends and co-workers and tell them what type of position you’d like to get and where you want to go. Many times if people know you are looking they will keep you in mind and inform you of job positions they run across that fit your description. Use these last few weeks as a student to set up informational interviews with companies you’d like to work for. As a student they are more willing to bring you in and talk to you about your future career. The more resumes and cover letters you send out, the more exposure you are getting for yourself, so don’t be afraid to show your face to as many people as you can!